Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal: Volume One 9780814745397

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Virtues of the Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal Volume One

Library of Arabic Literature Editorial Board General Editor Philip F. Kennedy, New York University Executive Editors James E. Montgomery, University of Cambridge Shawkat M. Toorawa, Cornell University Editors Julia Bray, University of Oxford Michael Cooperson, University of California, Los Angeles Joseph E. Lowry, University of Pennsylvania Tahera Qutbuddin, University of Chicago Devin J. Stewart, Emory University Managing Editor Chip Rossetti Volume Editor Tahera Qutbuddin

Letter from the General Editor

The Library of Arabic Literature is a new series offering Arabic editions and English translations of key works of classical and premodern Arabic literature, as well as anthologies and thematic readers. Books in the series are edited and translated by distinguished scholars of Arabic and Islamic studies, and are published in parallel-text format with Arabic and English on facing pages. The Library of Arabic Literature includes texts from the pre-Islamic era to the cusp of the modern period, and will encompass a wide range of genres, including poetry, poetics, fiction, religion, philosophy, law, science, history, and historiography. Supported by a grant from the New York University Abu Dhabi Institute, and established in partnership with NYU Press, the Library of Arabic Literature will produce authoritative Arabic editions and modern, lucid English translations, with the goal of introducing the Arabic literary heritage to scholars and students, as well as to a general audience of readers. Philip F. Kennedy General Editor, Library of Arabic Literature

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Virtues of the Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal Volume One Ibn al-Jawzī Edited and translated by Michael Cooperson

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London Copyright © 2013 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ibn al-Jawzi, Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Ali, approximately 1116-1201. [Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. English] Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal / Ibn al-Jawzi ; edited and translated by Michael Cooperson. volumes cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8147-7166-2 (cl : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-8147-4539-7 (e-book) -- ISBN 978-0-8147-7188-4 (e-book) 1. Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad ibn Muhammad, 780-855. 2. Islamic law--Biography. I. Cooperson, Michael, editor, translator. II. Title. KBP310.I2653I26513 2013 297.1’4092--dc23 [B] 2013007686 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. Series design by Titus Nemeth. Typeset in Tasmeem, using DecoType Naskh and Emiri. Typesetting and digitization by Stuart Brown. Manufactured in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

Letter from the General Editor

iii

Introduction

xi

Note on the Text

xxi

Notes to the Frontmatter

xxv

Virtues of the Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal

1

Chapter 1: Ibn Ḥanbal's Birth and Family Background

14

Chapter 2: His Lineage

18

Chapter 3: His Childhood

28

Chapter 4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge and the Journey He Undertook for That Purpose

32

Chapter 5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose 52

Authority He Recited Hadith

Chapter 6: His Deference to His Teachers and His Respect for Learning 88 Chapter 7: His Eagerness to Learn and His Single-Minded Pursuit of 90

Knowledge Chapter 8: His Powers of Retention and the Number of Reports He

92

Knew by Heart Chapter 9: His Learning, His Intelligence, and His Religious

100

Understanding Chapter 10: Praise of Him by His Teachers

108

Chapter 11: Teachers and Senior Men of Learning Who Cite Him

144

Chapter 12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

160

Chapter 13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and 188

Those Close to Him in Age Chapter 14: Praise of Him by Prominent Successors Who Knew Him

252

Well Chapter 15: A Report That the Prophet Elijah Sent Him Greetings

260

Chapter 16: Reports That al-Khaḍir Spoke in His Praise

262

Chapter 17: Praise of Him by Pious Strangers and Allies of God

264

Chapter 18: Allies of God Who Visited Him to Seek His Blessing

266

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Chapter 19: His Fame

274

Chapter 20: His Creed

282

Chapter 21: His Insistence on Maintaining the Practices of the Early 326

Muslims Chapter 22: His Reverence for Hadith Transmitters and Adherents of

334

the Sunnah Chapter 23: His Shunning and Reviling of Innovators and His Forbidding Others to Listen to Them

338

Chapter 24: His Seeking of Blessings and Cures Using the Qurʾan and Water from the Well of Zamzam, as Well as Some Hair and a Bowl That Belonged to the Prophet

346

Chapter 25: His Age When He Began Teaching Hadith and Giving 348

Legal Opinions Chapter 26: His Devotion to Learning and the Attitudes That

352

Informed His Teaching

354

Chapter 27: His Works Chapter 28: His Aversion to Writing Books Containing Opinions Reached through the Exercise of Independent Judgment at the Expense of Transmitted Knowledge

356

Chapter 29: His Forbidding Others to Write Down or Transmit His 360

Words Chapter 30: His Remarks on Sincerity, on Acting for the Sake of Appearances, and on Concealing One’s Pious Austerities

362

Chapter 31: His Statements about Renunciation and Spiritual 364

Weakness Chapter 32: His Remarks on Different Subjects

374

Chapter 33: Poems He Recited or Had Attributed to Him

382

Chapter 34: His Correspondence

386

Chapter 35: His Appearance and Bearing

388

Chapter 36: His Imposing Presence

394

Chapter 37: His Cleanliness and Ritual Purity

398

Chapter 38: His Kindness and His Consideration for Others

398

Chapter 39: His Forbearance and His Readiness to Forgive

414

Chapter 40: His Property and Means of Subsistence

418

Chapter 41: His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress

424

Chapter 42: His Generosity

452

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Chapter 43: His Accepting Gifts and Giving Gifts in Return

456

Chapter 44: His Renunciation

460

Chapter 45: His House and Furniture

468

Chapter 46: His Diet

472

Chapter 47: His Indulgences

476

Chapter 48: His Clothing

478

Chapter 49: His Scrupulosity

484

Chapter 50: His Shunning Appointment to Positions of Authority

506

Notes

512

Glossary of Names and Terms

540

Index

548

About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute

560

About the Typefaces

561

About the Editor–Translator

562

ix

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Introduction

Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who died in the 241st year of the Muslim calendar, 855 according to the Christian one, is probably one of the most famous Muslims in history. Thanks to him, many came to believe that the only right religion was the one practiced at the time of the Prophet Muḥammad. To keep their community together in this world and gain salvation in the next, Muslims needed to live as the Prophet and his Companions had lived: to eat what they ate, wear what they wore, buy and sell only as they had done. “Is there anything I’m doing wrong?” one of Ibn Ḥanbal's wives asked him a few days after they were married. “No,” he answered, “except that those sandals you’re wearing didn’t exist at the time of the Prophet” (62.7). To live as the first Muslims had lived, it was necessary to know as much as possible about them. Reports of their words and deeds were repeated by one believer to another, along with the names of those who had passed these reports on. By Ibn Ḥanbal's time, a proper report—called a Hadith—was expected to include a list of names beginning with the speaker’s source and ending with the person who had seen the Prophet or a Companion doing or saying whatever it was that one wished to know. After Ibn Ḥanbal was arrested during the Abbasid Inquisition, a well-wisher counseled him by citing the following Hadith: We heard al-Layth ibn Saʿd report, citing Muḥammad ibn ʿAjlān, citing Abū l-Zannād, citing al-Aʿraj, citing Abū Hurayrah, that the Prophet, God bless and keep him, said: “If any ask you to disobey God, heed him not” (68.4).

What if a seeker could find no Hadith report about a particular question? In that case he might apply his own reasoning to the problem. Yet the scope for undisciplined individual effort was small and growing smaller. In Ibn Ḥanbal's time, most Muslims no longer believed that they could simply judge as they thought best. For many, it was necessary to take into consideration all related Qurʾanic verses and Hadith reports, and then—using an increasingly complex system of legal reasoning—come up with a rule that seemed best to approximate God’s will. Yet Ibn Ḥanbal himself could not accept this approach. For one thing, the solution was to learn more Hadith reports, in the hope that one or another report would supply the information one needed. In practice, this solution placed great

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demands on the learner. The people who happened to know a particular report might be living anywhere in the lands settled by Muslims, and it was necessary to seek them out. On his return from a Hadith-gathering mission to the town of Kufa, Ibn Ḥanbal was accosted by a friend who reproached him for overdoing it: “Today it’s Kufa; tomorrow it’ll be Basra again! How much longer can you keep this up? You’ve already copied thirty thousand reports! Isn’t that enough?” [Aḥmad] said nothing. “What if you reach sixty thousand?” He was still silent. “A hundred thousand?” “At that point,” he replied, “a man might claim to know something” (4.20).

Another problem was keeping track of what one was learning. Premodern societies are often described as oral cultures, and premodern people as having extraordinary abilities to memorize vast amounts of material, but not everyone found rote learning easy. Ibn Ḥanbal’s older contemporary al-Shāfiʿī reportedly ingested frankincense to strengthen his memory, to the point that he suffered internal bleeding.1 Ibn Ḥanbal himself insisted that one write down the Hadiths one learned (13.9). He is described as carrying his notes—organized by topic— into the mosque to teach (26.2) and rummaging through piles of papers to find the report he wanted (26.1). Even if one learned many Hadith reports, one's task had only begun. Simply knowing many reports was not enough: it was also necessary to live in accordance with the teachings they contained. For Ibn Ḥanbal, this meant denying oneself the luxuries the Prophet scorned, or had never seen, including chairs and silver vessels (53.3). It was, furthermore, necessary to avoid objects and activities that might have been acceptable in themselves but which were tainted by association with something forbidden or merely suspicious. For example, Ibn Ḥanbal had no way of knowing whether the taxes collected by the government were fairly levied and properly spent. He therefore refused to eat anything offered to him during his visits to the palace, whether as a prisoner or a guest (69.13, 69.25, 73.19–21). He also refused to eat bread or gourds baked in an oven that belonged to his son Ṣāliḥ, who had accepted a gift from the caliph (49.13, 49.20). This horror of ritual pollution was called waraʿ, which seems to have no precise English translation; it is often called “scrupulousness” or “scrupulosity.” In practice, waraʿ meant renouncing luxury, and Baghdad—a famously wealthy and self-indulgent place at the time—had many luxuries to offer. Unlike some

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of his associates, Ibn Ḥanbal did not believe in interfering with the pleasures of others. Yet he refused to partake in them himself. Instead, he spent his days in a shabby room, sometimes wondering whether keeping a few coins wrapped in a rag was wrong because it implied doubt that God would provide for him (35.7, 41.17, 79.6). For Ibn Ḥanbal’s contemporaries, this spectacle was an especially moving one because his austerity was a matter of choice. To judge by their names, many of his fellow Hadith scholars were descendants of mawālī, that is, of non-Arabs who had adopted Islam. Their fathers were traders and craftsmen, with names such as “the leather-worker,” “the draper,” “the maker of vinegar,” and so on. Ibn Ḥanbal, by contrast, was an Arab: he belonged to the people who had given the world the Prophet Muḥammad and the language of the Revelation. Moreover, his family was a prominent one that had helped to bring the Abbasid regime to power. His grandfather had served as governor of Sarakhs, a town that now lies on the border between Turkmenistan and Iran (1.7). Presumably, Ibn Ḥanbal could have used his family connections to obtain a government job (3.5–7). Instead, he chose to seek Hadith. Admittedly, he did accept one of the benefits of inherited wealth: a number of rental properties that supplied enough income to support him and his family (40.1). But he is also described as giving his tenants breaks on their rent on the slightest pretext (42.1). When prices were high, he seems not to have collected rent at all, living instead from the sale of cloth woven by his wife Umm Ṣāliḥ (44.6). With the benefit of hindsight, we see that Ibn Ḥanbal played a formative role in the movement later called Sunnism. For his followers, being a Muslim meant taking the practice (sunnah) of the Prophet, along with the Qurʾan, as the basis for living one’s life. It meant looking to Hadith—and not, for example, to the words of a living religious guide—as the source of right practice. It meant accepting the succession of caliphs after Muḥammad rather than claiming, as the Shi ʿa did, that ʿAlī was the worthiest of the Prophet’s Companions. Finally, it meant rejecting speculation in matters of religion and refusing to discuss matters not spelled out in the Qurʾan or the Hadith. Ironically, however, Ibn Ḥanbal seems hardly to have been laid to rest before his followers felt compelled to defend their position using the weapons of their adversaries, including theological disputation. Even while he was alive, a rapprochement had begun to take place between Hadith-minded Muslims and the Abbasid regime, which had tried to impose its own top-down, Shi ʿa-style

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right guidance on the mass of believers. And Ibn Ḥanbal’s associates had already begun collecting the reports and opinions that would become fundamental texts for those who wished to follow his lead in matters of law (which included belief and ritual as well as the areas covered by Western legal systems). From all this activity emerged the so-called Ḥanbalī legal school, of which Ibn Ḥanbal was not the founder, but certainly the inspiration, or at least the figurehead. By taking a stand against Shi ʿism, rationalism, and theological speculation, Ibn Ḥanbal helped articulate the positions now held, at least nominally, by the majority of the Muslims now living on the planet.

For someone who does not share Ibn Ḥanbal’s view of the world, his positions may seem stifling, if not frankly repressive. Moreover, the adoration his followers felt for him can seem cloying. Indeed, many of today’s Muslims—including the editor of two prior Arabic editions of this biography—take pains to condemn the cult of sanctity to which Ibn Ḥanbal was subjected. According to the reports in this book, Ibn Ḥanbal could cure nosebleeds (61.2) and drive ants from his house by uttering a prayer (61.1). On the battlefront against the Byzantines, soldiers would pray for his well-being so that God would guide their shots to their targets (19.1). After his death, a light spread from his grave to all the tombs nearby (95.1), and droves of dead men appeared in dreams to say that they had seen him in the Garden (that is, in Paradise) (93.14, 93.16ff.). It is not clear how much of this was actually believed in Ibn Ḥanbal’s own time, but he certainly seems to have been the object of more attention than he wanted. “I wish for something I’ll never have,” he is supposed to have said, “a place with no one in it at all” (54.4). For many modern readers, it is this element that vindicates Ibn Ḥanbal, at least as a subject of biography. If he is a saint (to use what is, strictly speaking, an inapposite Christian term), he is one who finds his own sainthood exasperating. Unlike the ethereal creatures of hagiography, Ibn Ḥanbal is not only a man of God but also a husband, a father, and a landlord—possibly the only saintly landlord in world literature. Instead of wrestling with demons, he struggles with the problems of daily life: where to find the money for a cupping (49.18), whether his daughter should be allowed to put clips in her hair (65.9), whether the law permits him to keep butter when the grocer sends it wrapped in leaves of chard (49.24). And, no matter how harsh the choices he eventually makes, he remains convinced that his efforts are never good enough. On one occasion, asked how he was, he launched into a tirade: “How can a man be,” he answered, “with his

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Lord imposing obligations, his Prophet demanding that he follow the sunnah, his two angels waiting for good deeds, his soul clamoring for what it wants, the Devil goading him to lust, the Angel of Death seeking his life, and his family asking for money?” (56.6). It is this human frailty, finally, that heightens the effect of the most dramatic episodes in this biography—his imprisonment, trial, and flogging at the hands of the Abbasid Inquisition. Ibn Ḥanbal did not believe in speculating about matters of religion. For him, if the first Muslims had not addressed a particular question of faith or practice, it was wrong to discuss it. The Abbasid caliph al-Maʾmūn (d. 218/833), on the other hand, not only embraced speculation, he believed himself the best-qualified person to engage in it, and furthermore that his subjects were obliged to accept whatever he might decide. To test the point, the caliph decided to take a position on a problem that could only be decided by the use of reason. That problem was the createdness of the Qurʾan. Al-Maʾmūn’s position was that God had created everything, including the Qurʾan. To claim instead, as many Hadith-men did, that the Word of God was part of Him and therefore eternal too was in effect to be a Christian, or so the caliph insisted. But Ibn Ḥanbal was not one to be persuaded by mere argument. Asked to affirm that the Qurʾan is created, he refused to do so unless his interrogators could give him a verse from the Book itself or a statement by the Prophet saying this was so (69.7ff.). As Ibn Ḥanbal doubtless knew, to rely on Qurʾan and Hadith alone was to deny the caliph any special interpretive authority. Predictably, al-Maʾmūn threatened to kill Ibn Ḥanbal if he did not recant. What happened next is best read as it is told in the biography; what matters for the purpose of introduction is that the account depicts him as poignantly human and afraid. “I don’t care if they keep me in prison,” he is supposed to have told his friends. “My house is already a prison. And I don’t care if they kill me by the sword. The only thing I’m afraid of is being flogged: I’m afraid I won’t be able to take it” (68.1). Even readers who have little sympathy for his beliefs will, I hope, be able to admire Ibn Ḥanbal—or at least, his literary counterpart—for practicing principled nonviolent resistance to coercive state authority.

In the introduction to his wonderfully informative life of Ibn Ḥanbal, Christopher Melchert explains why he wrote a new biography instead of translating an old one. A medieval biography, he writes, “inevitably presents a medieval point of view”:

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Introduction A full time scholar has had the chance to develop a taste for such literature, but most readers would find it grotesque. For example, one chapter of Ibn al-Jawzi’s biography is simply a list of the more than four hundred persons from whom Ahmad collected Hadith. A proper analysis would easily exceed the limits of a normal biography....I doubt it would interest any but specialists.

Moreover, says Melchert, the translation of a premodern work would be too long. For example, al-Dhahabī’s life of Ibn Ḥanbal “would require a good 60,000 [words] and Ibn al-Jawzi’s over 150,000.”2 The latter work is the one edited and translated here: the Virtues of the Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal by the Baghdadi Hadith scholar, jurist, historian, biographer, and preacher Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1200).3 Melchert’s estimate of length is remarkably accurate: the present translation of Ibn al-Jawzī’s text comes to about 173,500 words. He is also quite right about the long lists of names. And he does not even mention the chains of transmitters. Like collections of Hadith reports, Arabic chronicles and biographies generally cite their sources by listing all the individuals who transmitted the original account of the event in question. As a Hadith scholar writing about another Hadith scholar, Ibn al-Jawzī seems to have been especially careful to cite all his sources. The result is a book approximately half of which is taken up with isnāds, as the lists of sources are called. Faced with this mass of material, one might well be tempted to do a partial translation: one that drops the lists of Ibn Ḥanbal’s teachers and students and omits the isnāds that introduce each bit of text. In the present case, however, no such solution was possible. As a matter of principle, the Library of Arabic Literature publishes only full-text translations. In this instance, the wisdom of this policy has been borne out. For Ibn Ḥanbal, the purpose of life was to collect Hadith, and the isnād represented the best hope of learning what one needed to know in order to attain salvation. To drop the lists of people he studied with and taught, or to cut out the chains of transmitters, would be almost willfully perverse: it would represent the very antithesis of everything Ibn Ḥanbal lived for.4 At the same time, it is certainly too much to expect readers to plow through this mass of detail. Fortunately, Ibn al-Jawzī seems to have anticipated the problem. For a premodern Arabic book, this one is conspicuously user-friendly: each of the one hundred chapters is listed at the beginning of the work. This unusual feature—a table of contents—allows readers to dodge the chapters that consist of lists and other less-than-stimulating material. I can thus recommend, without unbecoming disrespect to Ibn al-Jawzī, that readers who are not researching

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early Baghdad Hadith-networks skip chapters 5, 11, and 12; that readers not interested in later Ḥanbalī creedal statements skip chapter 20; and that readers who prefer things to keep moving skip, in addition to these, chapters 2, 13, 14, 90, and 100. All readers, furthermore, may take the fact that the isnāds are in smaller print as an invitation to skip them too (though reading them, as Julia Bray has pointed out, can have the very pleasant effect of a litany). With judicious skipping, even a book as big as this should become a manageable read.

Leaving aside the matter of length, this book was not particularly difficult to translate. Unlike some of the other works published in this series, it is not a collection of arguments about a once-burning issue, a guide for specialists in a technical field, or a monument to verbal cleverness. It is a book by and about people who believed in simple truths expressed in simple language—even if some of that simplicity has been lost to us with the passage of time. In a sense, the difficult parts were also the most enjoyable to work on. These include the references to daily life and material culture: everything from “a dried-whey stew full of meat and chard” (38.11) to the galoshes a Turkish general wears as he splashes his way through the mud to Ibn Ḥanbal’s door (73.41). The book is a trove of information on the physical and social world of the third/ninth century, and I hope some readers, at least, will mine its riches. What I most wish I could have reproduced is the voices. Ibn Ḥanbal’s life is told as a series of reports, each narrated by an eyewitness, or by Ibn Ḥanbal himself. If the words on the page really are transcriptions of speech, each report should represent a distinct voice. In practice, though, there does not seem to be much variation in register, possibly because reports originally narrated in informal Arabic, and perhaps even other languages, have been put into literary Arabic of a more or less uniform kind by one or another of the transmitters (see, e.g., 38.10). Beyond the voices of the eyewitnesses, we also have the voices of all the people they quote. These include everyone from caliphs, judges, and jailors to doctors, grocers, and bandits. Unusually, if all too briefly, we also hear the voices of women (e.g., 61.7) and children (65.9). Here again, though, all of these people seem to be speaking the same sort of Arabic, making it difficult to give them distinctive voices in English. Another problem was names. As in nineteenth-century Russian novels, all of the important characters seem to have several names, and authors seem to use them indiscriminately. In fact (as in Russian novels) there are reasons why

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one name might be used rather than another. In Ibn Ḥanbal’s case, those who write about him usually call him Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (“Aḥmad the descendant of Ḥanbal”), or Aḥmad for short. But his friends, associates, and students called him ʿAbū ʿAbd Allāh, “father of ʿAbd Allāh.” This form conveys both intimacy and respect. Unfortunately, it is easily confused with ʿAbd Allāh, the name of Ibn Ḥanbal’s son. Also, Abū ʿAbd Allāh happens to be the form of address for at least two other figures in the book. After much reflection, I decided to call him Ibn Ḥanbal in the introduction and notes, where it was necessary to refer to him as unambiguously as possible, but in the translation to call him Aḥmad wherever it was necessary to convey warmth or admiration. Of course, the names actually used in the original will be visible to anyone who looks at the Arabic. As for the many other names that appear in the text, I have occasionally glossed those that seem of interest. Glossed names include those that associate the bearer with a well-known place (e.g., al-Baghdādī, meaning “of Baghdād”) or indicate his (or his father’s) profession (e.g., al-Khaffāf, “maker of boots”). Glosses appear at the first appearance of the name only (though the names that appear in the long lists in Chapters 5 and 12 are neither glossed nor counted as first appearances). All isnāds (lists of transmitters) have been translated in full. I have tried to be as consistent as possible in my choice of equivalents for such terms as akhbaranā and ḥaddathanā, but I do not necessarily assume that the transmitters always had something specific in mind, and I have not imposed any particular interpretation of the terms in question. I have been sparing in my use of punctuation on the Arabic side, as the original texts do not use it. For clarity, nevertheless, I have followed al-Turkī’s practice of using a colon before direct quotations. Commas on the Arabic side indicate that a break is called for; as in modern Arabic, they are not used according to the strict rules common in English. To keep the text and translation parallel, I have imposed paragraph breaks, usually at places where the Arabic lacks an explicit connector. Finally, many if not all of the policies described above are violated somewhere, either for some overriding contextual reason or through inadvertence. For the latter I ask the reader’s indulgence.

A final and most pleasant duty is to thank everyone who helped make this translation possible. My greatest debt of gratitude is to Dr. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-Turkī, who has produced two annotated critical editions of this work. In the course of preparing this edition, I have had recourse to several

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manuscripts of the Virtues, but found only a few places where I think the best reading may be different from the one Dr. al-Turkī has adopted. On every page I have benefited from his careful lists of variants, his voweling of unusual names, and his explanatory notes and references. I have also been impressed with his scholarly integrity and self-restraint, as proven—among other things—by his inclusion of reports that advocate positions he disagrees with. A full account of the manuscript tradition appears in the note on the text. I am very grateful to Jeremy Farrell, who obtained a copy of the Dār al-Kutub manuscript and solved the technical problems associated with sending me a digital copy. It is a pleasure to thank Saud AlSarhan for obtaining a copy of the Ẓāhiriyyah manuscript from Imam Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd Islamic University, and to thank Bernard Haykel for mailing it to me. I would also like to thank Sinéad Ward and Frances Narkiewicz of the Chester Beatty Library for sending me their manuscript of the Manāqib. I am also indebted to Mr. Farrell and to Albert Johns for kindly agreeing to take on the job of translating almost all of the isnāds. Though busy with their own work, Jeremy and Albert cheerfully and speedily produced an enormous amount of remarkably accurate English text just when I needed it most. Emily Selove did equally good work with one of the long lists of names. I could never have finished this project without their help. As always when I translate, I learn once again to appreciate my friends for how much my friends know and how generous they are in sharing it. My project editor, Tahera Qutbuddin, made many suggestions and corrections, all of them judicious and kindly conveyed. It is not general practice to thank project editors for their help in particular instances, and most of Tahera’s emendations have indeed been incorporated silently, but in several cases her astuteness in solving an utterly vexing conundrum so merits recognition that I have credited her in defiance of custom. Our colleagues at the Library—notably Joseph Lowry, James Montgomery, Devin Stewart, and Shawkat Toorawa—also solved a number of seemingly intractable problems, and our managing editor, Chip Rossetti, was also an unfailing source of good counsel. I am grateful to Stuart Brown for his inspired typography, and to Allison Brown and Alia Soliman for carefully proofreading the text. Jamal Ali, Muhammad Habib, Stefan Heidemann, Nuha Khoury, Peter Pormann, Nasser Rabbat, and Dwight Reynolds all responded to queries in their various areas of expertise. Charles Perry supplied generous answers to many questions about food and cookery. I am equally grateful to master chef Brigitte Caland, whose Abbasid-inspired luncheons allowed me to

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taste the dishes that Ibn Ḥanbal ate (or more usually, did not eat). I thank my friends in Malta, especially Annabel Mallia, David Mallia, Olvin Vella, and the people of Senglea, for showing me that some of Ibn Ḥanbal’s language still survives in the most unexpected of places. I am grateful to my wife, Mahsa Maleki, not only for putting up with my many late nights at the office, but also for her help with the name-lists (which proved that pre-modern people were quite right about the helpfulness of reading aloud). Finally, I am indebted to our general editor, Philip Kennedy, for envisioning a project as ambitious as the Library of Arabic Literature, and for generously allowing me to take part in it.

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Note on the Text

The Manāqib exists in several manuscripts,5 of which the present edition relies upon three: 1.

Ẓāhiriyyah 3423, completed on Shaʿbān 19, 566/April 27, 1171 by Maḥfūẓ ibn ʿĪsā al-Zamlakānī,6 who heard it read aloud by Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbd Allāh from a copy made from the author’s autograph (mina l-aṣli l-manqūli min khaṭṭi muṣannifih). In its current (incomplete) form, it consists of 231 folios, with 19 lines per page and an average of 12 words per line, written in a clear naskh hand with copious tashkīl. According to notations at the end, the shaykh Shams al-Dīn Abū l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Aḥmad al-Maqdisī al-Bukhārī, who had heard the work from the author, had parts read aloud to him for correction, once during a period that ended on Shawwāl 6, 613/January 16, 1217, and again during a period that ended in Jumādā I 615/July–August 1218. At the end of Rabī ʿ I 732/end of January–beginning of February 1332, it was checked against a manuscript written by Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ibn ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥimṣī al-Farazlī.7 In its present form, the portion of the text to the middle of chapter 5 is missing, and two folios from chapter 20 are bound at the beginning. (These omissions and transpositions are signaled in the notes to the Arabic text of the present edition.) I have worked from a digital facsimile created by the Imam Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd Islamic University. This manuscript is not only the oldest but also the most reliable, and in several cases provides the best reading of dubious passages. Al-Turkī refers to it with the Arabic letter hāʾ. For the reader’s convenience I use the same siglum in the Arabic notes and the equivalent H in the English notes.

2.

Chester Beatty 3274, completed on Dhū l-Qaʿdah 3, 599/July 14, 1203 by an unidentified copyist. It consists of 242 folios, with a gap from the beginning of chapter 80 to the beginning of chapter 92. It contains 17 lines per page and an average of 13 words per line. It is written in a clear nashk hand with almost no tashkīl. As its errors and omissions often coincide

xxi

Note on the Text

with those of H, it is evidently based at least in part on a common source. Al-Turkī has given this manuscript the siglum dāl, which I use in the Arabic notes, along with its equivalent D in the English. 3.

Dār al-Kutub (Egypt) 311 Taʾrīkh, completed in Mecca on Ramaḍān 20, 850/December 9, 1446, by Maḥmūd ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Shīshīnī [?]8 al-Shāfiʿī. It consists of 184 folios, of which 181 recto to the end contain a poem condemning the present world and praising the Sunnis, by ʿIzz al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Razzāq ibn Rizq Allāh al-Rasʿanī9 al-Ḥanbalī, with an interlinear commentary. Each page contains 27 lines with an average of 13 words per line, written in an ordinary hand. This manuscript is useful for representing a line of transmission independent of that represented by H and D. Al-Turkī refers to it with the siglum shīn, which I use in the Arabic notes, along with its equivalent SH in the English.

The Manāqib has been edited three times, as follows: 1.

The al-Khānjī edition and its reprintings. The first printed edition, edited by Muḥammad Amīn al-Khānjī al-Kutubī, was published by al-Khānjī in Cairo in Ramaḍān 1349/1931 or 32. It is based on two manuscripts: H (whose date is misprinted as 597 instead of 599) and a second manuscript described as complete but identified only by its date of 629/1231–32. I have not been able to locate this second manuscript, nor have I seen the first printing of the edition. I have, however, seen a reprint of the latter, issued by Khānjī (sic) and Ḥamdān in Beirut in 1973. This printing is described as a second revised edition, although the inner title page reveals that it is simply a reprint of the first.10 The al-Khānjī edition has also been reprinted in Beirut by Dār al-Āfāq.11 The al-Khānjī edition contains no critical apparatus and no notes except for a few references to marginalia. Although it is useful for preserving the otherwise unknown manuscript of 629/1231–32, it did not help solve any of the cruxes in the text.

2.

Al-Turkī’s first edition. In 1299/1979, the al-Khānjī press published a critical edition of the Manāqib prepared by ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-Turkī, a prominent Saudi scholar who was formerly minister for Islamic affairs is now general secretary of the World Muslim League. It was collated and checked by ʿAlī Muḥammad ʿUmar, formerly a researcher at the Markaz Taḥqīq al-Turāth at the Dār al-Kutub in Cairo. It is based on the following sources:

xxii

Note on the Text

a.

SH (see above).

b.

Taymūriyyah 1047, which lacks everything before, and some of, chapter 73, and breaks off in the middle of the penultimate section of chapter 100 (the last chapter). It is designated by tāʾ in al-Turkī’s apparatus.

c.

Dār al-Kutub 752 Taʾrīkh, an abridgement (mukhtaṣar) of the Manāqib, copied by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Maqdisī at an unspecified date.

d.

Al-Khānjī’s edition, designated by ṭāʾ.

Al-Turkī describes his edition as an improvement over al-Khanjī’s in its pointing out of doctrinally unacceptable legendary accretions; its attention to the correct form of names; its noting of manuscript variants; and its tracking down and assessing the Hadith reports cited in the text.12 3.

Al-Turkī’s second edition. In 1988, al-Turkī produced a second revised edition of the Manāqib, published by the Hajr press in Giza. Clearly an improvement upon his first edition, it adds lexical notes, references to parallel texts, and variants drawn from the following additional sources: a.

The H manuscript (see above).

b.

The D manuscript (see above).

c.

Imam Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd University library no. 3406, described by al-Turkī as an error-ridden copy finished by Muḥammad ibn Ḥamd al-ʿAssāfī in 1335/1916–17 on the basis of two older manuscripts, one datable to the sixth/twelfth century,13 and the other completed in 1325/1907–8.

d.

Dār al-Kutub 752, a fragment of an abridgement of the Manāqib made by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Maqdisī (evidently the person also mentioned in 2c above).

I have not used the latter two manuscripts in this edition-translation. Occasionally, however, I do cite al-Turkī’s second edition in my Arabic notes, where it is  referred to as  . A comparison of my Arabic text with that of al-Turkī’s second edition will reveal that I have not been able to improve upon his reading except in a few cases. In several places, he adopts a reading found in a parallel text, whereas I have included only those elements I have found attested in the manuscript tradition of the Manāqib. I have not duplicated his references to Hadith collections

xxiii

Note on the Text

or to parallel texts, as these are easily found in his edition. I have, however, referred the reader to his notes whenever I have used the information there as the basis of my translation. In a very few places, al-Turkī has corrected nonstandard uses of dual and feminine plural agreement, but I have preferred to retain these variants as being of possible interest to historical linguists. My Arabic edition uses the most common abbreviation of the prayer for the Prophet (ṣlʿm, for ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), and thus differs from D, which consistently uses ṣallā Allāhu ʿayn lām lām mīm (an abbreviation for ʿalayhi wasallam). I have translated this and similar expressions in most cases, omitting them only when several follow in close proximity. My renderings of the Qurʾan follow those of Wahiduddin Khān, with occasional modifications to clarify the intent of particular citations. Finally, I have followed SH and al-Turkī in writing out akhbaranā and ḥaddathanā (both meaning "he reported to us"), for which H and D use abbreviations.

xxiv

Notes to the Frontmatter

1

Al-Dhahabī, Siyar, 10:15.

2

Melchert, Ibn Hanbal, viii.

3

On his life see Laoust, “Ibn al-Jawzī,” which erroneously gives his birthdate as 510/1126 instead of 510/1116.

4

I thank Joseph Lowry for pointing this out during the December 2011 meeting of the Library of Arabic Literature editorial board.

5

Segzin, GAS, 1:503. The entry mentions (1) a manuscript designated Berlin 1455, dated 565/1169–70 and possibly an autograph, which I have not been able to trace; (2) Chester Beatty 5267, dated to the eighth/fourteenth century, also untraced; (3) Ẓāhiriyyah Taʾrīkh 58, which, to judge by the description, is identical with Ẓāhiriyyah 3423; (4) Ẓāhiriyyah ʿĀmm 4579, also eighth/fourteenth century, also untraced; and (5) the Cairo edition of 1932. For additional manuscripts, see the discussion of al-Turkī’s editions.

6

A name given to persons from two villages, one near Damascus and the other near Balkh (al-Samʿānī, Al-Ansāb, 2:164–65).

7

Transcribed by al-Turkī as al-F*z*rlī. Neither possibility is attested in al-Samʿānī’s Ansāb. I have chosen al-Farazlī because of the appearance of the word in the manuscript and because the name, apparently so pronounced, exists today in Lebanon.

8

Transcribed by al-Turkī with a yāʾ after the first shīn, as in the modern name, which is apparently pronounced as I have given it here. In the manuscript, however, it is not all clear that there is a yāʾ there. Neither possibility is attested in al-Samʿānī’s Ansāb.

9

A name given to persons from the town of Raʾs ʿAyn in Diyār Bakr (al-Samʿānī, Al-Ansāb, 3:64–65).

10

Confirmed by al-Turkī, Manāqib, 1st ed., 21. Al-Turkī’s second revised edition unfortunately omits pages 21–25 of his introduction to the first edition.

11

Ibid. This pirated edition seems to have been first issued in 1973 (Harvard Hollis).

12

Ibid., 22–25.

13

Al-Turkī gives a date of “approximately 530,” corresponding to 1135 or 36, but this cannot be right, as Ibn al-Jawzī would have been only ten at the time.

xxv

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٢

2

In the name of God, full of compassion, ever compassionate

0.1

The Virtues of Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal, of the tribe of Shaybān—God be pleased with him!—by the great religious authority Abū l-Faraj ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Jawzī, God be pleased with him!

In the name of God, full of compassion, ever compassionate

0.2

Praise God, Who did all things create with skill unmatch’d and chose of men who would come first and who behind. From humankind He raised His prophets and His seers, and of them both did make the righteous scholars heirs. Then of those knowing men did He a lesser number find, and to those few with gen’rous hand a special virtue give. May God bless and keep Muḥammad, of those who alight in desert lands the noblest rider of his race; and bless and save the ones who in joining him touched greatness, and those who followed him in faith, until the Day when He shall set this tott’ring world aright. I pray, my brothers, that God crown your efforts with success; and I 0.3 ask you to recall that He, mighty and glorious, made Muḥammad—God bless him and keep him—the most virtuous being in creation, and likewise placed his community above the rest. The reason for this precedence was knowledge: knowing, and acting on what one knows. Examine the life of our Prophet and you will realize that his superiority to other prophets arises from what he knew and how he put that knowledge into practice. Consider, likewise, the sciences of our learned men, and you will readily see how they elude the powers of the rabbis. Note, too, how the devotions of our worshippers put even monks to shame, for devotion restrained by the Law and undertaken against the grain of one’s desires is more arduous—and worthier—than monasticism, which merits no regard. By the grace of God, our community suffers no dearth of knowledge or of action. Even so, when I set out to find people of the Successors’ generation or later who had reached perfection in both respects—in what they knew and how they lived—I found only three whose achievement is perfect and uncompromised: al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, Sufyān ibn Saʿīd al-Thawrī, and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.

٣

3

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٤

4

Virtues of the Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal

After compiling one volume on the merits of al-Ḥasan and another on 0.4 Sufyān, I realized that Aḥmad deserves more attention than either. He gathered more knowledge than they did and suffered more for telling the truth. Several authors, admittedly, have already collected reports of his attainments. Some, however, collected too little material, while others made no effort to organize what they had amassed. I therefore resolved to devote some time to making a proper collection of reports about his manners and merits, so that those who emulate him may know the man whose example they have set out to follow.1 May God grant success! Contents I have divided this book into one hundred chapters, as follows—and may 0.5 God help me choose aright! Chapter 1. Ibn Ḥanbal’s Birth and Family Background Chapter 2. His Lineage Chapter 3. His Childhood Chapter 4. The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge and the Journey He Undertook for That Purpose Chapter 5. The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith Chapter 6. His Deference to His Teachers and His Respect for Learning Chapter 7. His Eagerness to Learn and His Single-minded Pursuit of Knowledge Chapter 8. His Powers of Retention and the Number of Reports He Knew by Heart Chapter 9. His Learning, His Intelligence, and His Religious Understanding Chapter 10. Praise of Him by His Teachers Chapter 11. Teachers and Senior Men of Learning Who Cite Him Chapter 12. All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him Chapter 13. Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

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Virtues of the Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal

Chapter 14. Praise of Him by Prominent Successors Who Knew Him Well Chapter 15. A Report That the Prophet Elijah Sent Him Greetings Chapter 16. Reports That al-Khaḍir Spoke in His Praise Chapter 17. Praise of Him by Pious Strangers and Allies of God Chapter 18. Allies of God Who Visited Him to Seek His Blessing Chapter 19. His Fame Chapter 20. His Creed Chapter 21. His Insistence on Maintaining the Practices of the Early Muslims Chapter 22. His Reverence for Hadith Transmitters and Adherents of the Sunnah Chapter 23. His Shunning and Reviling of Innovators and His Forbidding Others to Listen to Them Chapter 24. His Seeking of Blessings and Cures Using the Qurʾan and Water from the Well of Zamzam, as Well as Some Hair and a Bowl That Belonged to the Prophet Chapter 25. His Age When He Began Teaching Hadith and Giving Legal Opinions Chapter 26. His Devotion to Learning and the Attitudes That Informed His Teaching Chapter 27. His Works Chapter 28. His Aversion to Writing Books Containing Opinions Reached through the Exercise of Independent Judgment at the Expense of Transmitted Knowledge Chapter 29. His Forbidding Others to Write Down or Transmit His Words Chapter 30. His Remarks on Sincerity, on Acting for the Sake of Appearances, and on Concealing One’s Pious Austerities Chapter 31. His Statements about Renunciation and Spiritual Weakness Chapter 32. His Remarks on Different Subjects Chapter 33. Poems He Recited or Had Attributed to Him

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Virtues of the Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal

Chapter 34. His Correspondence Chapter 35. His Appearance and Bearing Chapter 36. His Imposing Presence Chapter 37. His Cleanliness and Ritual Purity Chapter 38. His Kindness and His Consideration for Others Chapter 39. His Forbearance and His Readiness to Forgive Chapter 40. His Property and Means of Subsistence Chapter 41. His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress Chapter 42. His Generosity Chapter 43. His Accepting Gifts and Giving Gifts in Return Chapter 44. His Renunciation Chapter 45. His House and Furniture Chapter 46. His Diet Chapter 47. His Indulgences Chapter 48. His Clothing Chapter 49. His Scrupulosity Chapter 50. His Shunning Appointment to Positions of Authority Chapter 51. His Love of Poverty and His Affection for the Poor Chapter 52. His Humility Chapter 53. His Accepting Invitations and His Withdrawal upon Seeing Things He Disapproved of Chapter 54. His Preference for Solitude Chapter 55. His Wish to Live in Obscurity and His Efforts to Remain Unnoticed Chapter 56. His Fear of God

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10

Virtues of the Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal

Chapter 57. His Preoccupation and Absentmindedness Chapter 58. His Devotions Chapter 59. His Performances of the Pilgrimage Chapter 60. His Extemporaneous Prayers and Supplications Chapter 61. His Manifestations of Grace and the Effectiveness of His Prayers Chapter 62. The Number of Wives He Had Chapter 63. His Concubines Chapter 64. The Number of His Children Chapter 65. The Lives of His Children and Descendants Chapter 66. How and Why the Inquisition Began Chapter 67. His Experience with al-Maʾmūn Chapter 68. What Happened After the Death of al-Maʾmūn Chapter 69. His Experience with al-Muʿtaṣim Chapter 70. His Reception by the Elders After His Release, and Their Prayers for Him Chapter 71. His Teaching of Hadith After the Death of al-Muʿtaṣim Chapter 72. His Experience with al-Wāthiq Chapter 73. His Experience with al-Mutawakkil Chapter 74. His Refusing Ibn Ṭāhir’s Request to Visit Him Chapter 75. What Happened When His Two Sons and His Uncle Accepted Gifts from the Authorities Chapter 76. Some Major Figures Who Capitulated to the Inquisition Chapter 77. His Comments on Those Who Capitulated Chapter 78. Those Who Defied the Inquisition Chapter 79. His Final Illness

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12

Virtues of the Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal

Chapter 80. His Date of Death and His Age When He Died Chapter 81. How His Body Was Washed and Shrouded Chapter 82. Those Who Sought to Pray over Him Chapter 83. The Number of People Who Prayed over Him Chapter 84. The Praising of the Sunnah and the Decrying of Innovation That Took Place During His Funeral Procession Chapter 85. The Crowds That Gathered around His Grave Chapter 86. His Estate Chapter 87. Reactions to His Death Chapter 88. Reaction to His Death on the Part of the Jinns Chapter 89. On the Condolences Offered to His Family Chapter 90. A Selection of the Verses Spoken in Praise of Him in Life and in Commemoration of Him in Death Chapter 91. His Dreams Chapter 92. Dreams in Which He Appeared to Others Chapter 93. Dreams in Which He Was Mentioned Chapter 94. The Benefit of Visiting His Grave Chapter 95. The Benefit of Being Buried Near Him Chapter 96. The Punishments That Befall Anyone Who Attacks Him Chapter 97. What to Think about Anyone Who Speaks Ill of Him Chapter 98. Why We Chose His Legal School over the Others Chapter 99. On the Excellence of His Associates and Successors Chapter 100. His Most Prominent Associates and Their Successors from His Time to Our Own

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١٤

14

Chapter 1: Ibn Ḥanbal's Birth and Family Background

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Karūkhī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad 1.1 al-Anṣārī, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb al-Ḥāfiẓ, who cites Abū Bakr ibn Abī l-Faḍl al-Muʿaddal,2 who learned it from Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ṣarrām; and3 we cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Mihrawī,4 who learned it from Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb, the notarywitness of Būshanj, who learned it from Muḥammad ibn al-Ṭayyib ibn al-ʿAbbās, who [along with al-Ṣarrām] cites Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq al-Ghasīlī as saying:

[Al-Ghasīlī:] I heard Aḥmad’s son Ṣāliḥ say that he—meaning his father— was born in Rabī ʿ I 164 [November–December 780], having left Marv5 carried in his mother’s womb. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites 1.2 Abū l-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Ḥarīrī (the dealer in silk), who cites Abū

ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh,6 who cites Abū Muzāḥim al-Khāqānī, who heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard his father say:

[Aḥmad:] I was born in Rabī ʿ I 164. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī (of Samarqand), who cites ʿUmar ibn ʿUbayd 1.3 Allāh al-Baqqāl (the greengrocer), who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn Bishrān, who cites

ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad al-Daqqāq (the flour-seller), who heard Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] I was born in the year 164. We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz (the dealer in silk), who cites Aḥmad 1.4 ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites Ḥamzah ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṭahir al-Daqqāq, who heard al-Walīd ibn Bakr al-Andalusī (of Andalus), who heard ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad al-Hāshimī report that Abū Muslim Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿIjlī heard his father report as follows:

[Al-ʿIjlī:] Aḥmad son of Muḥammad son of Ḥanbal, called Abū ʿAbd Allāh (the father of ʿAbd Allāh), was a full-blooded member of the clan of Sadūs.7 The family had settled first in Basra and later in Khurasan,8 but Aḥmad was born and raised in Baghdad. He was trustworthy and reliable as a transmitter

١٥

15

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١٦

16

1: Ibn Ḥanbal's Birth and Family Background

of Hadith reports, and was skilled in using them as a source of law. He sought out reports about the early Muslims and lived according to their example. He was a good and honorable man.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who 1.5 cites ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Shāhīn, who heard his father report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Naḥwī (the grammarian), who heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say that he heard his father say:

[Aḥmad:] My mother was pregnant with me when she came from Khurasan.9 I was born in 164. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 1.6 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī; and [we cite] ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī l-Muqri ʾ (the Qurʾan teacher), who cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Aḥmad al-Suyūrī (the leather worker), who heard ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Faḍl, who [along with Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī] heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Abū Zurʿah report:

[Abū Zurʿah:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s family came from Basra but their district of settlement was Marv. Ibn Abī Ḥātim added that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son Ṣāliḥ report:

[Ṣāliḥ:] I heard my father say that he was born in 164, toward the beginning of the year, in Rabī ʿ I. He was brought from Marv in his mother’s womb. His father died when he was thirty and the task of caring for him fell upon his mother. [The author:] By this Ṣāliḥ means that Aḥmad’s father died at the age of thirty, when Aḥmad was a child. So much is clear from the following report: We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Abū Bakr al-Khallāl (the vinegar merchant) report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report that Abū ʿAbd Allāh said to him:

[Aḥmad:] I was brought from Khurasan as an unborn child, and I was born here in Baghdad. I never knew my father or my grandfather.

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17

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18

2: His Lineage We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, 1.7 who cites ʿAbd al-Ghaffār ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Muʾaddib (the teacher or tutor), who heard ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān al-Wāʿiẓ (the preacher) report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿIṣmah of Khurasan report that he heard Aḥmad ibn al-Khaḍir report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ḥātim say:

[Ibn Ḥātim:] Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal was from Marv. He left Marv as a child in his mother’s womb. His grandfather, Ḥanbal ibn Hilāl, was governor of Sarakhs10 and a descendant of the men who fought for the Abbasids during the revolution.11 We cite Hibat Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥuṣayn, who cites Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn 1.8 al-Mudhhib, who cites Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Ḥamdān, who cites Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son

ʿAbd Allāh, who heard his father report:

[Aḥmad:] Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā, who was from Marv, reported to me that he heard Aws ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Buraydah report that his brother Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Buraydah reported, citing his father, who reported it citing the grandfather, Buraydah: “I heard the Emissary, God bless and keep him, say, ‘After I die many expeditions will be sent forth. Join the one sent to Khurasan and settle in the city of Marv. It was built by Dhū l-Qarnayn, who asked God to bless it, and no harm befalls its inhabitants.’”12

Chapter 2: His Lineage13

We cite Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr 2.1 Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit; and we cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Baghdādī (of Baghdad), who [along with al-Samarqandī] heard Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who [along with Abū Bakr] heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Ḥamdān report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son

ʿAbd Allāh say:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] We heard reports from my father, Aḥmad son of Muḥammad son of Ḥanbal son of Hilāl son of Asad son of Idrīs son of ʿAbd Allāh son of

١٩

19

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٢٠

20

.   : ١ 

2: His Lineage

Ḥayyān son of ʿAbd Allāh son of Anas son of ʿAwf son of Qāsiṭ son of Māzin son of Shaybān son of Dhuhl son of Thaʿlabah son of ʿUkābah son of Ṣaʿb son of ʿAlī son of Bakr son of Wāʾil son of Qāsiṭ son of Hinb son of Afṣā son of Duʿmī son of Jadīlah son of Asad son of Rabī ʿah son of Nizār son of Maʿadd son of ʿAdnān son of Udd son of Udad son of al-Hamaysaʿ son of Ḥamal son of al-Nabt son of Qaydhār son of Ismāʿīl son of Ibrāhīm the Friend of God,14 on whom eternal peace. We were informed by Muḥammad ibn Abī Ṭāhir, citing Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar 2.2 al-Barmakī, citing Abū Bakr ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Khallāl, who heard ʿIṣmah ibn ʿIṣām al-ʿUkbarī report that he heard Ḥanbal report:

[Ḥanbal:] I heard Aḥmad say, after a man asked him to dictate his genealogy, “Go to my uncle and ask him.” [ʿIṣmah:] So we asked Aḥmad’s uncle Ḥanbal, who dictated the following: “Aḥmad son of Muḥammad son of Ḥanbal son of Hilāl son of Asad son of Idrīs son of ʿAbd Allāh son of Ḥayyān son of ʿAbd Allāh son of Anas son of ʿAwf son of Qāsiṭ son of Māzin son of Shaybān son of Dhuhl son of Thaʿlabah son of ʿUkābah son of Ṣaʿb son of ʿAlī son of Bakr son of Wāʾil son of Qāsiṭ son of Hinb son of Afṣā son of Duʿmī son of Jadīlah son of Asad son of Rabī ʿah son of Nizār.” Al-Khallāl added that al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb reported:

2.3

[Al-Ḥasan:] Al-Faḍl ibn Ziyād said, “We heard reports from Aḥmad son of Muḥammad son of Ḥanbal . . .” and continued to the end of the genealogy given above, adding, “. . . Nizār son of Maʿadd son of ʿAdnān son of Udd son of Udad son of al-Hamaysaʿ son of Malīḥ ibn al-Nabt son of Qaydhār son of Ismāʿīl son of Ibrāhīm the Friend of God, on whom eternal peace.” [The author:] This is the same as the genealogy given in the first report, except that this one gives Malīḥ instead of Ḥamal. Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr informed us that he heard al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār 2.4 report that he heard ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Shāhīn report:

[ʿUbayd Allāh:] I heard my father report, “His full name is Aḥmad son of Muḥammad son of Ḥanbal son of Hilāl . . . ” [The author:] This lineage follows the preceding reports as far back as al-Hamaysaʿ.

٢١

21

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٢٤

24

2: His Lineage

Shaybān son of Dhuhl, on the other hand, is hardly ever mentioned. The existence of other versions going back to Ṣāliḥ in which the genealogy is correct indicates that the error in this report is the fault of a transmitter. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, who cites Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū 2.9 Nuʿaym Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Yūsuf, al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī, and ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Yazdād report that they heard Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Madīnī report:

[Al-Madīnī:] We heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son Ṣāliḥ report: “In one of my father’s documents—God show him mercy—I found his genealogy: Aḥmad son of Muḥammad son of Ḥanbal . . .” He then recited the rest of it up to “son of Māzin son of Shaybān son of Dhuhl son of Thaʿlabah.” [The author:] This version is corroborated by the one narrated to us citing Abū l-Ḥusayn Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn al-Munādī (the town crier), also originating with Ṣāliḥ, which also says “. . . son of Shaybān son of Dhuhl.” This indicates that the first report citing Ṣāliḥ contains an error in transmission. In support of this contention, let me note that the transmitter of this last report provides testimony that agrees with the most commonly cited accounts, including the reports carefully transmitted by Aḥmad’s son ʿAbd Allāh, who was an expert; by Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, who knew most about Aḥmad, may God accept him; and by Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn al-Munādī, Abū Bakr

ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, Ibn Shāhīn, Abū Nuʿaym, and Abū Bakr al-Khaṭīb (the orator). This convergence indicates that the second version of the genealogy is the right one. We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who said:

[Ibn Thābit:] A genealogist I trust told me that Māzin ibn Dhuhl ibn Thaʿlabah was indeed the son of ʿUkābah ibn Ṣaʿb, and that this is the tribe that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal belonged to. This Dhuhl is the ancestor of Daghfal ibn Ḥanẓalah, al-Qaʿqāʿ ibn Shawr, Muḥārib ibn Dithār, and ʿImrān ibn Ḥiṭṭān.19 His clan is well stocked with men of learning, orators, poets, and experts on ancestry. Dhuhl the Greater—that is, Dhuhl ibn Shaybān ibn Thaʿlabah— was the nephew of this Dhuhl. He was called “the Greater” because his descendants were the more numerous. Among them was al-Muthannā ibn Ḥārithah.20 His was a proud and noble line.

٢٥

25

2.10

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٢٦

26

2: His Lineage

[The author:] This is how al-Khaṭīb reports it, but Dhuhl the Lesser was actually the nephew of Dhuhl the Greater, as al-Khaṭīb himself correctly reports elsewhere: “Dhuhl ibn Thaʿlabah was the uncle of Dhuhl ibn Shaybān.” We were informed by Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd al-Baghdādī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAṭāʾ, 2.11 who said:

[Ibn ʿAṭāʾ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and the Prophet—God bless and keep him!—have a common ancestor in Nizār. The Prophet, like every member of Quraysh, was a Muḍarī: that is, he was descended from Muḍar ibn Nizār; while Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was a Rabaʿī, that is, a descendant of Muḍar’s brother Rabī ʿah ibn Nizār. Nizār had four sons: Muḍar, Rabī ʿah, Iyād, and Anmār. All Arabs are descended from these four. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who 2.12 was informed by Abū Isḥāq al-Barmakī, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Abū Bakr al-Khallāl report that he heard Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā l-Nāqid (the assayer) say that he heard Abū Bakr al-Aʿyan say that he heard al-Aṣmaʿī say:

[Al-Aṣmaʿī:] Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is a descendant of Dhuhl and his father was a military commander. Al-Khallāl also said that he heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh report in Basra that he heard 2.13 Ibrāhīm ibn Fihr report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Rūmī report:

[ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Rūmī:] I often used to see Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, when he was in Basra, coming to the mosque of the Māzin clan to pray. Once I said to him, “Aḥmad, I always see you praying here.” “It’s the mosque of my fathers,” he replied. We were informed by ʿAlī ibn ʿUbayd Allāh, citing Abū l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī, citing Abū 2.14

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who said:

[Ibn Baṭṭah:] Aḥmad’s mother was of Shaybān. Her name was Ṣafiyyah, daughter of Maymūnah, daughter of ʿAbd al-Malik al-Shaybānī of the clan of

ʿĀmir. Aḥmad’s father had come to stay as a guest of her clan and then married her. Her grandfather, ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Sawādah ibn Hind al-Shaybānī, was a leader among his people. The Arab tribesmen would camp nearby and she would offer them hospitality.21

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27

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28

Chapter 3: His Childhood

Our exemplar Aḥmad was born in Baghdad, as we have mentioned, and grew 3.1 up there. After studying with the teachers and Hadith scholars of the city, he set out to seek learning elsewhere as well. I read back to Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr his report, citing Abū l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī, 3.2 citing Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who cited Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī (the brick maker), who cited Abū Naṣr ibn Kurdī, who said:

[Ibn Kurdī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house had the One-Eyed Tigris22 directly behind it. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf, 3.3 who was informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report that Abū ʿAfīf was talking about Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and said:

[Abū ʿAfīf:] Aḥmad was with us in Qurʾan school when he was just a little boy. Even then he stood out. At that time, the caliph was living in al-Raqqah and the courtiers who joined him there began writing letters to their families in Baghdad. When they wanted to reply to a letter, their womenfolk would ask our schoolmaster to send Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to their homes. The teacher would send him out and off he’d go, looking carefully at the ground. The women often dictated obscene words but he wouldn’t write them down. Al-Marrūdhī added that Abū Sirāj ibn Khuzaymah said:

[Abū Sirāj:] When we were in Qurʾan school with Aḥmad, women would send messages to the schoolmaster saying, “Send Ibn Ḥanbal to write for us so we can reply to the letters we’ve received.” Whenever he went in to where the women were, he would keep his head down so as not to look at them. [Al-Marrūdhī:] Abū Sirāj also said that his father, whose name he gave, 3.4 was impressed by how well Aḥmad conducted himself: “One day my father said to us, ‘I spend money to hire tutors for my children hoping they’ll learn to behave properly, but it doesn’t seem to do any good. Then take Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: he’s an orphan, but look how well he’s turned out!’23 He went on marveling for some time.”

٢٩

29

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30

3: His Childhood

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad told me, “When I was a boy, I would go to the 3.5 Qurʾan school, and then when I was fourteen I took up duties.”24 Al-Khallāl heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī report that he had heard his neighbor Abū 3.6 l-Munabbih report:

[Abū l-Munabbih:] The first we heard of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was when his uncle received a letter from the authorities. He wrote a reply which he gave to Aḥmad, who was supposed to pass it on to a courier who was waiting for it. But instead of handing it over, Aḥmad put it inside an alcove25 they had in the house. When the courier asked for it, the uncle replied that he had already sent it out. He then asked Aḥmad, “Where’s the letter I asked you to give the man at the door?” “He was wearing a long-sleeved gown,”26 he replied. “You’ll find your letter in the alcove.”27 Al-Khallāl also said that Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī reported that he had been informed 3.7 on the authority of al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿUbayd Allāh:

[Al-ʿAbbās:] Dāwūd ibn Bisṭām told me: “Once when the briefing from Baghdad was delayed, I sent word to Aḥmad’s uncle telling him I was hoping to write up all the dispatches to forward to the caliph but his still hadn’t arrived. He replied that he had sent his nephew to deliver it. Then he sent for Aḥmad, who was only a boy at the time. “‘Didn’t I tell you to deliver my report?’ he asked. “‘Yes,’ replied Aḥmad. “‘Why didn’t you, then?’ “‘I used to carry those reports but not any more.28 I threw it into the water.’” Ibn Bisṭām then recited «We are of God, and to Him we return!»29 adding: “When a boy has such scruples, where does that leave us?”30 Al-Marrūdhī said that Ḥaramī ibn Yūnus al-Muʾaddib reported having heard his 3.8 father say:

[Yūnus al-Muʾaddib:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal while Hushaym was still alive, and even then he was already well respected. [Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “When Hushaym died I was twenty years old.”31 We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Qāhir, 3.9 who was informed by ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān, who heard Muḥammad ibn

٣١

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34

4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge heard Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh, meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, say:

[Aḥmad:] I started in ’79 [795–96], when I was sixteen.34 That was my first year studying Hadith. I remember someone coming up to us and saying that Ḥammād ibn Zayd was dead. That was also the year we lost Mālik ibn Anas. In 198 [813–14], when we were studying with ʿAbd al-Razzāq in Yemen, we heard that Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, and Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd were gone, too.35 Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq also heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say:

[Aḥmad:] I heard Hadith from Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb in Basra in ’94 [809–10], and from Abū l-Nuʿmān ʿĀrim in the same year, and from ʿUmar al-Ḥawḍī too.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who said: In an autograph copy of al-Ḥasan ibn 4.5 al-Furāt’s book, I read that Abū Muslim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mihrān cited Muḥammad ibn Qārin, who heard ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Hisinjānī report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] I started studying Hadith in ’79.

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad, who cites Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd 4.6 Allāh, who said that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Isḥāq report that he had heard Ibn Isḥāq al-Thaqafī report that he heard Ziyād ibn Ayyūb say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] I started studying Hadith in ’79. I remember going to Ibn al-Mubārak’s circle but missing him. He’d come to us first in ’79.

We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, 4.7 who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Rizq, who cites Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAlī l-Khuṭabī, Abū

ʿAlī ibn al-Ṣawwāf (the wool merchant), and Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Ḥamdān, who heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that his father said:

[Aḥmad:] I studied with ʿAlī ibn Hāshim ibn al-Barīd in ’79, my first year studying Hadith. Then I went back to him for another session but he had died in the meantime. Mālik ibn Anas died that year too.

٣٥

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٣٨

38

4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge

would say the taslīm only once.39 If I had had fifty dirhams, I would have gone out to Rey to see Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Some of the other students went but I couldn’t.” He added: “When I went to Kufa, I stayed in a room where I slept with my head resting on a brick. I came down with fever and went back to my mother, God show her mercy!” We cite al-Mubārak ibn Aḥmad al-Anṣārī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, 4.10 who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites Aḥmad ibn Abī Jaʿfar al-Qaṭī ʿī and ʿAlī ibn Abī ʿAlī al-Baṣrī (of Basra), who cite ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Bardhaʿī, who cites ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim, who cites Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son Ṣāliḥ as saying that he heard his father say:

[Aḥmad:] If I had had fifty dirhams I would have gone out to Rey to see Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Some of my fellow students went but I couldn’t because I had nothing to spend. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 4.11 informed by Abū Isḥāq al-Barmakī, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, who heard Zuhayr ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say that he heard his father say that he heard his father say:

[Aḥmad:] When I went to Kufa, I stayed in a room where I slept with my head resting on a brick. I came down with fever and went back to my mother. I had never asked her permission to leave. We cite ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī, who cites ʿAbd al-Malik al-Suyūrī, who cites ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn 4.12

ʿAlī, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, who cites Ibn Mardak, who heard Ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Muḥammad al-ʿAbbādānī (of ʿAbbādān) report:

[Al-ʿAbbādānī:] I heard Ibn Ḥanbal say, “I reached ʿAbbādān in ’86 sometime during the last ten days of Rajab. I had gone that year to see al-Muʿtamir. There was a man there involved in Disputation.”40 “You mean Haddāb?”41 “Right! Abū l-Rabī ʿ was there too, and I wrote down some of his reports.” We cite al-Mubārak ibn Aḥmad al-Anṣārī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, 4.13 who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar al-Muqri ʾ, who cites Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAlī l-Khuṭabī, who heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say that he heard his father say:

٣٩

39

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٤٠

40

4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge

[Aḥmad:] Some days I tried to leave for Hadith sessions as early as I could but my mother would grab me by the clothes and pull me back, saying, “Wait until the call to prayer!” or “Wait until people wake up!” I used to go early to hear Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh and others.

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who together cite Ḥamd 4.14 ibn Aḥmad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar, who heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard his father say:

[Aḥmad:] I was studying with Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān (the cotton merchant) and then left for Wāsiṭ. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd came asking for me and they told him where I’d gone. “What’s he doing in Wāsiṭ?” he asked. “Studying with Yazīd ibn Hārūn.” “What for?” asked Yaḥyā. [Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] By that Yaḥyā meant that Aḥmad knew more than the man he’d gone to study with.

I learned from Abū l-Ḥusayn Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn al-Munādī that he heard Ibn Ḥanbal’s 4.15 son ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard his father say:

[Aḥmad:] I’ve visited Basra five times. The first was at the beginning of Rajab 186. That’s when I heard Hadith from al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān. The second time was in ’90. The third was in ’94, after Ghundar died.42 I studied with Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd for six months. In 200 I went again.43

We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites 4.16 Abū l-Qāsim al-Azharī, who cites ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar al-Khallāl, who reports that he heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Shaybah report that his grandfather reported that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Hāshim say:

[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāshim:] When Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd came to Baghdad he went to stay with the family of Musayyab. After Jarīr had crossed over to the East Side, the Tigris rose. I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal if he wanted to cross with me.

٤١

41

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٥٠

50

4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge

[Aḥmad:] “I’ll stop seeking knowledge when I’m dead and buried.” We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites 4.30 al-Barqāni, who read Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Khallāl’s report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Quraysh al-Harawī (of Herat) report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Ṣāʾigh (the goldsmith) report:

[Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl:] My father was a goldsmith in Baghdad. One day I was working with him when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came running by with his sandals in his hand. My father took hold of his clothing—like this—and said, “Aḥmad! Aren’t you ashamed still to be racing around like a schoolboy?” “I’ll keep at it until I’m dead,” he replied. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who were informed by Ḥamd 4.31 ibn Aḥmad, who cited Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard his father report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar, who said that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh dictated to him the following from memory:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Once when I went to Mecca, I stayed in a house where an elderly man, a Meccan called Abū Bakr ibn Samāʿah, told me, “Your father stayed with us here when I was a boy. My mother told me: ‘Stick close to that man and look after him because he’s a righteous man,’ so I used to look after him. “One day, while he was out studying Hadith, his bedclothes and belongings were stolen. When he came home, my mother said to him, ‘Some thieves broke in and took your things.’ “‘What about my slates?’ he asked. When she told him they were safe in the alcove, he asked no more questions.” Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad also said:

4.32

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father walked all the way to Tarsus on foot, and to Yemen as well. 4.33

ʿAbd Allāh added:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father said, “ʿAbd al-Razzāq never taught us anything from memory except the first time we sat with him. We arrived at night and found him sitting somewhere, and he dictated seventy Hadith reports for us. Then he turned to the group and said, ‘The only reason I’ve taught you Hadith tonight is because of who our guest is.’” By this he meant my father.

٥١

51

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     ١ .    

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5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 4.34 who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Dawraqī report:

[Al-Dawraqī:] I saw Ibn Ḥanbal right after he came back from seeing ʿAbd al-Razzāq in Yemen. He looked pale and weary. I told him that he had pushed himself too hard by going to see ʿAbd al-Razzāq. “It was nothing,” he said, “compared to what I gained. He dictated for us all the Hadith reports that al-Zuhrī got from Sālim ibn ʿAbd Allāh, going back to his father, and the ones al-Zuhrī got from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, going back to Abū Hurayrah.” We were informed by Ibn Nāsir, who cites Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Mandah, who 4.35 cites what ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Malīḥī al-Harawī wrote, to the effect that he and others heard Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥāfiẓ report, citing Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who cites Abū Aḥmad of al-Shāmī (the Syrian), who cites Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, who heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] I tried to learn the Qurʾan by heart, but then I got too busy with Hadith. I was so afraid I’d never learn that I asked God to help me. It didn’t occur to me to ask Him to make it easy. When I finally did learn it, I was chained up in prison. So if you ask God for anything make sure to say: “Let me have it without misery or suffering.”

Chapter 5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

I have listed them alphabetically by first name.

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5.1

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5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

Miscellaneous names [beginning with bāʾ] Bashshār ibn Mūsā, Abū ʿUthmān 5.9 al-ʿIjlī l-Khaffāf. Bahz ibn Asad, Abū l-Aswad al-ʿAmmī. Buhlūl ibn Ḥakīm al-Qarqīsī l-Shāmī.

Names Beginning with Tāʾ 5.10

Talīd ibn Sulaymān, Abū Idrīs al-Muḥaribī.

Names Beginning with Thāʾ Thābit ibn al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jumayʿ Abū Jabalah al-Zuhrī.

5.11

Names Beginning with Jīm Jābir ibn Salīm, reportedly called Ibn Sulaymān al-Madanī the Helper. Jarīr 5.12 ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Rāzī. Jaʿfar ibn ʿAwn ibn Jaʿfar, Abū

ʿAwn al-Makhzūmī.

Names Beginning with Ḥāʾ Men named al-Ḥārith Al-Ḥārith ibn Sulaymān al-Fazārī. Al-Ḥārith ibn 5.13 Murrah ibn Mujjāʿah, Abū Murrah the Ḥanafī. Al-Ḥārith ibn Nuʿmān ibn Sālim, Abū l-Naḍr al-Ṭūsī al-Akfānī. Men named Ḥajjāj Ḥajjāj ibn Muḥammad, Abū Muḥammad al-Miṣṣīṣī 5.14 the One-Eyed. Ḥajjāj ibn Muḥammad al-Tirmidhī. Ḥajjāj ibn Nuṣayr, Abū Muḥammad al-Fusṭāṭī. Men named al-Ḥasan Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Rabī ʿ ibn Sulaymān, Abū ʿAlī 5.15 l-Khashshāb al-Būrānī. Al-Ḥasan ibn Sawwār, Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Khurāsānī l-Baghawī. Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿĀṣim, Abū Muḥammad. Al-Ḥasan ibn

ʿĪsā ibn Māsarjis al-Naysābūrī. Al-Ḥasan ibn Mūsā, Abū Ghālib the FineToothed.54 Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā l-Marwazī.

Men named al-Ḥusayn Al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Ḥasan, brother of Bishr. Al-Ḥusayn 5.16 ibn al-Ḥasan, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Fazārī the Fair. Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Najīḥ

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     : ١ .   :      ٢ .   

5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

Men named ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Sulaymān, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān 5.48 al-Zarrād. ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā, Abū Muḥammad al-Sāmī, of Sāmah ibn Luʾayy. ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Mushir al-Dimashqī. Men named ʿAbd al-Qaddūs ʿAbd al-Qaddūs60 ibn Bakr Khunays, Abū 5.49 l-Jahm. ʿAbd al-Qaddūs ibn al-Ḥajjāj, Abū Mughīrah al-Khawlānī. Men named ʿAbbād ʿAbbād ibn ʿAbbād ibn Ḥabīb ibn al-Muhallab ibn Abī 5.50 Ṣufrah, Abū Muʿāwiyah al-Azdī. ʿAbbād ibn al-ʿAwāmm ibn ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Abū Sahl al-Kilābī. Men named ʿUmar ʿUmar ibn Ayyūb, Abū Ḥafṣ al-ʿAbdī. ʿUmar ibn Ḥafṣ, 5.51 Abū Ḥafṣ al-Muʿīṭī. ʿUmar ibn Saʿd, Abū Dāwūd al-Ḥafarī. ʿUmar ibn ʿUbayd ibn Abī Umayyah al-Ḥanafī. ʿUmar ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAṭāʾ, Abū Ḥafṣ al-Muqaddamī.

ʿUmar ibn Hārūn ibn Yazīd, Abū Ḥafṣ al-Balkhī. Men named ʿUthmān ʿUthmān ibn ʿUmar ibn Fāris, Abū Muḥammad al-Baṣrī. 5.52 ʿUthmān ibn ʿUthmān, Abū ʿAmr al-Qurashī. ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Shaybah (whose name was Ibrāhīm), Abū l-Ḥasan al-ʿAbsī. Men named ʿAlī ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm al-Bunānī l-Marwazī. ʿAlī ibn Isḥāq, the 5.53 Sulamī by clientage, Abū l-Ḥasan, al-Marwazī, a client of the clan of Sulaym.

ʿAlī ibn Baḥr ibn Barrī, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Qaṭṭān. ʿAlī ibn Thābit, client of al-Abbās ibn Muḥammad of Hāshim, called Abū Aḥmad, or possibly Abū l-Ḥasan al-Jazarī. ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd, from whom Aḥmad wrote down Hadith.

ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Shaqīq, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Marwazī. ʿAlī ibn Ḥafṣ, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Madāʿinī. ʿAlī ibn Ḥujr, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Saʿdī. ʿAlī ibn ʿĀṣim ibn Ṣuhayb, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Wāsiṭī. ʿAlī ibn ʿAyyāsh, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Alhānī. ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar, Abū l-Ḥasan ibn al-Madīnī. ʿAlī ibn Mujāhid ibn Muslim, Abū Mujāhid, al-Kābulī, client of Ḥakīm ibn Jabalah al-ʿAbdī. ʿAlī ibn Hāshim ibn Barīd, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Khazzāz, the ʿĀbidī by clientage. ʿAlī ibn Abī Isrāʾ īl al-Baghdādī. Men named ʿAmr ʿAmr ibn Ayyūb al-ʿĀbid. ʿAmr ibn Sulaymān, Abū l-Rabī ʿ 5.54 al-Wāsiṭī. ʿAmr ibn ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn al-Wāzi ʿ, Abū ʿUthmān

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       .   :    ٣ 

    : ٢  .

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5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

al-Kilābī. ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad, Abū Saʿīd al-Anqarī; ʿanqar means “sweet marjoram.” ʿAmr ibn Mujammi ʿ ibn Sulaymān, Abū l-Mundhir al-Sakūnī.

ʿAmr ibn al-Haytham ibn Qaṭan ibn Kaʿb, Abū Qaṭan al-Zabīdī.

Men named ʿIṣām ʿIṣām ibn Khālid, Abū Isḥāq al-Ḥaḍramī. ʿIṣām ibn ʿAmr, 5.55 Abū Ḥumayd al-Ṭāʾ ī.

Miscellaneous names [beginning with ʿayn] ʿAbd al-Razzāq ibn Hammām, 5.56 Abū Bakr al-Ḥimyarī al-Ṣanʿānī. ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Wāṣil, Abū ʿUbaydah al-Ḥaddād al-Sadūsī. ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (who was called Bashmīn), Abū Yaḥyā l-Ḥimmānī. ʿAbd al-Majīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Abī Rawwād, Abū ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Azdī. ʿAbd al-Jabbār ibn Muḥammad ibn

ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Khaṭṭābī, a descendant of Zayd ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. ʿAbd al-Salām ibn Ḥarb, Abū Bakr al-Mulāʾ ī. ʿAbd al-Kabīr ibn

ʿAbd al-Majīd ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Sharīk, Abū Bakr al-Baṣrī. ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Khālid, Abū l-Ḥasan al-ʿAbsī. ʿAbd al-Mutaʿāl ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb. ʿUbayd ibn Abī Qurrah al-Baghdādī. ʿAbdah ibn Sulaymān ibn Ḥājib, Abū Muḥammad al-Kilābī. ʿAbīdah ibn Ḥumayd ibn Ṣuhayb, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Taymī. ʿĀmir ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Abū l-Ḥārith al-Zubayrī l-Asadī. ʿĀrim ibn al-Faḍl, Abū l-Nuʿmān, who will be mentioned with the Muḥammads, since ʿĀrim is only a nickname. ʿĀʾidh ibn Ḥabīb, Abū Aḥmad al-ʿAbsī. ʿAttāb ibn Ziyād al-Marwazi. ʿAththām ibn ʿAlī, Abū ʿAlī l-Kilābī.

ʿAmmār ibn Muḥammad, the brother of Sayf ibn Muḥammad, Abū l-Yaqẓān, al-Kūfī. ʿAffān ibn Muslim, Abū ʿUthmān al-Ṣaffār. ʿUqbah ibn Khālid, Abū Masʿūd al-Kūfī. Names Beginning with Ghayn Ghassān ibn al-Rabī ʿ ibn Manṣūr, Abū Muḥammad al-Azdī. Ghassān ibn 5.57 Muḍar, Abū Muḍar al-Azdī. Ghassān ibn al-Mufaḍḍal, Abū Muʿāwiyah al-Ghallābī. Ghawth ibn Jābir ibn Ghaylān, Abū Muḥammad.

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73

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5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

Names Beginning with Fāʾ Al-Faḍl ibn Dukayn, Abū Nuʿaym al-Kūfī. Al-Faḍl ibn al-ʿAlāʾ, Abū l-ʿAbbās 5.58 al-ʿIjlī. Fazārah ibn ʿUmar, Abū l-Faḍl. Fayyāḍ ibn Muḥammad ibn Sinān, Abū Muḥammad al-Raqqī. Names Beginning with Qāf Quraysh ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ṣaydalānī. Quraysh ibn Anas, Abū Anas al-Anṣārī. 5.59 Qabīṣah ibn ʿUqbah ibn Muḥammad, Abū ʿĀmir al-Suwāʾ ī. Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd, Abū Rajāʾ al-Baghlānī. Qurrān ibn Tamām, Abū Tamām al-Asadī. Qurṭ ibn Ḥurayth, Abū Sahl, the Bāhilī by clientage. Qurrād, already mentioned under those named ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Al-Qāsim ibn Mālik, Abū Jaʿfar al-Muzanī. Names Beginning with Kāf Kathīr ibn Marwān ibn Muḥammad, Abū Muḥammad al-Shāmī. Kathīr ibn 5.60 Hishām, Abū Sahl al-Kilābī. There is no one whose name begins with lām. Names Beginning with Mīm Men named Muḥammad Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿAdī (whose name was 5.61 Ibrāhīm), client of the clan of Sulaym, called Abū ʿAmr al-Baṣrī. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-ʿAṭṭār al-Balkhī. Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Muslim, Abū Ismāʿīl al-Madīnī. Muḥammad ibn Idrīs, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Shāfiʿī. Muḥammad ibn Bishr ibn al-Furāfiṣah, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAbdī. Muḥammad ibn Bashshār, Abū Bakr, al-Baṣrī, called Bundār. Muḥammad ibn Bakr ibn

ʿUthmān, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Azdī l-Bursānī, Bursān being a clan of Azd. Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar, al-Hudhalī by clientage, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Baṣrī, called Ghundar (Chubby). Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar, Abū Jaʿfar, al-Madāʾinī. Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Ziyād, Abū ʿImrān al-Warkānī. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿImrān, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Muzanī al-Wāsiṭī. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Hilāl, Abū Jaʿfar al-Baṣrī. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Anas, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Yamānī. Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd, Abū Sufyān al-Baṣrī l-Yashkurī, also called al-Maʿmarī because he went to study with Maʿmar

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75

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      .   :         ١    ٢ .   

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78

5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

Men named Muʿādh Muʿādh ibn Asad, Abū ʿAbd Allāh, al-Marwazī. Muʿādh 5.63 ibn Naṣr, Abū l-Muthannā l-ʿAnbarī. Muʿādh ibn Hishām, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Baṣrī. Men named Manṣūr Manṣūr ibn Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, Abū Salamah 5.64 al-Khuzāʿī. Manṣūr ibn Wardān, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAṭṭār al-Asadī. Manṣūr ibn Abī Muzāḥim, Abū Naṣr al-Turkī the scribe; he was among the Turks captured in war. Men named Muʿāwiyah Muʿāwiyah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-Muhallab, Abū ʿAmr 5.65 al-Azdī. Muʿāwiyah ibn Hishām, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Qaṣṣār al-Asadī. Men named Marwān Marwān ibn Sawwār, called Shabābah, already men- 5.66 tioned. Marwān ibn Shujāʿ, Abū ʿAmr al-Jazarī. Marwān ibn Muʿāwiyah, Abū

ʿAbd Allāh al-Fazārī. Men named Muṣʿab Muṣʿab ibn Sallām al-Tamīmī. Muṣʿab ibn al-Miqdām, 5.67 Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Khath ʿamī.

Miscellaneous names [beginning with mīm] Mālik ibn Ismāʿīl, Abū 5.68 Ghassān al-Nahdī. Mubashshir ibn Ismāʿīl, Abū Ismāʿīl al-Ḥalabī. Muḥāḍir ibn al-Muwarri ʿ, Abū l-Muwarri ʿ al-Hamdānī. Maḥbūb ibn al-Ḥasan, properly named Muḥammad but called Maḥbūb, already mentioned. Makhlad ibn Yazīd, Abū Khidāsh al-Ḥarrānī l-Jazarī. Marḥūm ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mihrān, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAṭṭār. Miskīn ibn Bukayr, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ḥadhdhāʾ. Maslamah ibn al-Ṣalt al-Shaybānī. Al-Muṭṭalib ibn Ziyād ibn Abī Zuhayr, Abū Muḥammad al-Thaqafī. Al-Muẓaffar ibn Mudrik, Abū Kāmil al-Khurāsānī. Muʿān ibn Ḥamḍah, Abū Maḥfūẓ al-Baṣrī. Al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān, Abū Muḥammad al-Taymī. Al-Muʿallā ibn Asad, Abū Haytham al-Baṣrī. Maʿmar ibn Sulaymān, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Nakh ʿī al-Raqqī. Makkī ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Bashīr, Abū l-Sakan al-Tamīmī al-Balkhī. Mahdī ibn Ḥafṣ, Abū Muḥammad al-Ramlī. Muhannaʾ ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, Abū Shibl al-Baṣrī. Al-Muʾammal ibn Ismāʿīl, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Baṣrī.

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79

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82

   .   :   ١

5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

Miscellaneous names [beginning with hāʾ] Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim, Abū l-Naḍr 5.77 al-Kinānī. Huraym ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā, Abū Ḥamzah al-Baṣrī. Al-Hudhayl ibn Maymūn al-Juʿfī. Hawdhah ibn Khalīfah, Abū l-Ashhab al-Bakrāwī.

Names Beginning with Yāʾ Men named Yaʿqūb Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿd, Abū Yūsuf al-Zuhrī. Yaʿqūb 5.78 ibn Ibrāhīm Abū Yūsuf, the judge. Yaʿqūb ibn ʿĪsā ibn Māhān, Abū Yūsuf al-Muʾaddib. Men named Yaḥyā Yaḥyā ibn Ādam ibn Sulaymān, Abū Zakariyyā al-Kūfī. 5.79 Yaḥyā ibn Isḥāq, Abū Zakariyyā l-Saylaḥīnī. Yaḥyā ibn Ismāʿīl al-Wāsiṭī. Yaḥyā ibn Ayyūb, Abū Zakariyyā l-ʿĀbid al-Maqābirī. Yaḥyā ibn Ayyūb al-Balkhī. Yaḥyā ibn Ḥammād, Abū Bakr al-Shaybānī. Yaḥyā ibn Rāshid al-Baṣrī. Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ibn Abī Zāʾidah, Abū Saʿīd al-Wādi ʿī l-Hamdānī. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd ibn Abān, Abū Ayyūb al-Qurashī. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd ibn Farrūkh, Abū Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, called Qutaybah, already mentioned. Yaḥyā ibn al-Sakn,65 Abū Muḥammad al-Baṣrī. Yaḥyā ibn Sulaym66 al-Ṭāʾifī. Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Ḥumayd ibn Abī Ghaniyyah, Abū Zakariyyā l-Kūfī. Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yazīd, Abū Zakariyyā l-Unaysī.67 Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbbād, Abū ʿAbbād al-Ḍabuʿī. Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbduwayh, Abū Muḥammad, the client of ʿUbayd Allāh ibn al-Mahdī. Yaḥyā ibn Ghaylān ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Asmāʾ ibn Jāriyah, Abū l-Faḍl al-Azdī l-Aslamī. Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn ibn ʿAwn, Abū Zakariyyā l-Baghdādī. Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ, Abū Tumaylah al-Azdī. Yaḥyā ibn al-Yamān, Abū Zakariyyā l-ʿIjlī. Yaḥyā ibn Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Hāshimī. Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr, Abū Zakariyyā l-Kūfī.

Men named Yūnus Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Maʿqil ibn Munabbih 5.80 al-Ṣanʿānī. Yūnus ibn Muḥammad ibn Muslim, Abū Muḥammad al-Muʾaddib.

Men named Yazīd Yazīd ibn ʿAbd Rabbih, Abū l-Faḍl al-Zubaydī l-Ḥimṣī. 5.81 Yazīd ibn Muslim al-Hamdānī. Yazīd ibn Hārūn, Abū Khālid al-Wāsiṭī. Yazīd ibn Abī Ḥakīm, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAdanī.

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83

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84

. : ٢

  .   :       ١ 

5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

Miscellaneous names [beginning with yāʾ] Yūsuf ibn Yaʿqūb ibn ʿAbd Allāh 5.82 ibn Abī Salamah al-Mājishūn, called Abū Salamah al-Madīnī. Yaʿlā ibn

ʿUbayd ibn Abī Umayyah, Abū Yūsuf al-Ṭanāfisī. Yaʿmur ibn Bishr, Abū ʿAmr al-Marwazī.

Men of Learning from Whom Aḥmad Transmitted Hadith and Who Were Known by Their Kunyah, Their Names Being Unverified Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh; various names, including Shuʿbah, Sālim, and 5.83 Muḥammad, are ascribed to him. Abū Ḥujr al-Qāṣṣ. Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥalabī. Abū l-Qāsim ibn Abī l-Zinād; Abū l-Zinād’s name is ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dhakwān al-Madīnī. Abū Yaʿqūb, a client of Abū ʿUbayd Allāh, vizier to al-Mahdī, Ibn al-Ashjaʿī.

Women from Whom Aḥmad Transmitted Hadith Umm ʿAmr bint Ḥassān ibn Yazīd al-Thaqafī.

5.84

Addendum Aḥmad came into contact with many transmitters without copying down 5.85 their reports. These include ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muʿādh al-Ṣanʿānī; al-Mubārak ibn Saʿīd, the brother of Sufyān; ʿImrān ibn ʿUyaynah; Nahshal ibn Ḥurayth al-ʿAdawī; Muḥammad ibn Marwān al-ʿUqaylī; al-Ashjaʿī; Khalaf ibn Khalīfah; Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq al-Ḥaḍramī; and Yūsuf ibn al-Ghariq.

Note There were numerous weak transmitters whose reports Aḥmad deemed spu- 5.86 rious and so he did not transmit from them. These include Ayyūb al-Tammār, Ismāʿīl ibn Abān al-Ghanawī, Khālid ibn al-Qāsim al-Madāʾinī, ʿUmar ibn Saʿīd al-Dimashqī, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Muṣaffar,68 Masʿadah ibn al-Yasaʿ, Abū Ṣayfī l-Madīnī, and others too numerous to list.

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85

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86

    ١ .   :    

5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith

Note Aḥmad encountered a number of righteous ascetics, some of whom we have 5.87 listed among his sources of Hadith. Others, of whom some were too busy with reverential practices to transmit Hadith, he met but did not hear any reports from. In the course of this book, we will, God willing, have occasion to mention many of the ascetics he encountered. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who said that al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Bannā 5.88 informed him, citing Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ghālib report that he read back to Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Yazīd ibn Khālid al-Fāmī his report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Mustamlī report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] To my mind, nothing comes close to being poor. Do you know what it means to suffer poverty without complaint? I’ve seen so many upright men: men like ʿAbd Allāh ibn Idrīs, as old as he was, wearing a tunic of felt.69 I’ve seen Abū Dāwūd al-Ḥafarī wearing a ripped tunic with the cotton coming out of it, praying from sunset to nighttime while swaying on his feet from hunger. I’ve seen Ayyūb ibn al-Najjār in Mecca after he gave up all his property, walking around the city carrying a rope and pail to draw water from the wells. He gave up everything he owned; he was a true worshipper. He had lived with the things of this world, but left them all in the hands of Yaḥyā l-Qaṭṭān. I’ve seen Ibn Bajālah the Worshipper; I used to hear the sound of his shoes as he circled the Kaʿbah at night. In the mosque there was also someone called al-ʿArfī70 who would stay up from nightfall to dawn, weeping the whole time. When I went to see what he looked like, he turned out to be a pale young man. I’ve seen Ḥusayn al-Juʿfī, who was like a monk. In Kufa I met no one better than Ḥusayn al-Juʿfī. In Basra the best was Saʿīd ibn ʿĀmir.

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Chapter 6: His Deference to His Teachers and His Respect for Learning

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who heard ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad say that 6.1 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar informed him that ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar informed him, citing Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, who said that Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās said that al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb said that he heard Ismāʿīl al-Daylamī report:

[Ismāʿīl al-Daylamī:] ʿAmr al-Nāqid said, “We were studying with Wakī ʿ when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came in and sat down.” He began describing how deferential Aḥmad was to Wakī ʿ. Then he said: “I told Aḥmad how highly our teacher thought of him and asked him why he wouldn’t speak in his presence. He said, ‘So what if he thinks highly of me? I still have to treat him with reverence.’” Al-Khallāl said that ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad reported:

6.2

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I heard Muhannaʾ ibn Yaḥyā l-Shāmī report, “I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in Sufyān’s study circle with ʿAbd al-Razzāq sitting in front of him. I remember thinking, ‘I wonder if they have any idea who they’re sitting with.’” By this he meant: Did they know how learned Ibn Ḥanbal was? We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 6.3 who cites Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Muʿaddal, who cites his maternal uncle, Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm, who heard Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq report that he heard Abū Dharr Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Mālik al-Tirmidhī, who heard al-Azhar al-Balkhī say that he heard Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd say:

[Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd:] I came to Baghdad with one purpose: to meet Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. In the event, he came to me, along with Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. We exchanged Hadith reports71 and then he stood up, came over, and sat down in front of me. “Dictate that one to me,” he said. Then [he returned to his seat and] we went back to exchanging reports. After a time, he again rose and came over to me. “Aḥmad,” I said, “you don’t have to get up!” “Don’t worry about me,” he replied. “All I care about is getting the learning right.”

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8: His Powers of Retention and the Number of Reports He Knew by Heart

the doorway with his hands on the jamb and said, “I’m going to test you on the Hadith of Sufyān.” “Go ahead,” said Ibn Ḥanbal. “Have you memorized what Sufyān transmitted citing Salamah ibn Kuhayl . . .?” asked Wakī ʿ, reciting the Hadith. “Yes,” said Aḥmad. “We heard Yaḥyā report,” giving the transmitter. “What about Salamah on such-and-such?” “We heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān report,” said Aḥmad. “What about Sufyān from Salamah on such and-such?” “We heard that from you.” And so they continued until they had covered all of the reports transmitted by Salamah. Then Aḥmad asked: “Do you know Salamah’s report about . . .?” giving the Hadith. “No,” said Wakī ʿ. Aḥmad then began asking about one report after another. Each time, Wakī ʿ was stumped. Aḥmad went through the reports of the other major transmitters one by one. He was still standing there when the servant girl appeared and said, “The morning star”—or “Venus”—“is up!” Al-Khallāl heard ʿIṣmah ibn ʿIṣām say that he heard Ḥanbal report that he heard Abū 8.9

ʿAbd Allāh say:

[Aḥmad:] Wakī ʿ used to recite reports that all had the same chain of transmitters, as if he had memorized them all that way. At night I used to commit ten or fifteen of them to memory.78 Al-Khallāl heard Ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father used to tell me, “Take any of the books of Wakī ʿ’s collection and tell me what any report says and I’ll tell you the chain of transmitters. Or tell me the chain and I’ll tell you what the report says.”79

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8.10

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9: His Learning, His Intelligence, and His Religious Understanding

ʿAbd al-Qādir] heard Isḥāq al-Barmakī report that he heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim, who heard Aḥmad ibn Salamah al-Naysābūrī say that he heard Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh say:

[Ibn Rāhawayh:] In Iraq I used to study with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, and my own cohort. We used to test each other on Hadith by asking about the chain of transmitters—or the two or three different chains— that might exist for a single report. Then Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn would speak up and offer yet another chain. “We all agree on that one, don’t we?” I would ask, and they would all say they did. Then I would ask, “What does the report mean? How would you explain it? And what implications can we draw from it?” At that, everyone would fall silent except for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ghālib al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn 9.5

ʿAlī l-Ḥāfiẓ; and we cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥaddād, who cites Abū Nuʿaym, who heard Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Muʿaddal report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-Thaqafī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Yūnus report:

[Ibn Yūnus:] I heard Abū ʿĀṣim say, when the topic of religious understanding was raised, “There’s no one there”—in Baghdad—“except that man,” meaning Aḥmad. “No one’s ever come to us from there who understands as well as he does.” Someone then mentioned ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī, but Abū ʿĀṣim waved his hand dismissively. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who said 9.6 that Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar informed him that ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar informed him that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn

ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Kūfī (of Kufa) say:

[Al-Kūfī:] Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn was once asked a question about living in a shop. “I don’t deal with that,” he replied. “Ask Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” Al-Khallāl said that Aḥmad copied down the books of rationalist jurispru- 9.7 dence and memorized them, but then stopped consulting them. Whenever he spoke about religious understanding, he did so with the air of a man who had tested all the forms of knowledge and could speak from experience. Ḥubaysh ibn Mubashshir and a number of other jurists said, “When we 9.8 debate, we’re willing to challenge anyone except Ibn Ḥanbal. With him, all we can do is keep quiet.”

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   .          ٢  

  : ١ .

10: Praise of Him by His Teachers

bearing in his presence and wouldn’t tease him. Once when Aḥmad fell ill Yazīd even rode to his house to visit him. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who said 10.6 that Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī informed him that ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar informed him, citing Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, who cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I asked Aḥmad how it happened that Yazīd ibn Hārūn visited him when he was ill. He replied: [Aḥmad:] It was in Wāsiṭ. I used to sit near him while he taught Hadith, and he knew who I was. One day he recited, “Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd said, ‘I heard Sālim ibn ʿAbd Allāh say . . . ’” “It doesn’t say ‘I heard Sālim say,’” I told him. “It says, ‘I heard that Sālim said . . . ’” Yazīd went inside and brought out his notes, and sure enough the text read “that Sālim said.” He asked who had corrected him and the others told him it was me. “Correct what you’ve written,” he told us. After that, whenever he would take his seat he would say, “Ibn Ḥanbal! Come over here.” Once when I got sick Yazīd came to visit me. I had guinea worm.90 I wasn’t staying in this house we’re in now—at that time it was my uncles who lived here. I had moved out. The house we moved to was outside.91

Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who 10.7 cites Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Bishrān, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar al-Dāraquṭnī, who heard Muḥammad ibn Makhlad report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī, who heard Abū Bakr ibn Abī ʿAwn and Muḥammad ibn Hishām, who said:

[Ibn Abī ʿAwn and Ibn Hishām:] Once when the ritual prayer was starting we heard Ibn ʿUlayyah saying, “Is Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal here anywhere? Tell him to come forward!” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites 10.8 Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who cites Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Warrāq, who heard Ibn Ṣāʿid report that Abū Bakr al-Athram cited ʿAbd Allāh ibn

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10: Praise of Him by His Teachers al-Mubārak (a learned man he had once heard reports from, not to be confused with the Ibn al-Mubārak from Khurasan) as saying:

[Ibn al-Mubārak:] Once when I was at Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah’s someone made a remark that made some of us laugh. Ibn Ḥanbal was there too. Later we went to Ismāʿīl and found him looking angry. “How could you laugh,” he asked, “with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal there?”

ʿAbd al-Razzāq ibn Hammām We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites ʿAbd al- 10.9 Malik ibn ʿUmar al-Razzāz (the rice vendor), who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar al-Ḥafiẓ, who heard Muḥammad ibn Makhlad report that he heard Yazīd ibn al-Haytham ibn Ṭahmān report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Sahl ibn ʿAskar say that ʿAbd al-Razzāq said:

[ʿAbd al-Razzāq:] I never saw anyone more astute or more scrupulous92 than Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 10.10 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Bābūnī, who cites al-Mundhir ibn Muḥammad, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Rāfiʿ report:

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Abān said, “Aḥmad, Isḥāq, and I studied with ʿAbd al-Razzāq. If anyone else asked him a question, he would say, ‘I’m not reciting Hadith for you. I’m reciting only for the sake of these three.’” By “these three” he meant Aḥmad, Isḥāq, and Ibn Abān.

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites ʿAbd al-Ṣamad 10.11 ibn Muḥammad, who cites his father, who heard Muḥammad ibn Ḥayyān report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Layth al-Warrāq say that he heard Muḥammad ibn Mushkān say that he heard ʿAbd al-Razzāq say:

[ʿAbd al-Razzāq:] I have never taught anyone like Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who cites Abū 10.12 Yaʿqūb al-Ḥāfiẓ, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-ʿUṣmī, who cites al-Daghawlī, who heard Muḥammad ibn Mushkān report that he heard ʿAbd al-Razzāq say:

[ʿAbd al-Razzāq:] I never taught anyone the like of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.

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. : ١ 

10: Praise of Him by His Teachers Abū Yaʿqūb cites al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Bishr, who heard Muḥammad 10.13 ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Qirmīsīnī report that he heard al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl say that he heard ʿAbd al-Razzāq say:

[ʿAbd al-Razzāq:] Four of the great scholars of Hadith came to us from Iraq. There was al-Shādhakūnī, who had the most tenacious memory for Hadith. There was Ibn al-Madīnī, who had mastered the differences between reports. There was Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, who had the most thorough knowledge of the transmitters. And then there was Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who was the best at putting all three kinds of learning together. Abū Yaʿqūb added: “After the Emissary, no one had more people travel to learn from him than did ʿAbd al-Razzāq.” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites 10.14 Abū Yaʿqūb al-Ḥāfiẓ, who cites Abū Saʿd al-Mālīnī, who heard Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn

ʿAbd al-Ruzayq report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Jumʿah report that he heard al-Ḥasan ibn Jarīr report that he heard ʿAlī ibn Hāshim say that ʿAbd al-Razzāq said:

[ʿAbd al-Razzāq:] I’ve taught Hadith to three men so worthy that I don’t care if I never teach anyone else. There was Ibn al-Shādhakūnī, who had such a retentive memory; Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, who knew the transmitters so well; and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who renounced so much. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who said 10.15 that Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar informed him that ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar informed him that he heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Khallāl report that he heard Ibrāhīm Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report that he heard Ibn ʿAskar report that he heard ʿAbd al-Razzāq say:

[ʿAbd al-Razzāq:] If that man—meaning Aḥmad—survives, it won’t matter that the rest of us are gone. Al-Khallāl also reported that Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khālid heard Muḥammad ibn 10.16

ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Bāwardī report that he heard ʿAbd al-Razzāq say:

[ʿAbd al-Razzāq:] I never saw anyone like Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Al-Khallāl also cited Muḥammad ibn Mūsā, who said that he heard Abū Bakr ibn 10.17 Zanjawayh say:

[Ibn Zanjawayh:] I told ʿAbd al-Razzāq that I was Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s neighbor. “If that’s so,” he said, “I’ll come visit you.”

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117

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 .   ٣

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 . ،   ٢

118

    . ،   :        ١

10: Praise of Him by His Teachers We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites 10.18 Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Ḥarīrī, who cites Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh, who cites Abū Muzāḥim al-Khāqānī, who heard ʿAbd Allāh report that his father [Ibn Ḥanbal] reported:

[Aḥmad:] ʿAbd al-Razzāq taught us some Hadith reports on the Mahdī93 and when he was done, looked over at me and said, “If not for this fellow here”—or “if not for him” (meaning me)—“I would never have taught you those reports.”

Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāḥ We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 10.19 who cites ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ, who cites his father, who cites Muḥammad ibn Ḥayyān, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Balkhī report that he heard al-ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard Ibrāhīm ibn Shammās report that he heard Wakī ʿ say:

[Wakī ʿ:] Of all those who ever came to Kufa, that young man—meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—was the best. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who heard ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad say that 10.20 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar informed him that ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar informed him that he heard al-Marrūdhī say that he heard al-Aʿyan report that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Shammās say:

[Ibn Shammās:] I asked Wakī ʿ to teach us the Hadith he had learned from Khārijah ibn Muṣʿab. “I won’t,” he said. “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me not to.”

Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth al-Nakhaʿī We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 10.21 who cites ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī l-Ḥasan ibn Abī Ḥātim, who cites his father, who cites Abū Ḥātim al-Tamīmī, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Balkhī, who heard al-ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Shammās say that he heard Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth say:

[Ibn Ghiyāth:] Of all those who ever came to Kufa, that young man— meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—was the best.

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119

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. : ٢

 .   ١

10: Praise of Him by His Teachers

[ʿAbd Allāh:] A group of Hadith-men once gathered at the circle of Abū ʿĀṣim al-Daḥḥāk ibn Makhlad. “All of you claim to have religious understanding,” he said, “but do any of you have it?” With that he began to rebuke them. “One of us does,” they said. “Who?” “He’s on his way.” When my father arrived, they said, “That’s him!” Abū ʿĀṣim looked at him and said, “Come up front.” “I don’t like to step over people,” he said. “Now there’s a man who understands!” said Abū ʿĀṣim. “Make room for him!” They moved aside and he came in. Abū ʿĀṣim asked him to sit in front of him. Then he asked him a question, which he answered. He asked him another question, and he answered that one too, and then a third, and then many, and he answered them all. “This is a sea creature,” said Abū ʿĀṣim, “not a land animal!” Or he may have said, “This is a sea creature that walks on land!”95 Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr informed us, citing al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites 10.38

ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Shāhīn, who heard his father report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Bāghandī report that he heard al-ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad report that he heard Abū ʿĀṣim al-Nabīl say:

[Abū ʿĀṣim:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came to see me. I heard people saying “Ibn Ḥanbal’s here! Ibn Ḥanbal’s here!” “Show me this Ibn Ḥanbal,” I said, and they pointed him out. “You there!” I said. “I have a bone to pick with you. You came to my town and didn’t present yourself so we could show you the welcome you deserve.” “Abū ʿĀṣim,” he said, “you’ll be doing more than enough if I can trouble you to teach some Hadith.” I could see that he was modest, earnest, and well-mannered, and would go as far as any man. We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Qāhir, 10.39 who said that ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān informed him that Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh cited al-ʿAbbās ibn al-ʿAbbās ibn al-Mughīra, who reported that he heard

ʿAbbās say:

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129

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10: Praise of Him by His Teachers

[ʿAbbās:] I heard Abū ʿĀṣim al-Nabīl say, at the mention of Ibn Ḥanbal, that he had met him. Then he turned around and asked, “Who do you consider the leading Hadith-men in Baghdad today?” They listed Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Abū Khaythamah, al-Muʿayṭī, al-Suwaydī, and other Hadith-men. “What about here in Basra?” We named ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī, Ibn al-Shādhakūnī, Ibn ʿArʿarah, Ibn Abī Khadduwayh, and so on. “What about Kufa?” We named the two sons of Abū Shaybah, Ibn Numayr, and some others. Abū ʿĀsim heaved several sighs—making a sound like “ah, ah, ah”—and said, “Every one you mentioned has come here to see me, and I’ve met them all. None of them is a match for that young fellow Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.”

ʿAbbās added that Abū ʿĀṣim was saying this even before Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was tried by the Inquisition. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 10.40 who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who cites al-Ḥasan ibn Abī l-Ḥasan; and we cite Ismāʿ īl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad, who [along with al-Ḥasan] heard ʿUmar ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd, who heard Aḥmad ibn Manṣūr report:

[Aḥmad ibn Manṣūr:] When I took my leave of Abū ʿĀṣim al-Nabīl, he said to me, “Convey my greetings to that righteous man Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.”

Abū l-Yamān al-Ḥakam ibn Nāfiʿ We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 10.41 Ibrāḥīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī's report that he heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that Ibrāhīm ibn Yaʿqūb al-Jūzjānī wrote to him saying that he had heard Abū l-Yamān say:

[Abū l-Yamān:] I used to think Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal resembled Arṭaʾah ibn al-Mundhir.96

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[Abū ʿUthmān:] I heard al-Haytham ibn Jamīl say: “If that young man”— meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—“lives long enough, he’ll be God’s proof of Islam for a whole generation.” We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 10.46 who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Aḥmad ibn al-Muʿallā al-Dimashqī (of Damascus), who reported that he heard Aḥmad ibn Abī l-Ḥawārī report:

[Ibn Abī l-Ḥawārī:] I heard al-Haytham ibn Jamīl say, “Every age has a man who serves as a proof of Islam to his generation. Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ is the proof for his time, and I think that if that young man”—meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—“lives long enough, he’ll be the proof for his.” We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd, who heard 10.47 Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard his father report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar report that he heard Naṣr ibn Khuzaymah report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Makhlad report that he heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Dāwūd ibn Sayyār report that he heard Yūsuf ibn Muslim report:

[Yūsuf ibn Muslim:] Haytham ibn Jamīl once made an error while reciting a Hadith citing Hushaym. “Some people recite that report differently,” he was told. “Like who?” “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” “I wish my life could be shorter,” said al-Haytham, “and his longer.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who said 10.48 that Abū Isḥāq al-Barmakī informed him that ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar informed him that he heard Abū Bakr al-Khallāl report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say that he heard Asad al-Khashshāb (the carpenter, or dealer in lumber) say:

[Asad al-Khashshāb:] I heard al-Haytham ibn Jamīl say, “I wish God would make Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s life longer and mine shorter.” Then he turned to a man who was present and said, “Tell me: Why did you say that I had anything useful to impart to Muslims?”

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When they knocked, Abū Nuʿaym came out and sat down on an earthen stoop next to the door. Taking hold of Aḥmad, he seated him to his right, then took hold of Yaḥyā and seated him to his left. I sat down on the ground next to the stoop. Then Yaḥyā took out his sheaf of papers100 and began reading out the reports. Abū Nuʿaym said nothing about the first ten, but when Yaḥyā read the eleventh, he said, “That’s not one of mine. Cross it out!” Then Yaḥyā read the next ten. Abū Nuʿaym said nothing until Yaḥyā read the second of the reports he had slipped in. When he heard it he said, “That’s not one of mine. Cross it out!” Then Yaḥyā read the next set, including the third report he had slipped in. When he heard it, Abū Nuʿaym’s expression changed. Turning to Yaḥyā, he said, “This fellow here”—meaning Aḥmad, whose arm he was still holding— “has too many scruples to do what you’ve done. And this one”—meaning me—“doesn’t know enough. So that leaves you, smart-ass!” With that, he lifted his leg and kicked Yaḥyā off the stoop. Then he got up and went back inside his house. “Didn’t I tell you to leave the man be?” said Aḥmad to Yaḥyā. “Didn’t I tell you he was reliable?” “By God,” replied Yaḥyā, “that kick was worth the trip we took.”

Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 10.51 who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Jārūdī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Manṣūr al-Marwazī say:

[Al-Marwazī:] I heard Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd say, “In our generation the best men are Ibn al-Mubārak and that young fellow.” “Which young fellow?” asked Abū Bakr al-Rāzī. “Ibn Ḥanbal.” “He’s the senior man of learning in Iraq, and you’re calling him a young fellow?” “He was young when I met him,” said Qutaybah.

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.  : ١ 

10: Praise of Him by His Teachers We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who 10.52 cites Abū Isḥāq al-Barmakī, who cites Ibn Mardak, who cites Ibn Abī Ḥātim, who heard Aḥmad ibn Salamah al-Naysābūrī report that he heard Qutaybah say:

[Qutaybah:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh are the only two exemplars in the world. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 10.53 who cites Ghālib ibn ʿAlī, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Qaffāl report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sulaymān ibn al-Ash ʿath say that he heard his father say that he heard Qutaybah say:

[Qutaybah:] If you find that someone admires Ibn Ḥanbal, you can be sure that he upholds the sunnah. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who 10.54 cites Abū Isḥāq al-Barmakī, who cites Ibn Mardak, who cites Ibn Abī Ḥātim, who heard Aḥmad ibn al-Qāsim ibn ʿAṭiyyah report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Shabbuwayh say that he heard Qutaybah say:

[Qutaybah:] If you find that someone admires Ibn Ḥanbal, you can be sure that he upholds the sunnah and stands with the community.101 Ibn Abī Ḥātim also said that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Saʿīd al-Nasāʾ ī report 10.55 that he heard Qutaybah say:

[Qutaybah:] If you find that someone admires Ibn Ḥanbal, you can be sure that he’s on the path. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 10.56 who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Salm say that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Zawzanī say that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Balkhī say that he heard Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd say:

[Qutaybah:] If Aḥmad had lived in the time of al-Thawrī, Mālik, al-Awzāʿī, and al-Layth ibn Saʿd, he would have been the foremost among them. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 10.57 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who cites ʿAlī ibn Mardak, who heard Ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Aḥmad ibn al-Qāsim ibn ʿAṭiyyah al-Rāzī report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Shabbuwayh say:

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10: Praise of Him by His Teachers

[Ibn Shabbuwayh:] I heard Qutaybah say, “If Aḥmad had lived in the time of al-Thawrī, Mālik, al-Awzāʿī, and al-Layth ibn Saʿd, he would have been the foremost among them.” “You’d rank Aḥmad with the Successors?” I asked. “With the greatest of them,” said Qutaybah. Ibn Abī Ḥātim also said that he heard Aḥmad ibn Salamah al-Naysābūrī say:

10.58

[Al-Naysābūrī:] I was once talking with Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd and mentioned Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā, Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh, and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. “Of the ones you named,” he said, “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is the greatest.” We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites 10.59 Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn Shujāʿ ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṣūfī,102 who cites ʿUmar ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm al-Khuttalī, who heard Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān al-Muṭṭawwi ʿī report that he heard

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Shabbuwayh say:

[Ibn Shabbuwayh:] I heard Qutaybah say, “If not for al-Thawrī, being scrupulous would have died out, and if not for Ibn Ḥanbal, people would have added things to our religion.” “You’d rank Aḥmad with the Successors?” I asked. “With the greatest of them,” said Qutaybah. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 10.60 who cites Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Jārūdī, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Ṭarkhān say:

[Ibn Ṭarkhān:] I heard Qutaybah say, “If not for al-Thawrī, being scrupulous would have died out; and if not for Ibn Ḥanbal, people would have added whatever they wanted to our religion.” Somebody said, “Abū Rajāʾ, you’d count Aḥmad with the Successors?” “With the greatest of them,” said Qutaybah. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who 10.61 heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Rāzī, who cites Abū l-Ḥasan al-Shaʿrānī, who heard Ibrāhīm ibn al-Muwallad,103 who cites Tamīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Rāzī, on the authority of Qutaybah; and we cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ, who

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143

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154

11: Teachers and Senior Men of Learning Who Cite Him

[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal report that he heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAyyāsh al-Ḥimṣī (of Homs) report that he heard Shuʿayb ibn Abī Ḥamzah report, citing Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir, citing Jābir, who said: “The Emissary of God, God bless and keep him, said, ‘Whoever, when he hears the call, says “God, Lord of this perfect summons and of the prayer that is about to take place, grant Muḥammad favor and virtue, and resurrect him to a worthy place of the sort You have promised him,” is eligible to receive my intercession.’” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 11.16 who heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Jārūdī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Mālik al-Saʿdī say that he heard Ṣaʿṣaʿah ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Raqqī say that he heard Abū Shuʿayb al-Ḥarrānī say that he heard ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī say:

[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] My master Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me not to recite Hadith except from a written document. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 11.17 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Abū Bakr ibn Abī l-Faḍl, who cites Abū Isḥāq al-Bazzāz, who cites ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd al-Dārimī:

[ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd al-Dārimī:] I heard ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī say, “Regarding the claim that ‘Cupping, or being cupped, means breaking one’s fast,’ the Hadith report of Shaddād and Thawbān is valid. I too say that cupping, or being cupped, means breaking one’s fast.” Someone asked what one should do in that case. He replied, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh”—meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—“says that he has to make up one day of fasting.”

ʿUthmān added that he heard Aḥmad say, “He has to make up one day of fasting. Here we accept the Hadith report of Thawbān and Shaddād.” Al-Ḥārith ibn Surayj al-Naqqāl We cite Ibn Khayrūn, who was informed by Abū Bakr ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who 11.18 was informed by Abū Ṭāhir Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Saʿdūn al-Mawṣilī, who cites

ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar al-Ḥaḍramī, who heard Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār al-Ṣūfī report that he heard al-Ḥārith ibn Surayj say:

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156

11: Teachers and Senior Men of Learning Who Cite Him

[Al-Ḥārith ibn Surayj:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal say that one of his associates—whose name he gave me—told him the following story. “I was with Ibn al-Mubārak when he was ill in al-Raqqah. When Abū l-Malīḥ108 came to visit him, Ibn al-Mubārak told him this story. ‘Once, when we were visiting a sick man, I heard Ṣāliḥ ibn Mismār tell him, “God is showing His displeasure with you. Look for the cause and remove it.”’”

Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Burjulānī I was informed by Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī l-Mudīr, who was informed by Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, 11.19 who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn Bishrān, who cites Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥusayn ibn Ṣafwān, who heard Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dunyā report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn report:

[Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn:] I heard Aḥmād ibn Ḥanbal say, “I heard Ibrāhīm ibn Khālid report that he heard Rabāḥ ibn Zayd report that the Prophet, God bless and keep him, said to Gabriel, ‘Every time you’ve appeared to me, you’ve been scowling.’ “He replied: ‘I stopped smiling when Hell was created.’”

Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abī Samīnah We were informed by Abū Bakr ibn Abī Ṭāhir al-Bazzār, who was informed by Abū 11.20 Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī l-Jawharī, who cites Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad ibn

ʿAlī l-Nāqid, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Ḥaffār (the well- or canal-digger) report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abī Samīnah report:

[Ibn Abī Samīnah:] We heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal report that he heard al-Walīd report, citing Ibn Wāqid, citing Nāfiʿ, that whenever someone failed to raise his hands during the ritual prayer, Ibn ʿUmar would toss a pebble at him. Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad ibn Abān al-Qurashī l-Kūfī I was informed by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, who was informed by Abū Bakr ibn 11.21 Thābit, who cites Abū l-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn ʿĪsā l-Baladī, who heard al-Ḥasan ibn Saʿīd ibn al-Faḍl al-Adamī (the trader in tanned leather) say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn al-Muhannaʾ report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Abān report:

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   .          ١  

11: Teachers and Senior Men of Learning Who Cite Him

[ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abān:] We heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal report that he heard ʿĀmir ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr report that he heard Hishām ibn ʿUrwah report, citing his father, citing ʿĀʾishah, that the Prophet, God bless and keep him, commanded that places of prayer be built where the tribes dwelt, and that they be kept clean and sweet-smelling.109

Muḥammad ibn al-Muṣaffā110 We cite ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī l-Muqri ʾ, who cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Aḥmad, who cites ʿAbd 11.22 al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad, who was informed by Ibn Mardak, who heard Ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard his father report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Muṣaffā report:

[Muḥammad ibn al-Muṣaffā:] We heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal report that he heard Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah report, citing Shuʿbah, citing Sayyār, citing al-Shaʿbī, citing Abū Hurayrah, citing the Prophet, God bless and keep him, who said, “Do not plant false bidders to drive up prices when you bargain with one another, and do not bind the udders of your camels and cattle.”111

Aḥmad ibn Abī l-Ḥawārī We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 11.23 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by Ibn Mardak, who cites Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥātim, who heard his father report that he heard Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥawārī report:

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥawārī:] I testify that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said, “The transmitters we trust in Iraq are Wakī ʿ and Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd.”

We were informed by Ibn Khayrūn, who was informed by Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Ḥāfiẓ, who 11.24 said that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān al-Dimashqī wrote to him the following, and by

ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Abī Ṭāhir, who cites [ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān] who cites Abū Maymūn al-Bajalī, who heard Abū Zurʿah report that he heard Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥawārī say:

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥawārī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal asked me when I was born. “In ’64,” I told him. “Me too,” he said.

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.  : ، ١

12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ibrāhīm al-Dimashqī, Known as Duḥaym We were informed by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, who was informed by Aḥmad ibn 11.25

ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who said that Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān ibn al-Qāsim al-Dimashqī had written to him the following; and by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Abī Ṭāhir al-Ṣūfī, who heard [ʿAbd al-Raḥmān] cite Abū l-Maymūn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn

ʿUmar ibn Rāshid al-Bajalī, who heard Abū Zurʿah ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAmr al-Naṣrī say:

[Abū Zurʿah:] We heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ibrāhīm report, citing Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: “When al-Ḥasan died, Qatādah took his place as a Hadith transmitter. He lasted for eight years, and died in 118. After him came Maṭar, then Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArūbah.” I asked ʿAbd al-Raḥmān whether Aḥmad [ibn Ḥanbal] himself had said this, and he replied that he had. [The author:] Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn also transmitted on Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s authority, as did Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dunyā, as did al-Bukhārī, through one intermediary. We cite Ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites Ibrāhīm 11.26 ibn ʿUmar, who cites Ibn Mardak, who cites Abū Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥātim, who said that he heard his father say:

[Abū Ḥātim:] In the papers of Ibrāhīm ibn Mūsā I saw a letter to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal asking him a legal question.

Chapter 12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

To make them easier to find, I have listed these figures alphabetically by first 12.1 name and then by their fathers’ names.112

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12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

Names Beginning with Alif Men named Aḥmad Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Kathīr al-Dawraqī. Aḥmad ibn 12.2 Ibrāhīm al-Kūfī. Aḥmad ibn Aṣram ibn Khuzaymah al-Muzanī. Aḥmad ibn Bishr ibn Saʿd, Abū Ayyūb al-Ṭayālisī. Aḥmad ibn Bishr ibn Saʿīd al-Kindī. Aḥmad ibn Bakr. Aḥmad ibn Thābit, Abū Yaḥyā. Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Wakī ʿī. Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Yaʿqūb, Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Fārisī l-Iṣṭakhrī. Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ṣūfī. Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Tirmidhī. Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Ḥassān al-Sāmarrī.113 Aḥmad ibn Ḥumayd, Abū Ṭālib al-Mushkānī. Aḥmad ibn Ḥafṣ al-Saʿdī. Aḥmad ibn Ḥarb ibn Mismaʿ. Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥakam, Abū Bakr al-Aḥwal. Aḥmad ibn Ḥayyān, Abū Jaʿfar al-Qaṭī ʿī. Aḥmad ibn Khālid al-Khallāl. Aḥmad ibn al-Khaṣīb ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Aḥmad ibn Khalīl al-Qūmisī. Aḥmad ibn Dāwūd, Abū Saʿīd al-Wāsiṭī. Aḥmad ibn al-Rabī ʿ ibn Dīnār. Aḥmad ibn Abī Khaythamah Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb, Abū Bakr al-Nasāʾ ī. Aḥmad ibn Zurārah, Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Muqri ʾ. Aḥmad ibn Saʿd ibn Ibrāhīm ibn

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf al-Zuhrī. Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd, Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Liḥyānī. Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ibrāhīm, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ribāṭī. Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd, Abū Jaʿfar al-Dārimī. Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd al-Tirmidhī. Aḥmad ibn Sahl, Abū Ḥāmid. Aḥmad ibn Shādhān ibn Khālid al-Hamadānī. Aḥmad ibn Shākir. Aḥmad ibn Shabbuwayh. Aḥmad ibn al-Shahīd. Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ, Abū Jaʿfar al-Miṣrī. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s grandson Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ. Aḥmad ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s cousin Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥanbal ibn Hilāl. Aḥmad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Narsī. Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Marzūq ibn ʿAṭiyah, Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAwf al-Buzūrī. Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar ibn Hārūn, Abū Saʿīd al-Bukhārī. Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd ibn Abī Yaḥyā, Abū Bakr al-Aḥwal. Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Saʿīd, the judge. Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Muthannā, Abū Yaʿlā l-Mawṣilī. Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Muslim, Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Abbār al-Nakhshabī. Aḥmad ibn al-ʿAbbās ibn Ashras. Aḥmad ibn al-Furāt ibn Khālid, Abū Masʿūd al-Iṣbahānī al-Rāzī. Aḥmad ibn al-Qāsim al-Ṭūsī. Aḥmad ibn al-Qāsim, the associate of Abū ʿUbayd. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥajjāj, Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Khālid, Abū Bakr, the judge. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Khālid Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Barāthī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣadaqah, Abū Bakr. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Shaykh ibn

ʿUmayrah, Abū l-Ḥasan al-Asadī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd

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١٦٤

      . ،   :       ٢ . ،   :      ١       .  : ، ٥ .     ٤

164

12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

al-Kūfī, Abū ʿAbd Allāh. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn al-Azhar, Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Birtī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Hāni ʾ, Abū Bakr al-Athram al-Ṭāʾ ī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Muzanī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad, Abū l-Ḥārith al-Ṣāʾigh. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Labbād. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Maṭar, Abū l-ʿAbbās. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Wāṣil, Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Muqri ʾ. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Warrāq, known as al-Ītākhī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad, Abū l-Ḥārith, al-Marwazī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā l-Kaḥḥāl. Aḥmad ibn Manī ʿ ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Baghawī. Aḥmad ibn al-Mustanīr. Aḥmad ibn Manṣūr al-Ramādī. Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Sāwī. Aḥmad ibn al-Mughīrah al-Ṭāʾ ī. Aḥmad ibn Abī Badr al-Mundhir ibn Badr, Abū Bakr al-Maghāzilī, best known by his nickname Badr (full moon). Aḥmad ibn Abī l-Ḥawārī, Abū l-Hasan al-Dimashqī; his father’s name was Maymūn. Aḥmad ibn al-Makīn al-Anṭākī. Aḥmad ibn Mulāʿib ibn Ḥayyān al-Mukharrimī. Aḥmad ibn Naṣr ibn Mālik al-Khuzāʿī. Aḥmad ibn Naṣr, Abū Ḥāmid al-Khaffāf. Aḥmad ibn Hishām. Aḥmad ibn Hāshim ibn al-Ḥakam al-Anṭākī. Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā l-Ḥulwānī.114 Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Zayd, Abū l-ʿAbbās Thaʿlab. Aḥmad ibn Abī ʿAbdah, Abū Jaʿfar al-Hamadānī. Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ḥammād al-Muqri ʾ. Aḥmad ibn Abī Yaḥyā l-Baghdādī.

Men named Ibrāhīm Ibrāhīm ibn Abān al-Mawṣilī. Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq, Abū 12.3 Isḥāq al-Ḥarbī. Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq, Abū Isḥāq al-Thaqafī l-Sarrāj. Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Marwazī. Ibrāhīm ibn Jaʿfar. Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ḥakam al-Qaṣṣār. Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Muṣʿab, Abū Isḥāq al-Ṭarasūsī. Ibrāhīm ibn Ziyād al-Ṣāʾigh. Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Jawharī. Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Uṭrūsh. Ibrāhīm ibn Suwayd. Ibrāhīm ibn Shaddād. Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Junayd al-Khuttalī l-Sāmarrī. Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maymūn al-Dīnawarī. Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Shaybah al-Kūfī. Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥārith al-Iṣbahānī. Ibrāhīm ibn

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165

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! !¡/ " ¡    9  _ 7 °   …7^†/@  ¯   l  `!ìab\_  ) ¤1 £ # ¿œ/› ø! !   “ab_\ „   f  –œ/› ã  Ë ¬ w p Y Úo “ .v . D  k * v‰È # ÎÏ #¯ !  ° P 0 P  P !    / _   !9 ! E  / ° .*D  # vw>?@ # É  ?@ #  Z . [ 0¤1  8   : *  0¤1  # ٥Æ íª«  ŽvÉ `op Æ .     : ٤  

     ٢ . ،   :   ١          .   :                     ٣ .    .   : ،   : ٥  

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172

12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

Names Beginning with Dāl Dāwūd ibn ʿUmar al-Ḍabbī. Dalān Abū l-Faḍl al-Bukhārī.

12.16

No one has a name beginning with dhāl.

Names Beginning with Rāʾ Al-Rabī ʿ ibn Nāfiʿ, Abū Tawbah. Rajāʾ ibn Abī Rajāʾ, Abū Muḥammad 12.17 al-Marwazī; his father’s name was Ḥayy ibn Rāfiʿ.

Names Beginning with Zāy Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s grandson Zuhayr ibn Ṣāliḥ. Zuhayr ibn Muḥammad ibn 12.18 Qumayr.126 Zuhayr ibn Abī Zuhayr. Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā Abū Yaḥyā l-Nāqid. Ziyād ibn Ayyūb Abū Hāshim al-Ṭūsī. Names Beginning with Sīn Men named Sulaymān Sulaymān ibn Ash ʿath, Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī. 12.19 Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Shādhakūnī. Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Sijzī. Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Abū Muqātil. Sulaymān ibn al-Muʿāfā ibn Sulaymān al-Ḥarrānī. Sulaymān al-Qāṣīr. Men named Saʿīd Saʿīd ibn Sāfirī l-Wāsiṭī. Saʿīd ibn Muḥammad al-Raffāʾ. 12.20 Saʿīd ibn Nūḥ al-ʿIjlī. Saʿīd ibn Yaʿqūb. Saʿīd ibn Abī Saʿīd, Abū Naṣr al-Arāṭī.

Names that appear only once Saʿdān ibn Yazīd. Salamah ibn Shabīb. Sufyān 12.21 ibn Wakī ʿ. Sindī Abū Bakr al-Khawātīmī.

Names Beginning with Shīn Shāhīn ibn al-Samaydhaʿ, Abū Salamah al-ʿAbdī. Shujāʿ ibn Makhlad Abū 12.22 l-Faḍl al-Baghawī.

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173

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/ / ! ¡  9 / ¡ . Zœ› ã  k‚¬–œ›

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174

12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

Names Beginning with Ṣād Men named Ṣāliḥ Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son Ṣāliḥ. Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad al-Halabī. 12.23 Ṣāliḥ ibn Ismāʿīl. Ṣāliḥ ibn Ziyād al-Sūsī. Ṣāliḥ ibn ʿAlī l-Hāshimī. Ṣāliḥ ibn

ʿAlī l-Nawfalī. Ṣāliḥ ibn ʿImrān, Abū Shuʿayb. Ṣāliḥ ibn Mūsā, Abū l-Wajīh.

Names that appear only once Ṣadaqah ibn Mūsā ibn Tamīm. Ṣughdī127 ibn 12.24 al-Muwaffaq al-Sarrāj. No one has a name beginning with ḍād.

Names Beginning with Ṭāʾ Ṭāhir ibn Muḥammad ibn Nizār. Ṭāhir ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥalabī. Ṭālib ibn 12.25 Ḥurrah al-Adhanī. Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baghdādī.

Names Beginning with Ẓāʾ 12.26

Ẓulaym ibn Ḥuṭayṭ.

Names Beginning with ʿAyn Men named ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh. ʿAbd Allāh ibn 12.27 Bishr al-Ṭālqānī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar, Abū Bakr al-Tājir. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥāḍir al-Rāzī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shabbuwayh. ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Ṭayālisī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Samarqandī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Abān al-Qurashī—known as Mushkudānah.128 ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Sallām. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Shākir, Abū Bakhtarī129 l-ʿAnbarī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Shaykh ibn ʿUmayrah al-Asadī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Baghawī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Dunyā. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Muhājir, Abū Muḥammad, known as Fūrān. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl al-Ṣaydāwī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, Abū Muḥammad al-Yamāmī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yazīd al-ʿUkbarī. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī ʿAwānah al-Shāshī.

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12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

Men named ʿUbayd Allāh ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh, Abū 12.28

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Saʿīd al-Zuhrī. ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Saʿīd, Abū Qudāmah al-Sarakhsī. ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Naysābūrī. ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm, Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī. ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Marwazī. ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān.

Men named ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ibrāhīm, Abū Saʿīd 12.29 al-Dimashqī, known as Duḥaym. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zādhān, Abū ʿĪsā l-Razzāz. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar ibn Ṣafwān, Abū Zurʿah al-Naṣrī l-Dimashqī. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, Abū l-Faḍl al-Mutaṭabbib.

Men named ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Sulaymān ibn Abī Maṭar. 12.30 ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn al-Faḍl. ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Muḥammad al-ʿAbbādānī. ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Yaḥyā. Men named ʿAbd al-Malik ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Maymūnī. 12.31

ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Muḥammad, Abū Qilābah al-Raqāshī. Names that appear only once ʿAbd al-Khāliq ibn Manṣūr. ʿAbd al-Razzāq ibn 12.32 Hammām. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Warrāq. ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn al-Haytham, Abū Yaḥyā l-Qaṭṭān. ʿAbd al-Karīm, without a nisbah.130 Men named ʿUmar ʿUmar ibn Bakkār al-Qāflānī.131 ʿUmar ibn Ḥafṣ al-Sadūsī. 12.33 ʿUmar ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn ʿAbd Allāh. ʿUmar ibn Sulaymān, Abū Ḥafṣ al-Muʾaddib. ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, who used to sit with Bishr al-Ḥāfī. ʿUmar ibn Mudrik, Abū Ḥafṣ al-Qāṣṣ. ʿUmar al-Nāqid. Men named ʿUthmān ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad al-Mawṣilī. ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd 12.34 ibn Khālid, Abū Saʿīd al-Sijistānī. ʿUthmān ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Anṭākī. ʿUthmān al-Ḥārithī. Men named ʿAlī ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad al-Anṭākī. ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn bint 12.35 Muʿāwiyyah ibn ʿAmr al-Baghdādī. ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad al-Anmāṭī. ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Naḍr, Abū Ghālib al-Azdī. ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm. ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan

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      .     ،    : ٢ .   : ١          . ،   :           ٥

12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

al-Hisinjānī. ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Miṣrī. ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Ziyād. ʿAlī ibn Ḥujr. ʿAlī ibn Ḥarb al-Ṭāʾ ī. ʿAlī ibn Zayd. ʿAlī ibn Saʿīd ibn Jarīr al-Nasāʾ ī. ʿAlī ibn Sahl ibn al-Mughīrah al-Bazzāz. ʿAlī ibn Shawkar. ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Madīnī. ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-Ṭayālisī. ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-Baghdādī. ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-Makkī. ʿAlī ibn ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd al-Ḥarrānī. ʿAlī ibn al-Furāt al-Iṣfahānī. ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Miṣrī. ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Qurashī. ʿAlī ibn al-Muwaffaq al-ʿĀbid. ʿAlī l-Khawwāṣ. ʿAlī ibn Abī Khālid.

Men named al-ʿAbbās Al-ʿAbbās ibn Aḥmad al-Yamānī. Al-ʿAbbās ibn 12.36

ʿAbd Allāh al-Nakhshabī. Al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīm al-ʿAnbarī. Al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Bassām. Al-ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥātim al-Dūrī. ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad al-Jawharī. ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad ibn Mūsā l-Khallāl. ʿAbbās ibn Mushkuwayh132 al-Hamadānī. Men named ʿAmr ʿAmr ibn al-Ash ʿath al-Kindī. ʿAmr ibn Tamīm. ʿAmr ibn 12.37 Maʿmar, Abū ʿUthmān.

Names that occur only once or twice ʿAbdūs ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid, Abū l-Sarī. 12.38 ʿAbdūs ibn Mālik, Abū Muḥammad al-ʿAṭṭār. ʿAththām ibn ʿAlī. ʿIṣmah ibn Abī ʿIṣām, Abū Ṭālib al-ʿUkbarī. ʿIṣmah ibn ʿIṣām. ʿĀrim, Abū l-Nuʿmān al-Baṣrī. ʿAmmār ibn Rajāʾ. ʿAllān ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad. ʿĪsā ibn Jaʿfar, Abū Mūsā l-Warrāq. ʿĪsā ibn Fayrūz al-Anbārī. ʿAskar ibn al-Ḥuṣayn, Abū Turāb al-Nakhshabī. ʿUqbah ibn Makram.

Names Beginning with Fāʾ Men named al-Faḍl Al-Faḍl ibn Aḥmad ibn Manṣūr al-Muqri ʾ. Al-Faḍl ibn 12.39 Aḥmad al-Dīnawarī. Al-Faḍl ibn al-Ḥubāb, Abū Khalīfah al-Jumaḥī. Al-Faḍl ibn Ziyād, Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Qaṭṭān. Faḍl ibn Sahl al-Aʿraj. Al-Faḍl ibn ʿAbd Allāh

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     .   :    ٣ .     ٢

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           ١ . ،   :         ٥  . ،   :        

12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

al-Ḥimyarī. Al-Faḍl ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-Iṣfahānī. Al-Faḍl ibn Muḥammad al-Naḥwī. Al-Faḍl ibn Muḍar. Al-Faḍl ibn Mihrān. Al-Faḍl ibn Nūḥ.

Names that appear only once Al-Faraj ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ al-Burzāṭī. Al-Fatḥ ibn 12.40 Shakhraf. Names that Begin with Qāf Men named al-Qāsim Al-Qāsim ibn al-Ḥārith al-Marwazī. Al-Qāsim ibn 12.41 Sallām, Abū ʿUbayd. Al-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Baghdādī. Al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad al-Marwazī. Al-Qāsim ibn Naṣr al-Mukharrimī. Al-Qāsim ibn Naṣr al-Baṣrī. Al-Qāsim ibn Yūnus al-Ḥimṣī. Qāsim al-Farghānī. Names that appear only once Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd.

12.42

No one has a name beginning with kāf or lām.

Names Beginning with Mīm Men named Muḥammad Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Jarrāḥ al-Jūzjānī. 12.43 Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Muthannā, Abū Jaʿfar. Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī l-ʿAwāmm al-Riyāḥī. Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Marrūdhī. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Ziyād. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Būshanjī. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Faḍl al-Samarqandī. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Muslim al-Ṭarasūsī. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Yaʿqūb. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm, Abū Jaʿfar al-Anmāṭī, Murabbaʿ.133 Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm, Abū Ḥamzah al-Ṣūfī. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Māstawī [?]. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ushnānī. Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Qaysī. Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh. Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-Ṣaghānī. Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, Abū Fatḥ al-Muʾaddib. Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī. Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Tirmidhī. Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Ṣāyigh.134 Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī. Muḥammad ibn Idrīs ibn alMundhir, Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī. Muḥammad ibn Ashras al-Ḥarbī. Muḥammad ibn Abān, Abū Bakr. Muḥammad ibn Bishr ibn Maṭar. Muḥammad ibn Bundār al-Jurjānī. Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Warkānī. Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Qaṭī ʿī. Muḥammad ibn al-Junayd al-Daqqāq. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Badīnā [?], Abū Jaʿfar. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Burjulānī. Muḥammad

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.  : ٣

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.    :  ٢

 .    : ١

12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him

ibn Ḥamdān al-ʿAṭṭār. Muḥammad ibn Ḥammād ibn Bakr, Abū Bakr al-Muqri ʾ. Muḥammad ibn Ḥabīb al-Bazzāz. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥakam, Abū Bakr al-Aḥwal. Muḥammad ibn Ḥasanuwayh al-Adamī. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥumayd al-Andarābī. Muḥammad ibn Khālid al-Shaybānī. Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd ibn Ṣabīḥ135 al-Miṣṣīṣī. Muḥammad ibn Rajāʾ. Muḥammad ibn Rāfiʿ. Muḥammad ibn Rawḥ. Muḥammad ibn Zanjuwayh. Muḥammad ibn Zuhayr. Muḥammad ibn Sahl ibn ʿAskar. Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ṣabīḥ. Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Bāwirī. Muḥammad ibn Shaddād al-Ṣughdī. Muḥammad ibn Ṭarīf al-Aʿyan. Muḥammad ibn Ṭāriq al-Baghdādī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Thābit. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar al-Zuhayrī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sulaymān, Abū Jaʿfar al-Ḥaḍramī, Muṭayyan136. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Mihrān al-Dīnawarī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAttāb, Abū Bakr al-Anmāṭī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Abū Jaʿfar al-Dīnawarī. Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yazīd, Abū Jaʿfar al-Munādī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Abīwardī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Shāmī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ṣayrafī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dīnawarī. Muḥammad ibn

ʿAbd al-Raḥīm, Abū Yaḥyā l-Bazzāz, known as Ṣāʿiqah. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Daqīqī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Zanjuwayh. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, Abū Aḥmad. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdak al-Qazzāz. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdūs ibn Kāmil al-Sarrāj. Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Shaqīq. Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Dāwūd, Abū Bakr al-Ḥāfiẓ, known as Ghazāl’s nephew. Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Abū Jaʿfar al-Warrāq al-Jurjānī, known as Ḥamdān. Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī, Abū Jaʿfar al-Jūzjānī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Dāwūd, Abū Bakr al-Ḥāfiẓ. Muḥammad ibn ʿImrān al-Khayyāṭ. Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf ibn Sufyān al-Ṭāʾ ī. Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā l-Jaṣṣāṣ. Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Nasāʾ ī. Muḥammad ibn ʿAttāb Abū Bakr al-Aʿyan. Muḥammad ibn Ghassān al-Ghallābī. Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl al-ʿAttābī. Muḥammad ibn Qudāmah al-Jawharī. Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī. Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Ward. Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr al-Ṭūsī. Muḥammad ibn Muṣʿab, Abū Jaʿfar al-Daʿʿāʾ. Muḥammad ibn Māhān al-Naysābūrī. Muḥammad ibn al-Musayyab. Muḥammad ibn Mūsā ibn Mushaysh. Muḥammad ibn Mūsā l-Nahratīrī. Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Wārah. Muḥammad ibn al-Muṣaffā.137 Muḥammad ibn Muṭahhar al-Miṣṣīṣī. Muḥammad ibn Muqātil al-ʿAbbādānī. Muḥammad ibn Naṣr ibn Manṣūr al-Ṣāyigh. Muḥammad ibn al-Naqīb ibn Abī Ḥarb al-Jurjānī. Muḥammad

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183

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198

 .   ٢

 .   ١

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 13.17 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Abū Bakr al-Khallāl report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Abī Hārūn al-Warrāq report that he heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar say:

[Al-Madīni:] I’ve known Aḥmad for fifty years and he keeps getting better.

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites ʿAbd al-Ṣamad 13.18 ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ, who cites his father, who cites Abū Ḥātim ibn Ḥibbān, who heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Hārūn report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Aṣfarī report that he heard al-Qawārīrī report that he heard Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd say:

[Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd:] “How can you reproach me for admiring ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī when he’s my teacher?”142

We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who heard 13.19 al-Azharī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Muẓaffar report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥajjāj report that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Dāwūd report that he heard ʿAlī ibn Dāwūd say that he heard ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAlī l-Qawārīrī say that he heard Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd say:

[Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd:] “People reproach me for sitting with ʿAlī [ibn al-Madīnī], but I learn more from him than he does from me.”

Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 13.20 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Jawzaqī, who heard Abū Ḥāmid al-Sharqī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Salamah say that he heard Aḥmad ibn ʿĀṣim say that he heard Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām say:

[Al-Qāsim ibn Sallām:] Knowledge of Hadith has come down to four men: Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who understood it best; Ibn Abī Shaybah, who had the most retentive memory; ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī, who knew the most; and Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, who wrote down more of it than the others.

١٩٩

199

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٢٠٠

     .      : ٢

200

 .   : ١

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 13.21 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who heard ʿAlī ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Salamah al-Naysābūrī report what was said by ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Ziyād; and we cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites al-Barqānī, who heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Adamī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Iyādī report that he heard Abū Yaḥyā l-Sājī (the teak dealer?) report that he heard Abū Usāmah ʿAbd Allāh ibn Usāmah al-Kalbī report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Ziyād al-Qaṭawānī report that he heard Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām say:

[Al-Qāsim ibn Sallām:] Knowledge of Hadith has come down to four men: Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, and Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah. Of the four, Aḥmad understood it best. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who 13.22 cites Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Kātib, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Mūsā l-Shaybānī, who heard Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Shāmī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Farrāʾ report that he heard Abū ʿUbayd say:

[Al-Qāsim ibn Sallām:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is our guide; it’s an honor for me to speak of him. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Muḥammad ibn 13.23 Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Mawarrūdhī, who heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Mūsā report that he heard his grandfather report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Mūsā l-Ḥulwānī report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Athram report:

[Abū Bakr al-Athram:] We were at Abū ʿUbayd’s and I was debating with someone there. At one point the man asked me to name my authority for a report. “The one who has no equal, east or west,” I replied. “Who’s that?” “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” “He’s right,” interjected Abū ʿUbayd. “There’s no one like him, east or west. I never met anyone who knew the sunnah better than he did.” We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 13.24 who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Sufyān of al-Raqqī report that he heard ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Maymūnī report:

٢٠١

201

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13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 13.30 who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad report that he heard Abū Dharr Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad report that he heard ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad say:

[ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad:] Once when someone mentioned Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, I heard Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn say, “By God, I can’t do what Aḥmad does; I’m not strong enough.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 13.31 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who heard ʿAlī ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard al-ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad al-Dūrī report that he heard Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn say:

[Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn:] People wanted me to be like Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, but that’s impossible: I’ll never be like him. We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, 13.32 who cites Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad al-Ṭabarānī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Anmāṭī say:

[Al-Anmāṭī:] I was once sitting with Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Abū Khaythamah, Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb, and other senior men of learning. When they began praising Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and describing his virtues, someone said, “Enough already! Don’t get carried away,” to which Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn replied, “As if one could go too far in praising Aḥmad! Even if we’d come here to do nothing but speak of his merits, we would still fail to recount them all.” Abū Khaythamah Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 13.33 who heard Abū Nuʿaym Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar report that he heard Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Abū Zurʿah say:

[Abū Zurʿah:] I heard Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb say, “I’ve never seen anyone like Ibn Ḥanbal, or anyone tougher—to stand up the way he did, with people being flogged and executed.” He added, “No one stood up the way he did. He was persecuted and hounded all those years, but he stayed the course.”

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13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

said, ‘Come on, let’s go help the man.’ He replied, ‘That’s what a prophet does; I can’t.’”

We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad 13.47 al-Faqīh, who cites Hilāl ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn Salmān al-Najjād as saying that it was reported to him, citing Ibrāhīm ibn Hāni ʾ al-Naysābūrī:

[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāni ʾ al-Naysābūrī:] Once when I was praying with Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, I lifted my hands. After the prayer leader had signaled the end of the ritual prayer, Bishr said, “Abū Isḥāq, I’m surprised that you and your teacher Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal lift your hands. I heard Hushaym report, citing Mughīrah, that Ibrāhīm used to tell people to let their hands drop when they pray.”146 I went to Aḥmad and told him what Bishr had said. He replied, “Seventeen of the Emissary’s Companions used to lift their hands.” Then he recited, «Let those who go against his order beware»147 and remarked, “Lifting one’s hands makes the ritual prayer more beautiful.” So I went back to Bishr and told him what Aḥmad had said. “Who am I compared to him?” he exclaimed. “Who am I compared to him? He knows better. He knows better!”

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites Abū l-Husayn ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who 13.48 cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Ḥarīrī, who cites Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh, who cites Abū Muzāhim al-Khāqānī, who heard Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Bazzāz report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar report:

[Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar:] I heard Ibrāhīm report, citing his uncle alJahm al-ʿUkbarī, who used to attend both Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, the following: “One day I went to see Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. He had draped his breechclout148 over one shoulder but it had slipped down, revealing his scars.” He may have added, “My eyes filled with tears.” He continued: “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal saw me looking and pulled the garment back up. “Later I went to see Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith and told him the story. ‘If only you knew!’ he exclaimed. ‘With the hurt and pain they brought him,149 Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal has flown high in Islam.’”

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.  : ١

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

I also heard my father say, “If a man loves Ibn Ḥanbal, you can be sure that he knows the sunnah.” I also heard him say, “I used to see Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd going about his business in Mecca with no one writing down his reports. So I said to the Hadith-men, ‘How can you ignore Qutaybah after Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal sat in his circle?’ “When they heard that, they made a beeline for him and copied down his reports.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, who cites 13.57

ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who heard Abū Ṭālib Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Isḥāq ibn Buhlūl report that he heard Abū l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Aṣram report that he heard Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī say:

[Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī:] “If a man loves Ibn Ḥanbal, you can be sure that he knows the sunnah. He’s the test that marks us off from the purveyors of reprehensible innovations.” Abū Ibrāhīm Ismāʿīl ibn Yaḥyā l-Muzanī, the Associate of al-Shāfiʿī We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Karūkhī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad 13.58 al-Anṣārī, who heard Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm cite Naṣr ibn Abī Naṣr al-Ṭūṣī who heard ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Khushaysh say that he heard Abū l-Ḥadīd al-Ṣūfī say in Egypt that he heard his father say that he heard al-Muzanī say:

[Al-Muzanī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was like155 Abū Bakr during the Apostasy; ʿUmar, on the day of the Porch; ʿUthman, on the day they attacked his house; and ʿAlī at the Battle of Ṣiffīn.156

Abū Yaʿqūb al-Buwayṭī We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, citing al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, citing Abū l-Fatḥ ibn 13.59 Abī l-Fawāris, who heard Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Mughīrah report that he heard Abū ʿUthmān al-Ṭāʾ ī report that he heard al-Rabī ʿ ibn Sulaymān say:

[Al-Rabī ʿ ibn Sulaymān:] In a letter al-Buwayṭī wrote to me from prison in Baghdad, he said, “Instead of rewarding all of us who defied the Inquisition,

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223

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   .    :  ٢

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  : ١  . 

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

I sorely wish God would transfer our rewards to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, our leader in Baghdad.”

Abū Thawr We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, 13.60 who said that it was reported to him citing ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Abū Bakr al-Khallāl report that he heard al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I was present when someone asked Abū Thawr about something and he answered, “Our teacher and authority, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, has addressed that question as follows . . .” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 13.61 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak, who heard

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Ḥammād al-Ṭihrānī said that he heard Abū Thawr Ibrāhīm ibn Khālid say:

[Abū Thawr:] “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is more learned and more understanding of the law than al-Thawrī.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites Abū l-Husayn ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites 13.62 Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Jaʿfar al-Ḥarīrī, who cites Abū ʿAmr ibn Ḥayyawayh, who cites Muzāḥim al-Khāqanī, who heard Abū l-Qāsim al-Ṣāyigh report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Baḥr report that he heard Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ say that he heard Abū Thawr say:

[Abū Thawr:] If you were to say that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is among the saved, no one would rebuke you. Why not? If you go to Khurasan and the regions around, you’ll hear people saying that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is a good man. If you go to Syria and those parts, or Iraq, you’ll hear the same thing. So this is a matter of consensus, which wouldn’t be the case if even one person were to take issue with it. According to another report of what Abū Thawr said:

[Abū Thawr:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal always looked as if he could see the Law written on a tablet in front of him.

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13.63

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13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā l-Dhuhlī We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites 13.64 Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥātim, who heard Zanjuwayh ibn Muḥammad al-Labbād report that he heard Abū ʿAmr Aḥmad ibn al-Mubārak say that Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā l-Dhuhlī said:

[Al-Dhuhlī:] I have chosen Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal as my exemplar in all my dealings with God. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 13.65 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Naysābūrī say:

[Al-Dhuhlī:] My exemplar is Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Sufyān ibn Wakīʿ We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, 13.66 who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard ʿUmar ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm report that he heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Abbār report that he heard Sufyān ibn Wakī ʿ say:

[Ibn Wakī ʿ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is the test: as far as we’re concerned, anyone who says anything against him is a sinner.157

Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Miṣrī We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Abī l-Faḍl al-Baqqāl, 13.67 who cites Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī ibn Yaḥyā l-Qaṣrī report that he heard ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn al-Muhtadī report that he cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Rashdīn who heard Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Miṣrī say:

[Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ:] Nowhere in Iraq did I meet anyone to compare with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in Baghdad, or with Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr in Kufa. Both of them brought together more virtues than anyone else I saw.

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13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites 13.68 Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān al-Muqri ʾ, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Khalīl, who heard Abū Aḥmad ibn ʿAdī report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz say that he heard Abū Bakr ibn Zanjuwayh say:

[Abū Bakr ibn Zanjuwayh:] When I went to Egypt, I met Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ, who asked me where I was from. I told him I was from Baghdad. “Do you live anywhere near Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?” he asked. “I’m with him all the time,” I said. “Write down for me where your house is,” he said. “I want to come to Iraq so you can introduce me to him.” I wrote down what he asked, and he came and stayed with ʿAffān, and I introduced him to Aḥmad. The two of them exchanged Hadith, and Aḥmad recited a report that Ibn Ṣāliḥ insisted on copying down. “Let me get it from the book,” said Aḥmad. He went inside, came out with the book, and dictated the report. “If this is all I get out of coming to Iraq, it’ll be more than worth the trip,” said Ibn Ṣāliḥ. With that, he bid Aḥmad farewell and departed. Abū ʿUmar Hilāl ibn al-ʿAlāʾ al-Raqqī We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 13.69 who cites Ghālib ibn ʿAlī, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shādhān, who heard Abū Saʿīd Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Ḥarb al-Tirmidhī; and we cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad, who cites Maḥmūd ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ; and we cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Ḥusayn, who heard Aḥmad ibn Nuʿaym report that he heard Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Būshanjī and Abū Manṣūr Mundhir ibn Muḥammad say that they both heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUrwah say that he heard Ismāʿīl ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Baghdādī [along with the other sources] say:

[Al-Tirmidhī, al-Ṣābbāḥ, and al-Baghdādī:] We heard Hilāl ibn al-ʿAlāʾ al-Raqqī say, “There are four men who deserve to be recognized as blessings from God upon our community: Abū ʿUbayd, for explaining difficult Hadith reports; al-Shāfiʿī, for discerning the law in the Hadith; Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, for casting out false reports; and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, for standing firm during the Inquisition.”

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13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

If not for Aḥmad, we’d all be Ingrates. (This remark was added by Ismāʿīl ibn al-ʿAbbās.)

Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb al-Nasāʾī We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 13.70 who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Jārūdī, who heard al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Jaʿfar al-Baghdādī say that in Egypt he heard ʿAlī ibn Ruzayq al-Adamī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb al-Nasāʾ ī say:

[Al-Nasāʾ ī:] The four greatest figures of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s time were

ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Aḥmad himself, and Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh. The one who knew the most about defects in transmission was ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī. The one who knew the transmitters best, and knew the most reports, was Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. The one who most readily memorized reports and their legal implications was Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh. In my view, though, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal knew more about defects in transmission than Isḥāq did. Besides his knowledge of Hadith, Aḥmad also had all the virtues of legal insight, scrupulosity, and renunciation, and he could suffer without complaint.

Naṣr ibn ʿAlī We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites 13.71 Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd, who heard Abū Nuʿaym report that he heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad al-Ṭabarānī report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal report that he heard Yaʿqūb ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Ḥammād ibn Zayd report that Naṣr ibn ʿAlī said to him:

[Naṣr ibn ʿAlī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was the greatest man of his time.

Abū Maʿmar Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm al-Hudhalī l-Qaṭīʿī We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 13.72 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, who heard Abū l-Azhar al-Raqqī Bakr ibn Muḥammad report:

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13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

[Bakr ibn Muḥammad:] It was thirty-four years ago, or even more, that I heard Abū Maʿmar say, “In the last fifty years, I never saw anyone like Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Even as a boy he kept going from strength to strength.”

ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad al-Nāqid We cite ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī l-Muqri ʾ, who cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Aḥmad al-Suyūrī, 13.73 who cites ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Faḍl, who heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak report that he heard Abū Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard al-Ḥasan al-Rāzī report that he heard ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad al-Nāqid say:

[ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad al-Nāqid:] So long as Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal agrees with me on a Hadith report, I don’t care who disagrees.

Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥajjāj We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 13.74 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥassān report that he cites al-Aḥnaf ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥajjāj say:

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥajjāj:] I never met anyone like Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Even if he had lived at the same time as Ibn al-Mubārak, I would still give him precedence.

Muḥammad ibn Mihrān al-Jammāl We cite Ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was informed 13.75 by al-Barmakī, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites al-Khallāl, who heard Muḥammad ibn Mūsā report that he heard Abū Naṣr report that he heard al-Faḍl ibn Ziyād report:

[Al-Faḍl ibn Ziyād:] I once heard Muḥammad ibn Mihrān al-Jammāl say, at the mention of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: “He’s the only one, really. Whenever I cast my mind over the transmitters working in Mecca and Medina, he’s the one who stands out. If I think about Basra and Kufa, I come back to him. If I turn to Syria and northern Mesopotamia, again it’s him; and the same with Khurasan.”

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 .  : ، ١

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

Muḥammad ibn Muslim Wārah al-Qūmisī We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr al-Khaṭīb, who was informed 13.76 by Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Kātib, who cites al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Harawī, who heard Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq ibn Maḥmūd al-Faqīh report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Salamah al-Naysābūrī quote Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Wārah as saying:

[Muḥammad ibn Muslim Wārah al-Qūmisī:] The pillars of our religion are Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ in Egypt; in Baghdad, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal; in Ḥarrān, al-Nufaylī; and in Kufa, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 13.77 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who heard ʿAlī ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report:

[ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim:] I heard someone ask Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Wārah whether ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī or Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn had retained more Hadith. He replied, “ʿAlī could recite more fluently and accurately, while Yaḥyā had a better grasp of what was correct and what was doubtful. But better than both was Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, with his insight, his memory, and his knowledge.”

Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Nufayl al-Nufaylī We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Bakr and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn 13.78 Aḥmad, who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard it reported by al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad; and we cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who heard ʿAlī ibn Mardak report [along with al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad] hearing Ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Junayd report that he heard Abū Jaʿfar al-Nufaylī say:

[Al-Nufaylī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was a waymark of our religion. Muḥammad ibn Muṣʿab We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 13.79 who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard his father report that he heard Abū l-Ḥasan ibn Abān report that he heard Muqātil ibn Ṣāliḥ; and we cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid, who heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd

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240

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

the first Muslims and approach the pious men of old! The world’s riches came within his reach, and he returned them; he was asked to embrace heresies, but he spurned them. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 13.86 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who cites Ibn Mardak, who heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard his father say:

[Abū Ḥātim:] Abū ʿUmayr ibn al-Naḥḥās al-Ramlī was a Muslim worshipper. One day I went to see him and he asked if I had anything copied from Ibn Ḥanbal. When I said I did, he asked me to dictate it. So I dictated to him the Hadith reports I had memorized after learning them from Aḥmad. Then he asked me to read them for him, and I did.160

Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Būshanjī We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 13.87 who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Shīrjānī, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Sulaymānī, who heard al-Ḥasan ibn Ismāʿīl al-Fārisī say that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Būshanjī say:

[Al-Būshanjī:] I never met anyone so complete in his merits, or as selfrestrained, as Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who heard al-Anṣārī report that he cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites 13.88 Manṣūr ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Khālid, who heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī l-Bukhārī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Būshanjī say, at the mention of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal:

[Al-Būshanjī:] In my view, he was worthier and more discerning than Sufyān al-Thawrī, who never suffered the same trials and hardships, and whose learning, like the learning of the earlier jurists of various regions, could not match Aḥmad’s. His learning was more comprehensive, and he knew more than Sufyān did about which transmitters were accurate and truthful and which ones were sloppy or mendacious. I was told that Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith said, “Aḥmad has done the work of a prophet.” The way I see it, Aḥmad endured two distinct ordeals. Four caliphs took their turn with him, some testing him by tormenting him, and others by tempting him, but

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241

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242

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

he took strength in God, mighty and glorious, and prevailed. Al-Maʾmūn, al-Muʿtaṣim, and al-Wāthiq tried everything from flogging and imprisonment to threats and intimidation, but Aḥmad never wavered from true religion, nor did the lash or the dungeon sway his faith. Then came al-Mutawakkil, who showered him with tokens of esteem, and offered him the world, but he spurned it, remaining as he had always been, unmoved by ambition and unswayed by greed. Sufyān was never subjected to trials like these. Someone quoted al-Mutawakkil as saying, “Aḥmad won’t even let me send gifts to his sons!” Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 13.89 who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard his father report; and we cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Shīrāzī (of Shīrāz) who heard Abū ʿUmar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Muqri ʾ report that he heard Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar report that he heard Abū ʿUmārah report that he heard Abū Yaḥyā l-Nāqid report that he heard Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir say:

[Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir:] I didn’t want to die in the path of God and I didn’t join the funeral prayer for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Ghālib ibn ʿAlī, 13.90 who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who heard al-Walīd ibn Muḥammad say that he heard Muḥammad ibn Makhlad say that Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿīr said:

[Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was God’s blessing to this community: he stood firm on the Qurʾan. If he hadn’t, all of us would have perished. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 13.91 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣadaqah report that he heard Abū Yaḥyā l-Nāqid report that Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir told him:

[Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir:] I once kissed Aḥmad on the forehead and told him that God had put him on a par with Sufyān and Mālik. I don’t think I could have said more, as Aḥmad surely outdid both of them as an exemplar of Islam.

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244

.       : ١ 

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 13.92 who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard his father report that he heard Abū l-Ḥasan ibn Abān report that he heard Abū ʿUmārah161 report that he heard al-Qāsim ibn Naṣr report:

[Al-Qāsim ibn Naṣr:] Al-Marrūdhī once passed Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir, who rose respectfully and said, “Peace be upon you, servant of the righteous!”

We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, 13.93 who heard Abū l-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Rizq say that he heard al-Qāḍī Abū Bakr ibn Kāmil say that he heard Abū l-ʿAbbās ibn al-Shāh say that he heard Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir say:

[Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir:] I never saw a living, breathing human being worthier than Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites 13.94 Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Ḥarīrī, who cites Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh, who cites Abū Muzāḥim, who heard Abū Bakr ibn al-Muṭṭawi ʿī report:

[Abū Bakr ibn al-Muṭṭawwi ʿī:] I heard Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir say, “I used to stay at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s until late at night, and on the way home, I would weep”—or “I would start crying”—“because I couldn’t bear to be parted from him.”

Ibrāhīm ibn ʿArʿarah We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 13.95 who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad report that he heard ʿUmar ibn al-Ḥasan al-Qāḍī report that he heard Abū Yaḥyā l-Nāqid say:

[Abū Yaḥyā l-Nāqid:] We were at Ibrāhīm ibn ʿArʿarah’s and ʿAlī ibn

ʿĀṣim’s name came up. Someone noted that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal called him a weak transmitter. Someone else responded, “But if he’s reliable, so what?” “By God,” interjected Ibrāhīm ibn ʿArʿarah, “if Aḥmad had criticized ʿAlqamah and al-Aswad, no one would trust them any more.”

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246

         ٢ .   :   

 .    : ١

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

Ismāʿīl ibn Khalīl We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who 13.96 heard ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mālikī report that he heard ʿUmar ibn Aḥmad ibn Hārūn al-Muqri ʾ report that he heard Abū Bakr ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ziyād report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Abī l-Ḥunayn report that he heard Ismāʿīl ibn Khalīl say:

[Ismāʿīl ibn Khalīl:] “If Aḥmad had lived among the Children of Israel, they would have taken him for a sign from God.” ʿAlī ibn Shuʿayb al-Ṭūsī We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Khaṭīb, 13.97 who cites ʿAbd al-Ghaffār al-Muʾaddib, who heard ʿUmar ibn Aḥmad al-Wāʿīẓ report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī report; and we cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites his grandfather, who cites Yaqūb ibn Isḥāq, who [along with al-Ḥarbī] cites Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Shuʿayb al-Ṭūṣī, who said that he heard his father say:

[Al-Ṭūsī:] We think of Ibn Ḥanbal as being like the ones God’s Emissary meant when he said, “In my community are men like those who lived among the Children of Israel. Nothing, not even the blade of a saw placed on the crown of their heads, could turn them from their religion.” If Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal hadn’t done what he did, then not a single man of those put into the crucible would have emerged from it, and the shame would remain until the Day of Resurrection. Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Marwazī We were informed by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, who was informed by Aḥmad ibn 13.98

ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Muʾaddib report that he heard al-Idrīsī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Muʿtamir al-Muʾaddib say that he heard Abū l-ʿAbbās Muḥammad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Salm say:

[Abū l-ʿAbbās ibn ʿUthmān ibn Salm:] I asked Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Marwazī whether he had met Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. “I went to see him many times,” he answered, “and asked him questions.” “Who knew more Hadith?” someone asked. “Aḥmad or Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh?”

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   :   ١ .      

13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age

“Aḥmad.” “Who was more accurate?” I asked. “Aḥmad.” Someone asked who had more legal insight. “Aḥmad.” “Who was more scrupulous?” “What kind of question is that?” cried Muḥammad ibn Naṣr. “Aḥmad was the most scrupulous man of his day.”

Abū ʿUmayr al-Ṭālqānī, Citing His Teachers We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 13.99 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Ḥamdān ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū Isḥāq ibn Yāsīn, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Jaḥḥāf report:

[Al-Jaḥḥāf:] I heard Abū ʿUmayr al-Ṭālqānī say, “I used to hear them saying that Ibn Ḥanbal was a balm and a delight to the Muslims and their religion.”

Addendum Aḥmad’s teachers, peers, contemporaries, and followers are all credited with 13.100 statements praising him. By the grace of God, he was the sort of man whose merits were acknowledged even by his enemies. We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit; and we cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who [along with Ibn Thābit] cites Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who heard Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad al-Ṭabarānī report that he heard Idrīs ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Muqri ʾ report:

[Idrīs ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Muqri ʾ:] More Hadith scholars and jurists than I can count praise and honor Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, speaking of him with reverence and esteem, and seeking him out in order to pay their respects. Among his admirers I recall al-Haytham ibn Khārijah; Muṣʿab al-Zubayrī; Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn; Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah; ʿUthmān ibn Abī Shaybah; ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Ḥammād al-Narsī; Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Shawārib;

ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī; ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar al-Qawārīrī; Abū Khaythamah

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15: A Report That the Prophet Elijah Sent Him Greetings

[Muhannaʾ ibn Yaḥyā l-Shāmī:] I never met anyone with as much merit in all respects as Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and I’ve met Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, Wakī ʿ,

ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Baqiyyah ibn al-Walīd, Ḍamrah ibn Rabī ʿah, and many other men of learning. But none could match Aḥmad in knowledge, understanding, renunciation, and scrupulosity. [The author:] I have cited only these few sources, who have only a little to 14.15 say about Aḥmad’s piety, and left out those who have much more to say, as their testimony will appear later in this book, God willing. «God is sufficient for us; He is the best guardian.»166

Chapter 15: A Report That the Prophet Elijah Sent Him Greetings

We were informed by Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Bannā, who was informed by al-Qāḍī 15.1 Abū Yaʿlā Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who cites, in Damascus, Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥinnāʾ ī, who cites Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl, who cites Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā l-Ṭarasūsī and al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Bardhaʿī, both of whom cite Aḥmad ibn Ṭāhir, who heard al-ʿAbbās report that he heard his father report that he heard Abū Ḥafṣ al-Qāḍī report:

[Abū Ḥafṣ al-Qāḍī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was once visited by a man from the Indian Ocean who said, “I come from the Indian Ocean. I was on my way to China when we were shipwrecked. Two men came riding toward me on a wave. One of them asked, ‘If you wish, God will save you, on condition that you greet Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal for us.’ “‘Who’s Aḥmad?’ I asked. ‘And who on earth are you?’ “‘I’m Elijah, and this is the angel who watches over the islands in the sea. You’ll find Aḥmad in Iraq.’ “‘I agreed, and the sea spat me out onto the shore by Ubullah. So here I am with a greeting to you from the two of them.’”167

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18: Allies of God Who Visited Him to Seek His Blessing

“‘We don’t eat,’ he replied, and then vanished as if the earth had swallowed him up.” Al-Khallāl also said that he heard Abū Bakr al Marrūdhī report:

18.3

[Al-Marrūdhī:] One day a renunciant approached us, and I took him in to see Aḥmad. He was wearing a ragged cloak of fur and a scrap of cloth on his head, and wore no shoes despite the bitter cold. Ibn Ḥanbal greeted him and he replied, “I’ve come a long way, but all I want to do is pay my respects. I’m heading for ʿAbbādān, and if I return from there, I’d like to come and see you again.” “If you return, then,” said Ibn Ḥanbal. The man rose and said good-bye to Aḥmad who was sitting down. It was the only time I ever saw anyone get up and leave before Aḥmad had stood up. “He looks like one of the Substitutes, doesn’t he?” said Aḥmad; or perhaps, “He makes me think of the Substitutes.” Then he brought some food—four loaves split and filled with fermented grain paste173—out to him. “If I had anything more to give you,” he said, “I would.”

We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites 18.4

ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Abī l-Fatḥ and al-Ḥasan ibn Abī Ṭālib, both of whom heard ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Jawharī report that he heard Ṭalḥah ibn Ḥafṣ al-Ṣaffār report that he heard ʿAbbās al-Shiklī report that he heard Ismāʿīl al-Daylamī say:

[Ismāʿīl al-Daylamī:] I was at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s when someone knocked on the door. I went out to see who it was and found a young man wearing a ragged hair shirt. “What do you want?” I asked. “I want Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal,” he said. When I told Aḥmad that there was a young man in a ragged hair shirt asking for him, he went out and greeted him. “Aḥmad,” the man said, “tell me what renunciation of the world means.” “I heard Sufyān report, citing al-Zuhrī, that renunciation of the world means not taking anything for granted.”

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18: Allies of God Who Visited Him to Seek His Blessing

“Tell me more,” said the young man, who was standing in the sun even though there was a patch of shade directly in front of him. “It means never being sure that if you leave the sun you’ll live long enough to reach the shade.” The man turned to leave, but Aḥmad said, “Wait!” He went into the house and came back holding out a little bundle. “I don’t count on living long enough to reach the shade,” said the man. “What would I need that for?” Then he turned and walked away.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd 18.5 al-Jabbār, who cites Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Fāris, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Sharuzūrī report that he heard Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Khaṭīb report that he heard Abū l-Ḥusayn Yaʿqūb ibn Mūsā report that he heard ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn ʿAlī say that he heard Mūhammad ibn Fanjuwayh say that he heard Abū Yaʿlā l-Mawṣilī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] Early one morning I went out and came across a man with a cloth over his face. He handed me a slip of paper. When the light had grown strong enough to see by, I took it out and read what was written on it: For each delight, the world brings a grief To the pauper’s hut and the rich man’s gate; While those who study Seek not to learn, But to vaunt, and vex their peers with vain debate.174 I thought it must have been Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā l-Dhuhlī who had handed me the paper. Later, though, I found Muḥammad and asked him about it, and he said, “I never saw you and I never gave you a piece of paper.” It was then that I realized that the poem had been an admonition.

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Chapter 19: His Fame

In the chapter about his childhood, we noted that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was 19.1 highly regarded even as a youth. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Khallāl report that Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī said:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once said to Aḥmad, “There are a lot of people praying for you.” “That frightens me,” he said. “It could be a temptation to think highly of myself. Why do they do it?” I once told him that I had met a man from Tarsus who said that he had been fighting the Byzantines. In the still of the night, he told me, the men would call out “Pray to God for Abū ʿAbd Allāh!” He went on: “We would pull back the arm of the mangonel175 and then release it. Once we shot a stone at a barbarian176 standing on a rampart behind his shield, and the stone knocked off his head and the shield both.”177 Aḥmad’s face fell, and he said, “If only it weren’t a temptation!” Then he said, “Do you think it’s a temptation?” “Of course not,” I answered. Al-Khallāl said: We heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Abbār report:

19.2

[Al-Abbār:] We’d been marching along the Balkh River for several days when our provisions ran out, so two of us headed off toward Bukhārā to buy something to eat. On the way we met a blond-haired, red-faced man who asked us where we were from. When we told him we were from Baghdad, he asked, “How is Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?” “When we left, he was alive and well.” The man raised his head and prayed to God for Aḥmad’s well-being. “Now I’ve seen it all,” I said to my companion. “Even here, on the frontier of Islam, among the Turks!” Al-Khallāl said that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once told Aḥmad that someone had said that from here as far as the land of the Turks, people were praying for his well-being.

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19.3

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276

    .  :   ،     ١

19: His Fame

I asked him how he showed his gratitude for the popularity God had blessed him with. “I pray to God that I do nothing for the sake of appearances,” he said. Al-Khallāl cited Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh:

19.4

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Bilāl and I went to see Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al-Tirmidhī, who told us, “A group of us were at Wahb ibn Jarīr’s. Aḥmad was there too. He asked me to read,178 but I didn’t.” We asked him why not. “I didn’t want to read because Aḥmad might say something, or show some kind of reaction, and people would start talking about it.” Al-Khallāl cited Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Ḥassān:

19.5

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn:] I heard a man from Khurasan say, “Back home people think Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal isn’t human. They think he’s some kind of angel.” I also heard from a man who had been at the frontier that people there were saying, “One look from Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is better than”—or “equal to” —“a year’s worth of ritual devotion.” Al-Khallāl said: We heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report that he heard ʿAlī ibn al- 19.6 Jahm say:

[ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm:] Once when I was young I saw crowds of people rushing by and asked where they were going. They told me, “There’s a man here who saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal!” I asked the man if he had really seen Aḥmad. “I prayed in his mosque,” he replied. Al-Marrūdhī said that he heard Nūḥ ibn Ḥabīb al-Qūmisī say:

19.7

[Al-Qūmisī:] Two Zoroastrian women had a dispute over an inheritance and went to a scholar for arbitration. The scholar ruled against one woman, who said, “If you’ve judged according to what Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal would say, I accept; otherwise I don’t.” The scholar replied that he had ruled as Ibn Ḥanbal would have, and the woman accepted the judgment.179 Al-Marrūdhī said: “I once saw a Christian doctor coming out of Aḥmad’s 19.8 house with a priest or maybe a monk. I heard the doctor tell someone, ‘He asked to come with me so he could get a look at Aḥmad.’”

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20: His Creed

picked one. To my delight, it turned out to be Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. I prayed two more cycles, invoked God, and reshuffled the slips, and again it came out Aḥmad. When I tried it a third time the same thing happened.

Chapter 20: His Creed

His Position on the Fundamentals of Belief We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.1 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Shīrāzī, who heard Muḥammad ibn Bakr ibn Muḥammad report that he heard Sulaymān ibn al-Ash ʿath report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] Belief consists of what you say and what you do. It can increase or decrease. It is the only source of piety, and disobedience to God lessens it.

His Position on the Qurʾan We cite Abū l-Barakāt ibn ʿAlī l-Bazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Ṭuraythīthī,182 who 20.2 cites Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭabarī, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn Ḥamīd report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Makhlad report that he heard Isḥāq—meaning Ibn Ibrāhīm—report:

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] When asked about people who say that the Qurʾan is created, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal replied, “Anyone who says that is an Ingrate.”183 We cite Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī, who cites Jābir ibn Yāsīn and ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī l-Sukkarī, both 20.3 of whom cite Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mukhalliṣ,184 who heard Ibn Manī ʿ report that he heard Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Baghawī report:

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Asked about anyone who says that the Qurʾan is created, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal replied, “He’s an unbeliever,” using the participle.185

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20: His Creed We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.4 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites his grandfather, who cites Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, who heard Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl report that he heard Salamah ibn Shabīb report:

[Salamah ibn Shabīb:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say that whoever says that the Qurʾan is created is an Ingrate. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites 20.5

ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Balkhī, who cites Abū Bakr ibn Abī l-Faḍl, who heard Abū Aḥmad ibn Abī Usāmah report that he heard Ismāʿīl ibn al-Ḥasan al-Sarrāj report:

[Al-Sarrāj:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about someone who says that the Qurʾan is created. “He’s an Ingrate.” “What about someone who says that the text of the Qurʾan spoken aloud is a created thing?” “He’s a follower of Jahm.”186 We cite ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī l-Muqri ʾ, who cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Aḥmad al-Suyūrī, who 20.6 cites al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard Abū Ḥafṣ ibn Shāhīn report that he heard al-Ḥasan ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Shaykh ibn ʿUmayrah report that he heard Isḥāq ibn Manṣūr al-Kawsaj say:

[Al-Kawsaj:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal what he thought of someone who called the Qurʾan created. “He’s committed UN-BE-LIEF,” he answered, stressing each syllable. We cite ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī, who cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Aḥmad, who heard Abū 20.7 Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he heard ʿAlī ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Baradānī report that he heard Yaḥyā ibn Muḥammad ibn Sahl report that he heard Hārūn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-ʿUkbarī say:

[Al-ʿUkbarī:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal whether it was true that the Qurʾan is the speech of God, uncreated, and that it came from Him and goes back to Him. He answered: “From Him came the knowledge of it, and to Him belongs the judgment concerning it.”187 We cite Abū l-Qāsim Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Ḥāsib, who cites al-Ḥasan ibn 20.8 Aḥmad ibn al-Bannā, who cites Abū l-Fatḥ Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī l-Fawāris, who heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm report that he heard Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā l-Jawharī report that he heard Aḥmad’s son Ṣāliḥ report:

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20: His Creed

[Ṣāliḥ:] I found out that Abū Ṭālib had been quoting my father as saying “The text of the Qurʾan, spoken aloud, is uncreated.” I told my father about this, and he asked how I knew. I told him I had heard it from So-and-So. “Send for Abū Ṭālib,” he said. I sent for him and he came, along with Fūrān.188 “Did I ever say to you that the text of the Qurʾan spoken aloud is uncreated?” said my father, shaking with anger. “I read «Say, He is God, the one»189 out loud and you said, ‘That’s not created.’” “But why did you quote me as saying ‘The text of the Qurʾan spoken aloud is uncreated’? Not only that: I hear you wrote this down and sent it to people. If you wrote it down, rub it out as hard as you can, and write to the people you wrote to and tell them I never said that.” Fūrān began apologizing, and finally left looking terrified. Abū Ṭālib came back to say that he had rubbed the words out of his notes and written a letter explaining that he had misquoted my father.

On Reports of God’s Attributes190 We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Karūkhī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad 20.9 al-Anṣārī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who cites his grandfather, Abū l-Naḍr, who cites Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Khālid, who heard ʿAbd Allāh report that his father said:

[Aḥmad:] We transmit these reports as we find them. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.10 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Khuzaymah, and others, all of whom cite Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā, who heard Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq ibn Maḥmūd report that he heard Saʿīd ibn Khushnām al-Samarqandī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Yūnus al-Sarakhsī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd al-Andarābī191 report that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said:

[Aḥmad:] A believer who belongs to the people of sunnah and community should defer what he doesn’t understand to God. If he hears a Hadith report like “The people in the Garden will see their Lord,”192 he should believe it without trying to explain it. All men of learning everywhere are agreed on this.

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20: His Creed

His Position against Disputation193 and Those Who Engage in It We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.11 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Sulaymān, who cites Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Khālid, who heard Ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father once wrote the following to ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān: “I don’t engage in Disputation, and I don’t think one should talk about any of that unless it appears in Scripture or the Hadith of the Prophet, God bless and keep him. Talking about anything else is no good.”

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, 20.12 who cites his grandfather, who cites Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq, who heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Walīd al-Iṣbahānī report that he heard Abū ʿImrān Mūsā ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ṭarasūsī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] Don’t sit with Disputationists, even if they’re defending the sunnah.194

His Position on the Heresies of the Followers of Jahm, the Proponents of Created Utterance, the Stoppers, and the Proponents of Free Will195 We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.13 who cites al-Ḥasan ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Ḥārithī, who cites Aḥmad ibn Ḥasanuwayh, who heard al-Faḍl ibn Maḥmūd report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Layth report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Zanjuwayh say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] The Proponents of Created Utterance are worse than the followers of Jahm. Ibn al-Layth added: “I once heard someone ask Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about 20.14 the Stoppers, and he said: ‘As far as I’m concerned, the Stoppers, the followers of Jahm, and the Proponents of Created Utterance are all equally bad.’” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Muḥammad ibn 20.15 al-Muntaṣir, who cites Abū Bakr ibn Abī l-Faḍl, who said that Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ṣarrām heard Abū Bakr al-Balkhī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] If you do the ritual prayer and the man next to you turns out to be a follower of Jahm, do it over.

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     ١ . ،    

20: His Creed We were informed by Zāhir ibn Ṭāhir, who cites Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn 20.23 al-Bayhaqī, who cites Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥākim, who heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Umayyah al-Qurashī say that he heard Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Faḍl al-Balkhī say:

[Al-Balkhī:] I was once at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s when a messenger came from the caliph to ask whether it was permissible to employ Muslim sectarians in state service. He replied that it was not. “But we employ Jews and Christians! Why not sectarians?” “The Jews and Christians don’t try to win people over, but the sectarians do.”

His Position on the Relative Merits of the Prophet’s Companions202 We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.24 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites his grandfather, who heard Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Muṭṭawwi ʿī—that is, Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq al-Baghdādī—report:

[Al-Muṭṭawwi ʿī:] I once heard someone ask Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about the relative merits of the Prophet’s Companions, and he answered, “They should be ranked according to the Hadith of Ibn ʿUmar.203 As far as the caliphate is concerned, the order is the one given in the Hadith of Safīnah: first Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar, then ʿUthmān, then ʿAlī.” “Was that report transmitted by Ḥashraj?” “No, by Ḥammād ibn Salamah.” [The author:] This question arose because both Ḥammād ibn Salamah and Ḥashraj ibn Nubātah transmitted the Hadith of Safīnah, but Ḥashraj is of dubious reliability while Ḥammād ibn Salamah is an exemplar. We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī 20.25 l-Ḥarbī, who heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mukhalliṣ report that he heard

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ziyād report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I asked my father about the testimony that Abū Bakr and ʿUmar are in the Garden. He said, “It’s true. I follow the Hadith of Saʿīd ibn Zayd, which says, ‘I testify that the Prophet is in the Garden, and so are his nine Companions.’ And the Prophet, God bless and keep him, said, ‘The people in the Garden stand in a hundred and twenty rows, of which eighty are filled by members of my community.’ If his Companions aren’t included, then who would be?”

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20: His Creed

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad also said that he heard ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd 20.26 al-Maymūnī say:

[Al-Maymūnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said to me, “Abū l-Ḥasan, if you hear anyone saying anything bad about the Companions of the Prophet, God bless and keep him, then you should doubt his Islam.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites—with his permission—al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, 20.27 who heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm report that Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī said that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said:

[Aḥmad:] When God’s Emissary, God bless and keep him, fell ill, he sent Abū Bakr to lead the ritual prayer even though there were others who were better readers. The point was to show who the caliph should be. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Faqīh, 20.28 who heard ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿaddal report that he cites Ibn al-Sammāk, who heard al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān report that he heard ʿAbdūs ibn Mālik al-ʿAṭṭār report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] The best member of this community, after the Prophet, was Abū Bakr the Righteous, then ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, then ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān. We put those three first, as the Companions of God’s Emissary did, with no difference of opinion. Next come the five members of the Shūrā Council: ʿAlī, al-Zubayr, Ṭalḥah, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, and Saʿd. Any one of them could have been caliph, and all of them are exemplars. This follows the report where Ibn ʿUmar says, “While God’s Emissary, God bless and keep him, was alive, and his Companions were numerous, we used to list them by saying Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān, and then stopping.” After the Council members come the Emigrants who fought at Badr, then 20.29 the Helpers who fought there, in order of their emigration or acceptance of Islam. After these come the Companions—that is, of the generation the Emissary was sent to. Anyone who was in his company for a year, or a month, or a day, or an hour, or saw him, counts as a Companion, to be honored according to the length of time he spent with him and how soon he started, or how often he heard him speak, or looked at him. The least distinguished member of that generation is more distinguished than any member of the generation that never saw him. When they meet God, those who joined the Prophet, saw him, and heard him speak will have greater merit by virtue

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298

    : ١  .

20: His Creed

of their being his Companions than any member of the next generation, even if the latter should have done all manner of good deeds. Anyone who disparages a Companion, or dislikes him for something he may have done, or lists his faults, remains a supporter of dangerous novelties204 until he blesses them all, without any ill feeling.

His Position on Giving ʿUthmān Precedence over ʿAlī We cite Abū l-Qāsim Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ḥāsib, who cites Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn 20.30 Aḥmad ibn al-Bannā, who cites Abū l-Fatḥ Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī l-Fawāris, who heard Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm report that he heard ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad ibn

ʿĪsā l-Jawharī report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son Ṣāliḥ report:

[Ṣāliḥ:] Someone asked my father—with me present—whether someone who says that ʿAlī was better than ʿUthmān is doing something new and bad. “Anyone who does that deserves to be denounced,” said my father. “The Companions of the Emissary put ʿUthmān—God be pleased with him—first.” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.31 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who cites Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṣaffār al-Ṣadūq, who heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Nāfiʿ report that he heard Dāwūd ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Bayhaqī report that he heard ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān al-Ḥimṣī report:

[ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān al-Ḥimṣī:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was transported from Samarra to the Byzantine frontier, they stopped here in Homs. I found him and asked him his position on ʿAlī and ʿUthmān. “First ʿUthmān, then ʿAlī,” he said. “Listen, Abū Ḥafṣ,” he continued. “Anyone who puts ʿAlī before ʿUthmān is scoffing at the Council.”205 We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Faqīh, 20.32 who heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Muẓaffar report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān report that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf report:

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about putting some Companions before others. He said, “Anyone who puts ʿAlī ahead of Abū Bakr is questioning the judgment of God’s Emissary. Anyone who puts

ʿAlī ahead of ʿUmar has questioned the judgment of God’s Emissary and Abū Bakr both. Anyone who puts ʿAlī ahead of ʿUthmān has questioned

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299

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      .   :            ٢

300

.     : ١

20: His Creed

the judgment of God’s Emissary, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and the Emigrants, and I can’t imagine that someone who does that will benefit from any good works he does.”

His Position on ʿAlī, on Whom Eternal Peace, and the Members of the Prophet’s Household206 We cite Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr 20.33 Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Qurashī, who heard Abū

ʿUmar al-Zāhid report that he cites al-Sayyārī, who cites Abū l-ʿAbbās ibn Masrūq, who cites Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] One day I was sitting with my father when some people from al-Karkh came in. They spoke for a good long while about the caliphates of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān. Then they turned to the caliphate of ʿAlī and went on and on about it. After a while my father looked up at them and said, “You’ve said a lot about ʿAlī and the caliphate, but it wasn’t holding the office that made ʿAlī great. It was having ʿAlī as caliph that made the office great.” Al-Sayyārī added, “I told this story to a Shi ʿi, and he said, ‘You’ve just taken away half the resentment I had against Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.’” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Maymūn, who 20.34 cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who heard Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Aḥmad al-Ṭabarī report that he heard Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn al-Qāsim ibn al-Rayyān say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] After hearing my father recite the Hadith of Safīnah,207 I asked him, “Dad, what do you say about putting some Companions before others?” “As far as the succession goes, it’s Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar, then ʿUthmān.” “What about ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib?” “Son, ʿAlī was a member of the Prophet’s household. No one compares with them.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by al-Muʾtaman ibn Aḥmad, 20.35 who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Warrāq, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ṣanʿānī, who cites Saʿīd ibn Muḥammad ibn Bulbul, who heard Abū l-Faḍl al-Ṭūsī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say that he heard his father say:

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302

20: His Creed

[Aḥmad:] None of the Companions has as many well-attested virtues as

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.36 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, who heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Bishr al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Rāzī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Makhlad report that he heard Abū Saʿīd Hishām ibn Manṣūr al-Bukhārī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] Anyone who denies that ʿAlī was an exemplar is even worse at finding his way than the family donkey. We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites—with his permission—al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, 20.37 who cites Hilāl ibn Muḥammad, who cites ʿUthmān, who cites Ḥanbal:

[Ḥanbal:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal whether ʿAlī’s caliphate was valid. “God help us!” he cried. “ʿAlī upheld the law and cut off the hands of thieves; he collected the alms-tax and distributed it without taking his own share. How for God’s sake could anyone object to his being caliph? He was a good one, too: the Companions of God’s Emissary, God bless and keep him, supported him, prayed behind him, joined his expeditions, fought for him, went on pilgrimage with him, and called him Commander of Believers, willingly and without reservation. Who are we to do otherwise?”

His Position on the Disputes That Broke Out among the Companions We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Faqīh, who 20.38 cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, who heard Ibn Salm report that he cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī:] When we were in Samarra, one of the caliph’s messengers asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal what he thought about the dispute between ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah. “I have nothing but good to say about them.” I also heard Ibn Ḥanbal say, after someone mentioned the Companions of God’s Emissary: “God have mercy on them all! Muʿāwiyah, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, Abū Mūsā l-Ash ʿarī, and al-Mughīrah are all described in the Book of God, where it says, «Their marks are on their faces, the traces of their prostrations.»”208

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20: His Creed We cite Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn 20.39 Thābit, who cites al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUthmān al-Ṣaffār report that he heard Abū l-Qāsim Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Āzir al-Faqīh report that he heard his father report:

[Ibrāhīm ibn Āzir:] I was once at Ibn Ḥanbal’s when a man asked him about what had happened between ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah. Ibn Ḥanbal ignored him. Then, when he was told that the man was from the house of Hāshim, he turned to him and recited: “«Those were a people that have passed away; theirs is what they did and yours what you have done. You shall not be answerable for their deeds.»”209 His Position on the Rejectionists210 We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Faqīh, who 20.40 heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Ibn al-Ṣawwāf report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh report:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I asked my father what a Rejectionist is. “Anyone who curses and reviles Abū Bakr and ʿUmar.” I also asked him about cursing any of the Companions of the Emissary of God. “I wouldn’t call him a Muslim.”

Statements of His Creed211 We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 20.41 who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, Aḥmad ibn Ḥamzah, and others, all of whom cite Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā, who heard Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq report that he heard Saʿīd ibn Khushnām, the client of the Banū Hāshim, report that he cites Muḥammad ibn Yūnus al-Sarakhsī, who heard Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd al-Andarābī report that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said:

[Aḥmad:] A believing adherent of sunnah and community is someone who testifies that there is no god but God, alone, without partner, and that Muḥammad is his servant and Emissary. He affirms the truth of everything reported by the prophets and emissaries, and what he says with his tongue he believes in his heart. He has no doubts about his own state of belief. He holds no one who declares God’s oneness to be an unbeliever on the grounds that he is a sinner. He leaves his own fate to God, and he does not deny perfect,

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20: His Creed We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad 20.42 al-Anṣārī, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb al-Ḥāfiẓ, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Faḍl, who cites Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Bishr ibn Bakr, who heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Bardhaʿī l-Tamīmī report:

[Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Bardhaʿī:] When Musaddad ibn Musarhad found himself at a loss to understand the factional unrest that had arisen because of disagreements over predestination, Rejectionism, the Secessionists, the createdness of the Qurʾan, and Postponement,216 he wrote to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal saying, “Tell me in writing what the sunnah of the Prophet is.” When Aḥmad read the letter, he wept, exclaiming: “«We belong to God and to Him we shall return!»217 That man from Basra claims to have spent so much money on learning, but he can’t find anyone to guide him to the sunnah.” 20.43

He then replied as follows: In the name of God, full of compassion, ever compassionate Praise God, who in every age has left a remnant of knowers to guide the errant and warn of perdition, using God’s Book to revive the dead and the Prophet’s sunnah to restore to life the ignorant and the damned! Many a one slain by the Devil have they revived, and many a wanderer have they guided aright! How good is their work among the people! They defend God’s religion against the perversions of extremists and the fabrications of liars— liars who raise the banners of reprehensible innovation and give free rein to the steeds of discord and strife by arguing about the Book and attributing statements to God (may He be exalted far above the claims of the wicked!), or making statements about Him, without knowing what they are saying. We take refuge in Him from every controversy that leads Muslims astray. God bless and keep the Prophet Muḥammad and his family! To begin: May God guide all of us to what pleases Him, and lead us clear of whatever will provoke His wrath. May He elicit from us acts befitting those devoted to Him and conscious of Him, for this is in His power. I urge all of us to fear God and cleave to the sunnah and the community, knowing, as you do, of what befell those who opposed it, and what came to those who followed it. It has reached us that the Prophet, God bless and keep him, said: “God admits His creatures to the Garden by the sunnah they adhere to,” and ordered you not to give anything precedence over the Qurʾan. It is the Word of God, and nothing God says can be a created thing.

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316

 .   :       ٢  

 : ١ . 

20: His Creed Aḥmad said: Al-Shāfiʿī disagreed with me on this point, saying that if the prayer leader calls out more than four times, we should perform the prayer again. Against me he cited the Hadith that says that the Prophet would call out “God is great!” four times. We believe that passing one’s hand over one’s shoes is a valid ablution,

20.58

permissible for three days and nights if one is traveling and for a day and a night when at rest. We believe in performing the ritual prayers day and night two cycles each, and not performing them before the festival. We believe that when you enter a mosque, you should pray two cycles before sitting down, as a greeting to the building. The additional night prayer should be one cycle, and one should utter each of the testimonials of the second call to prayer once each.223 Love the people of the sunnah despite their failings! My God keep us

20.59

in Islam and the sunnah until we die; may He provide us abundant knowledge; may He guide us to do what He loves and approves. We cite Abū l-Barakāt ibn ʿAlī l-Bazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī l-Ṭuraythīthī, who 20.60 cites Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭabarī; and we cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir al-Ḥāfiẓ, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Faqīh, who [like Hibat Allāh] heard ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad al-Muʿaddal report that he heard ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb report that he heard Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Minqarī report that he heard ʿAbdūs ibn Mālik al-ʿAṭṭār report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

[Aḥmad:] In our view, the principles of sunnah are holding firmly to the practice of the Prophet’s Companions and following their example; shunning innovation, since to innovate is to stray; and shunning vainglory, debate, and quarreling in matters of religion. The sunnah, in our view, consists of reports about God’s Emissary, God bless and keep him. It explicates the Qurʾan and serves as a guide to its meaning. We must not use the sunnah as a basis for analogical reasoning or hypothetical argumentation.224 It cannot be grasped by rational argument or personal inclination; rather, it demands the subordination of self and the renouncing of caprice. Among the indispensable elements of sunnah—those which we must accept, adopt, and believe in their entirety or be excluded from the group—is the belief that all things, good and bad, happen by divine decree. We must lend credence to the Hadith reports on the subject and believe them without asking how or why; this is a matter of faith. If you do not know the explanation for a Hadith and cannot

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317

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20: His Creed

as numerous as the stars in the sky, as verifiably reported in more than one chain of transmission. We believe in the torment of the grave: that this community will be tried 20.65 in the grave and questioned about its belief and its submission. Each one of us will be asked who his Lord is, and who his prophet. Munkar and Nakīr will come to him, whenever and however God so wills. We believe in the Prophet’s power to intercede, and that a group of people 20.66 will come out of the Fire after being reduced to coal and will then be sent to a river by the gate of the Garden, as described in the Hadith. These things will happen in whatever way God wishes; all that is required of us is to believe that they will indeed happen. We believe that the Antichrist will come forth, with ingrate written on 20.67 his forehead; we believe the Hadith reports about him, and have faith that this will come to pass, and that Jesus son of Mary, upon him be peace, will descend and kill him at the Gate of Lydda. We believe that belief consists of speech and action alike, and that it may 20.68 increase or decrease, as described in the report: “The most faithful of the believers are those with the finest character.” We believe that whoever stops praying becomes an Ingrate. There is no 20.69 other action for which this is the case: whoever stops praying is an Ingrate, and God has made it permissible to kill him. We believe that dissembling—that is, to deny God and worship some- 20.70 thing else while professing Islam in public, as the hypocrites did in the time of the Emissary of God—is unbelief. “There are three things that make one a dissembler.”228 Harsh as this 20.71 ruling is, we recite it as it came to us without trying to explain it. We do the same for “Do not revert to errant unbelief after me, and go back to beheading each other”; “When two Muslims draw swords against one another, the one who kills and the one who is killed are both condemned to the Fire”; “Cursing a Muslim is a sin, and killing him ingratitude to God”; “If a man calls his brother an Ingrate, one or the other is going [to the Fire]”; “Ingratitude to God, even in the smallest degree, means being quit of one’s ancestry”; and similar well-attested Hadith reports. We accept them even if we do not know what they mean, and we do not speak of them, debate them, or interpret them using words other than the ones they contain, and we do not reject them except in favor of reports that are better attested.

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321

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20: His Creed

One who commits sexual misconduct and is liable should be stoned, 20.72 provided that he confesses, or has the charge proven against him, as the Prophet and the Rightly Guided Caliphs stoned fornicators.229 One should not assert that any Muslim is destined for the Garden or the 20.73 Fire because of some action he has committed. We hope for the best for those who do good works, and we fear for those who do ill, and pray to God to have mercy on them. God will forgive anyone who meets Him having renounced and repented of those sins that would otherwise condemn him to the Fire. God accepts the repentance of those who worship Him and forgives them their transgressions. Anyone who meets God having been punished in this world for his sin is considered to have paid his debt, as attested in the Hadith. As for those who meet God without renouncing or repenting of sins that deserve punishment, their fate is in His hands: He may torment them if He wishes, or forgive them. But if they are Ingrates, He will torment them and not forgive them. Among the elements of faith is the belief that the Garden and the Fire are 20.74 created, as described in the following reports: “I entered the Garden and saw a palace,” “I entered and found there the River Kawthar,”230 “I looked into the Garden and saw most of its denizens,” etc., and “I looked into the Fire and saw,” etc. 231 Whoever says otherwise is contradicting the Qurʾan and the Hadith, and seems not to believe in the Garden and the Fire. We pray over any Muslim who dies professing the oneness of God. 20.75 We seek forgiveness for him and do not withhold it, nor do we refrain from praying for him on account of any sin, major or minor, he may have committed. His fate is up to God. It is permitted to fight thieves and Dissenters.232 When they endanger a 20.76 man’s life or threaten to take his property, he may defend himself and his property by all means at his disposal. If they leave him alone, he may not pursue them or follow them, because doing so is the responsibility of the legitimate head of the Muslim community or of those entrusted with its welfare; he may do no more than defend himself wherever he happens to be. He must strive not to kill anyone, but if in defending himself he takes the life of another, God will not count the killing against him. Should he himself be killed while defending himself or his property, I would pray that he be rewarded as a martyr, as described in the Hadith.

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340

23: His Shunning and Reviling of Innovators and His Forbidding Others to Listen to Them We cite Ibn Nāṣir, who cites Abū Sahl ibn Saʿduwayh, who cites Abū l-Faḍl Muḥammad 23.3 ibn al-Faḍl al-Qurashī, who cites Abū Bakr ibn Marduwayh, who heard ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad al-Baṣrī report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Jawāribī (the hosier) report that he heard al-Ḥasan ibn Thawwāb say:

[Al-Ḥasan ibn Thawwāb:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once told me, “People have never needed Hadith more than they need it now.” “Why?” “Reprehensible innovations have appeared,” he answered. “Without Hadith, you’ll be caught up in them.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites Abū 23.4 Ṭālib Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Bayḍāwī, who cites Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh, who heard Abū Muzāḥim Mūsā ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān report:

[Abū Muzāḥim:] My uncle, Abū ʿAlī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān, told me that al-Mutawakkil ordered him to ask Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal who was qualified to serve as a judge. I asked my uncle to show me Ibn Ḥanbal’s response and he sent me a copy of it. I made my own copy and then went back to him to check that what I had written was correct. The text ran as follows:

In the name of God, full of compassion, ever compassionate This is a copy of the document I presented to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal after requesting that he confirm its contents, which he did. I asked him to sign it, and he asked his son ʿAbd Allāh to sign for him at the bottom. I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about Aḥmad ibn Rabāḥ. He replied that he was a well-known follower of Jahm who had held a position of authority where he had brought harm to Muslims because of his sectarian beliefs. I asked him about Ibn Khalanjī. He replied as he had in the case of Ibn Abī Rabāḥ, saying that he was a well-known follower of Jahm—in fact, an especially bad and dangerous one. I asked him about Shuʿayb ibn Sahl, and he replied that he was a wellknown follower of Jahm. I asked him about ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Aḥmad, and he replied that he was a well-known follower of Jahm.

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23: His Shunning and Reviling of Innovators and His Forbidding Others to Listen to Them I asked him about the man called Abū Shuʿayb, and he replied that he was a well-known follower of Jahm. I asked him about Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr, judge in al-Ahwāz. “He was involved with Ibn Abī Duʾād and worked for him, though he was one of the better ones, and I don’t know where he stands.” I asked him about Ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd and he said, “He was well-known for being a follower of Jahm, but then I heard that he’s recanted.” I asked him about al-Fatḥ ibn Sahl, who had run Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh’s grievance court in Baghdad. He replied that he was a well-known follower of Jahm and an associate of Bishr al-Marīsī, and that it was dangerous to allow anyone like him to hold authority over Muslims. I asked him about Ibn al-Thaljī and he said, “A reprehensible innovator and a sectarian.” I asked him about Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAttāb and he said, “I don’t know him, but he was an associate of Bishr al-Marīsī, so I would steer clear of him, and keep him out of any position of authority. In general, heretics and sectarians should not be employed in positions of authority, since giving them power is extremely dangerous to Islam, as the Commander of Believers— God grant him long life—well knows, given his insistence on upholding the sunnah and combating heresy.” I, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, declare that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān has asked me about everything on this document and what I said is what he wrote down. As I am too ill to move or see clearly, I could not write anything myself. At my request and in my presence, my son ʿAbd Allāh has signed at the bottom of this document. I pray to God to give the Commander of Believers long life and good health and bless him with help and guidance, by His grace and power.

We were informed by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who was informed by 23.6 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, citing Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar al-Faqīh, who said that he heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Sibṭ Abū Ibrāhīm al-Mudhakkir say that he heard al-Ṭabarānī say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard his father report:

[Aḥmad:] Any grave where lies a follower of the sunnah, even one who has sinned, is a flowerbed in the Garden. Any grave where lies a follower of innovation, even one who renounced the world, is a pit inside the Fire.

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343

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344

23: His Shunning and Reviling of Innovators and His Forbidding Others to Listen to Them

Addendum Our exemplar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was so fervent in his attachment to the 23.7 sunnah and his rejection of innovation that he would criticize many virtuous persons for actions that went against the sunnah. Such criticisms are to be understood as good counsel in a matter of religion.

We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites Muḥammad 23.8 ibn Aḥmad ibn Yaʿqūb, who cites Muḥammad ibn Nuʿaym al-Ḍabbī, who heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq al-Ṣibghī say that he heard Ismāʿīl ibn Isḥāq al-Sarrāj say:

[Al-Sarrāj:] One day Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said to me, “I hear that you see a lot of al-Ḥārith,” meaning al-Muḥāsibī. “Next time he comes to your house, could you hide me somewhere so I can hear what he has to say?” I was glad that he had come to me, and I told him that I would be happy to do as he asked. Then I went to see al-Ḥārith and asked him to come over that night and to bring his associates as well. “Ismāʿīl,” he told me, “they’re a large group. Give them all the dregs of oil and dates as you can, but nothing more.” I agreed to do as he asked. Then I went to Aḥmad and let him know. He arrived after the sunset prayer and went into a room upstairs, where he busied himself with his personal devotions.238 After he finished, al-Ḥārith and his followers arrived. They ate and then got up to pray the evening prayer, which was the last prayer they performed that night. Then they sat down in front of al-Ḥārith without saying a word. No one said anything until it was almost midnight. Then one of them asked al-Ḥārith about a problem. He spoke and the others listened, as rapt as if they had birds nesting on their heads, with some weeping, others crying out, and others again sighing as he spoke. I went upstairs to check on Aḥmad and found that he had been weeping so hard that he had passed out. I went back to the group, which kept on until dawn came and they rose and left. I went back up to Aḥmad, who seemed to be in an altered state. “What did you think of them?” I asked.

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24: His Seeking of Blessings and Cures

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like them,” he said, “or heard anyone speak about direct knowledge239 the way that man does. Having said that, though, I don’t think you should join them any more.” Then he got up and left. 240 We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr al-Khaṭīb, who cites Ismāʿīl ibn 23.9 Aḥmad al-Ḥīrī, who cites Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī, who heard Abū l-Qāsim al-Naṣrābādhī say:

[Al-Naṣrābādhī:] I heard that after al-Ḥārith al-Muḥāsibī engaged in some Disputation, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal stopped speaking to him. Al-Muḥāsibī disappeared into a house in Baghdad and died there, and only four people prayed at his funeral.

Chapter 24: His Seeking of Blessings and Cures Using the Qurʾan and Water from the Well of Zamzam, as Well as Some Hair and a Bowl That Belonged to the Prophet We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who 24.1 cites Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who heard Ibn Mardak report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Ṣāliḥ report:

[Ṣāliḥ:] Whenever I got sick my father would take a cup of water and recite something over it, then tell me to drink some of it and wash my hands and face in it. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, both of whom cite Ḥamd 24.2 ibn Aḥmad, who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard his father report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I saw my father take one of the Prophet’s hairs, place it over his mouth, and kiss it. I may have seen him place it over his eyes, and dip it in water and then drink the water for a cure. Once I saw him take the Prophet’s bowl, wash it in the water jar, and drink from it. And more than once I saw

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     ١ .   :

25: His Age When He Began Teaching Hadith and Giving Legal Opinions

him drink water from the well of Zamzam241 for a cure, and rub it on his hands and face.

Chapter 25: His Age When He Began Teaching Hadith and Giving Legal Opinions

It is noteworthy that Aḥmad—God be pleased with him—would sometimes 25.1 give legal opinions even in his youth and would recite Hadith if asked, without being concerned about his age, as we learn from the following report. Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim both cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Mūsā ibn Hārūn report that he heard Nūḥ ibn Ḥabīb al-Qūmisī report:

[Al-Qūmisī:] In 198 [814], I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal leaning against the minaret at the mosque of al-Khayf.242 When the Hadith scholars arrived, he began teaching them Hadith and legal implications and answering their questions about the pilgrimage rites.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 25.2 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad, who heard Nūḥ ibn Ḥabīb al-Qūmisī:

[Al-Qūmisī:] In 198 [814], when Ibn ʿUyaynah was still alive, I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal at the mosque of al-Khayf, delivering legal opinions on all kinds of subjects. I had never seen him before, so I joined the group around him and asked someone who he was. “You’re not from here, are you?” “No.” “That’s Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.”

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27: His Works I read aloud to Abū l-Faḍl ibn Abī Manṣūr, citing Abū l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī, citing Abū 26.3

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, his report citing Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Kurdī, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad once had a visit from Abū l-ʿAlāʾ the Servant,249 who was a humble old man who went around with his sleeves and pant legs rolled up250 looking like a Qurʾan-reader. When he arrived at the gate of the mosque, Aḥmad came out to welcome him. It so happened that there was also a stranger in the mosque: a man dressed in rags and carrying a writing kit. As he sat down, Aḥmad happened to look around. As soon as he noticed the stranger, he said to Abū l-ʿAlāʾ, “I wouldn’t want you to get caught outside in the heat,” and Abū l-ʿAlāʾ got up and left. Then Aḥmad began looking over at the stranger expecting him to ask a question, but the man said nothing. Finally Aḥmad asked, “Can I help you?” “Teach me some of what God has taught you.” Aḥmad rose, went inside, and came back with some books. “Come over here,” he said, then began dictating Hadith to the man, stopping to say, “Read back what you’ve written down.”

Chapter 27: His Works251

Our exemplar Aḥmad—God be pleased with him—did not believe in writing 27.1 books. He forbade anyone to write down what he said or to record his replies to legal questions.252 Had he believed otherwise, he would have generated many compilations and had many had many writings to his credit. His works are therefore compilations of Hadith reports, such as the Authenticated Hadith Listed by Transmitter, which contains thirty thousand reports.253 He used to tell his son ʿAbd Allāh: “Take good care of that Authenticated Hadith because people will need it.” He also compiled the Interpretation of the Qurʾan, which contains 120,000 reports,254 The Abrogating and Abrogated Verses of the Qurʾan,255 Fixing of Dates,256 Hadith Reports Transmitted by Shuʿbah,257 Transposed Elements in the Qurʾan, Answers Regarding the Qurʾan,

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28: His Aversion to Writing Books Containing Opinions

The Greater Book on Pilgrimage Rites, The Lesser Book on Pilgrimage Rites, and other titles.258 Although Aḥmad did not allow anyone to write down what he said, God 27.2 nevertheless allowed him to fulfill his benevolent intentions by ensuring that his words were transmitted and preserved. Few indeed are the questions where he has not contributed a relevant text, whether on the principles of jurisprudence or on specific points of law. In many cases, his contribution has been preserved, whereas the work of jurists who did write and amass documents has been lost. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Faqīh, 27.3 who cites Hilāl ibn Muḥammad, who cites Ibn al-Sammāk, who heard Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq report:

[Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal gathered us together—me, Ṣāliḥ, and ʿAbd Allāh—and read his Authenticated Hadith to us. We are the only ones to have heard it from him. He told us, “This is a book I put together by sorting through more than 750,000 reports. Whenever you find Muslims disagreeing about a Hadith of the Emissary, check to see if the report is in here. If it’s not, it’s doesn’t count.”

Chapter 28: His Aversion to Writing Books Containing Opinions Reached through the Exercise of Independent Judgment at the Expense of Transmitted Knowledge

Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—may God be pleased with him—deplored the writing of 28.1 books that drew excessive legal implications and opinions reached through the exercise of independent judgment. What he cherished was firm adherence to transmitted reports. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 28.2 who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-ʿAbdūsī, who cites Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdūs, who heard his uncle Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbdūs report that he heard ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd say:

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28: His Aversion to Writing Books Containing Opinions

[ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd:] Ibn Ḥanbal once said to me, “Don’t look at ʿUbayd’s books, or whatever Isḥāq, Sufyān, al-Shāfiʿī, and Mālik have written. Go back to the source!” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn 28.3 Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Nuʿaym, who heard Abū l-Ṭayyib Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥamdūn say that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Abī Ṭālib say:

[Ibrāhīm ibn Abī Ṭālib:] I heard Salamah ibn Shabīb tell Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal that the Hadith scholars were copying the book of al-Shāfiʿī. He said, “I don’t think they should.” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who heard Ismāʿīl ibn 28.4 Ibrāhīm report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Bayyi ʿ259 report that he heard al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-Isfarāʾ īnī report that he heard Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Hāni ʾ report:

[Ibn Hāni ʾ:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about what Abū Thawr had written, and he said: “It’s a work where he comes up with bad novelties!” He didn’t approve of writing books. “Stick to Hadith!” he said. We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites Abū 28.5 Ṭālib Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Bayḍāwī, who cites Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh, who heard Abū Muzāḥim al-Khāqānī report:

[Al-Khāqānī:] My uncle ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān reported to me that he heard it said of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal that he was telling people to copy The Well-Trodden Path by Mālik and saying that it was acceptable to consult it (or words to that effect), but not to read the Compendium of Sufyān.260 My uncle told me that he asked Aḥmad which of the two he liked more. “Neither one,” he answered. “Stick to reports!” According to another story, a man asked Aḥmad whether he should copy books containing opinions arrived at through the exercise of independent judgment. “No,” he answered. “But Ibn al-Mubārak copied them.” “Ibn al-Mubārak didn’t fall from heaven,” said Aḥmad. “That’s where we get our learning from.”

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Chapter 29: His Forbidding Others to Write Down or Transmit His Words261

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, who cites ʿUmar ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baqqāl, 29.1 who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn Bishrān, who cites ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad al-Daqqāq, who heard Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq report:

[Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq:] I remember that Aḥmad hated to have anyone write down his views or his judgments in matters of law.

We cite Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn 29.2

ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites al-Qāḍī Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Rāmīn al-Astarābādhī, who heard Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Jurjānī report that he heard ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Muḥammad report that he heard Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm report that he heard Aḥmad ibn al-Rabī ʿ ibn Dīnār:

[Aḥmad ibn al-Rabī ʿ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once said to us, “I heard that Isḥāq al-Kawsaj is teaching my answers to legal questions out in Khurasan. Bear witness, all of you: I renounce them all!”

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad al-Busrī, 29.3 citing Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who cites Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, who cites Abū Naṣr ibn Kurdī, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once saw a man from Khurasan approach Aḥmad and give him a quire. He looked at it and when he saw that it had some of his own words in it, he grew angry and tossed the document away.

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 29.4 who heard Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan Abū l-Ash ʿath, who heard Naṣr ibn Abū Naṣr al-ʿAṭṭār say that in Alexandria he heard Abū Muḥammad al-Burjī say:

[Aḥmad al-Burjī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once said, “Sometimes a tall cap falls from the sky, and you have to move your head like this,” and he shook his head as if to keep a cap from settling on it.

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.  : ٢

. : ١

30: His Remarks on Sincerity

What he meant was that certain people have leadership thrust upon them. He also seems to have meant that good people duck their heads modestly when that happens. Out of modesty, too, did Aḥmad forbid people to write his words down, but God decreed that they be recorded, put in order, and made known to all.262

Chapter 30: His Remarks on Sincerity, on Acting for the Sake of Appearances, and on Concealing One’s Pious Austerities

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 30.1 who cites Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad, who heard ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥyad al-Balkhī report that he heard ʿAlī ibn al-Faḍl say that he heard Abū Saʿīd al-Bardaʿī say that he heard Ibn al-Sammāk say:

[Ibn al-Sammāk:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “Letting people see your inkwell is showing off.”263 Al-Anṣārī said, “I think the Ibn al-Sammāk who reported this comment is Muḥammad ibn Bundār al-Sammāk al-Jarjarāʾ ī, who associated with Aḥmad.” We were informed by Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd 30.2 al-Jabbār, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Shāhīn, who said that his father reported that Aḥmad ibn Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā reported hearing Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Someone once asked Ibn Ḥanbal what his people had done to become so well regarded. “They’ve been truthful,” he said. I read aloud to Abū Faḍl ibn Abī Manṣūr his report citing Abū l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī citing 30.3 Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who cites Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, who cites Abū Naṣr ibn Kurdī, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

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31: His Statements about Renunciation and Spiritual Weakness

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Asked what it meant to be completely reliant on God, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said, “Learning not to look around hoping for help from other people.” “What’s your source for that?” “What Abraham said when they put him on the mangonel.”268 We cite Abū Bakr ibn Ḥabīb, who cites Abū Saʿd ibn Abī Ṣādiq, who cites Abū ʿAbd Allāh 31.10 ibn Bākuwayh, who heard Abū l-ʿAbbās Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Khashshāb report that he heard Abū l-Qāsim ibn Mūsā report that he heard Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq report:

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Asked what it meant to be completely reliant on God, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said, “Learning not to look around for help from any other creature.” “What’s your source for that?” “The story about Abraham, the Friend of God, when he was put on the mangonel and said to Gabriel, ‘From you, no.’ Then, when Gabriel said, ‘Ask the One who can help you, then,’ he answered, ‘I accept whatever He chooses for me.’” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik al-Karūkhī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who 31.11 cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Marwazī, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who heard ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar al-Dāraquṭnī say that he heard Abū Sahl ibn Ziyād say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Aḥmad was asked what bravery meant and he said, “Renouncing what you crave and embracing what you fear.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāsir, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, who 31.12 cites Hilāl ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn Mālik al-Qaṭī ʿī, who heard al-ʿAbbās ibn Yūsuf al-Shiklī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Naṣr report:

[Muḥammad ibn Naṣr:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “If there’s anything good you intend to do, hurry up and do it before something gets in the way.” We cite Muḥammad, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī, who cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn 31.13 Muḥammad, who cites Daʿlaj ibn Aḥmad, who heard Muḥammad ibn Nuʿaym al-Naysābūrī report that he heard ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Sulaymān ibn Abī Maṭar report:

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31: His Statements about Renunciation and Spiritual Weakness

[ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Sulaymān:] Once when I spent the night at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s he put some water out for me. In the morning he saw I hadn’t used it. “You call yourself a Hadith scholar,” he said, “and you didn’t do a night prayer?” I protested that I was traveling. “So what?” he retorted. “When Masrūq performed the pilgrimage, he slept only one way: with his forehead on the ground.”269 We cite Mubārak ibn Aḥmad al-Anṣārī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, 31.14 who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yaʿqūb, who cites Muḥammad ibn Nuʿaym, who heard Abū Saʿīd Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Faqīh say that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Sufyān say that he heard Abū

ʿIṣmah ibn ʿIṣām al-Bayhaqī say:

[Abū ʿIṣmah:] Once when I spent the night at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s he brought some water and put it out for me. In the morning he saw it was untouched. “God help us!” he cried. “A man who seeks Hadith but doesn’t pray at night?” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, 31.15 who cites Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who heard ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlluwayh report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Faraj say that he heard Muḥammad ibn Yūnus report that he heard Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd report that he heard ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī report:

[Ibn al-Madīnī:] Once, before a trip, as I was taking leave of Ibn Ḥanbal, I asked if he wanted me to do anything for him. “Yes,” he replied. “Carry the fear of God wherever you go, and keep your eyes on the next world.” We cite ʿUmar ibn Ẓafar, who cites Jaʿfar ibn Aḥmad, who cites ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī, who 31.16 cites ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jahḍam, who heard Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd ibn Jarīr report that he heard ʿĪsā l-Warrāq report that he heard Yaḥyā l-Jallāʾ say:

[Yaḥyā l-Jallāʾ:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “I hate to see the things of this world weaken the resolve of men who know the Qurʾan.”

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32: His Remarks on Different Subjects We cite ʿUmar ibn Ẓafar, who cites Jaʿfar ibn Aḥmad, who cites ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī, who 31.17 cites Ibn Jahḍam, who heard Abū Bakr al-Naqqāsh report that he heard Aḥmad’s son

ʿAbd Allāh report:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] One day I asked my father to give me some advice. He said, “Always intend to do the right thing. As long as your intention is sound, you’ll be all right.” We cite al-Mubārak ibn Aḥmad al-Anṣārī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, 31.18 who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites ʿAbd al-Ghaffār ibn Muḥammad al-Muʾaddib, who heard ʿUmar ibn Aḥmad al-Wāʿiẓ report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā l-Raʾʾās (the seller of roasted sheep heads) report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Someone once asked Ibn Ḥanbal what his people had done to become so well regarded. “They’ve been truthful,” he said. We cite al-Mubārak ibn Aḥmad, who cites al-Samarqandī, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī, 31.19 who cites Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn al-Qāsim ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shāhid, in Basra, who heard Abū l-Ḥasan al-Mādharāʾ ī report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I heard my father say, “You can’t be rightly fearful unless you know what to fear.”270

Chapter 32: His Remarks on Different Subjects

We cite the two Muḥammads, Ibn ʿAbd al-Malik and Ibn Nāṣir, who cite Aḥmad ibn 32.1 al-Ḥasan al-Muʿaddal, who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ahwāzī, who heard ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Baṣrī; and we cite Ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar report that he [like ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Baṣrī] heard Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say:

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32: His Remarks on Different Subjects We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār and Abū 32.5 Ṭālib ibn Yūsuf, who both were informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who cites Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who heard Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, who heard Ibn Abī l-Ṭayyib say that he heard Jaʿfar al-Ṣāyigh report:

[ Jaʿfar al-Ṣāyigh:] One of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s neighbors was a man who lived a life of sin and filth. One day he came over to where Aḥmad was sitting and greeted him. Aḥmad seemed to shrink away from the man and returned his greeting only half-heartedly. “No need to turn away from me, Aḥmad,” said the man. “I’ve given up those things you’ve seen me do—all because of a dream I had.” “What did you dream? Come over here!” “I dreamed I saw the Prophet, God bless and keep him, standing on a sort of hill with a lot of people sitting at the bottom. One by one they got up and asked him to pray for them, and he did. Soon I was the only one left. I tried to get up, but I was too ashamed at the ugly things I had been doing. “‘You there!’ said the Prophet. ‘Why don’t you get up and ask me to pray for you?’ “‘Emissary of God,’ I answered, ‘I’m too ashamed.’ “‘If you can feel shame,’ he said, ‘you can get up, and if you ask me I’ll pray for you, since you’ve never cursed any of my Companions.’ “So I got up and he prayed for me. Then I woke up, feeling that God had made my past life hateful to me.” “Jaʿfar!” cried Aḥmad, calling out to me, and then to the others present. “You, and you! Go out and repeat this story, and don’t forget it. It will do people good to hear it.”

We cite al-Mubārak ibn Aḥmad al-Anṣārī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, 32.6 who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who heard ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Abī l-Fatḥ report that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Idrīsī say that he heard Abū Aḥmad ibn ʿAdī say that he heard ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn Aḥmad al-Jurjānī report that he heard ʿAmmār ibn Rajāʾ say:

[ʿAmmār ibn Rajāʾ:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “It’s a good practice to seek the highest possible authority for your reports.”275 [The author:] I say: Abū Bakr al-Khallāl reported, citing Ḥarb ibn Ismāʿīl:

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32.7

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32: His Remarks on Different Subjects

[Ḥarb ibn Ismāʿīl:] Asked about seeking higher authority, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said that it was a practice of previous generations of scholars. “Even the people who heard reports from ʿAbd Allāh, the son of ʿUmar, would travel all the way from Kufa back to Medina to study with ʿUmar and hear the same reports from him.” We cite al-Mubārak ibn Aḥmad, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad, who cites Aḥmad ibn 32.8

ʿAlī, who cites a letter ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Ḥāmid al-Isbahānī wrote to him saying that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ājurrī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Makhlad report that he heard Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq say:

[Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once saw me writing in a very small hand and said, “Don’t do that; when you most need to read what you’ve written, you might not be able to.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥamd 32.9 al-Dūnī, who was informed by Abū Naṣr Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Kassār, who cites al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥabash, who cites Mūsā ibn Jarīr al-Raqqī, who heard

ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Maymūnī report:

[Al-Maymūnī:] I asked Aḥmad which reading of the Qurʾan I should use. “The reading of Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlāʾ,” he replied. “It’s in the speech of Quraysh and the Companions who had the clearest pronunciation.” Isḥāq ibn Ḥassān said: “I wrote to Aḥmad asking his advice on marriage. 32.10 He wrote, ‘Marry a virgin and make sure her mother is dead.’” Abū Bakr ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar reported that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told 32.11 his two sons, “Make a list of everyone who came to say good-bye when they went on the pilgrimage. When they return, we’ll go and welcome them back.” Ibn ʿAqil commented that Ibn Ḥanbal did this not out of pride but in order to keep up his scholarly connections.

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.   : ٢

   : ١ .

Chapter 33: Poems He Recited or Had Attributed to Him

We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites 33.1 Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard Abū ʿAlī ʿĪsā ibn Muḥammad al-Jurayjī report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā Thaʿlab report:

[ Thaʿlab:] I wanted to meet Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, so I went looking for him. When I found him he asked me what my field was. “Grammar and Arabic,” I told him. He then recited: You may think yourself unnoticed But One on high is watching you, Never sleeping or forgetting Every deed done here below. Heedless do we let the days pass Adding sin to grievous sin; Pray God pardon all our evil When we turn contrite to Him.276 We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites 33.2 Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Manṣūr al-Shīrāzī, who heard Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad ibn Makram say that he heard Abū l-Ḥusayn Aḥmad ibn al-Walīd al-Tamīmī report that he heard Thaʿlab say:

[Thaʿlab:] The first thing I noticed about Ibn Ḥanbal was his gaze: he looked as if he could see Hell blazing before him.277 I greeted him and he asked me who I was. “Thaʿlab.” “What kind of learning are you after?” “Rhymes and poems,” I said, and immediately wished I had said something else. “Write this down!” he said. Then he recited:

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384

33: Poems He Recited or Had Attributed to Him

You may think yourself unnoticed But One on high is watching you, Never sleeping or forgetting Every deed done here below. Heedless do we let the days pass Adding sin to grievous sin; Pray God pardon all our evil When we turn contrite to Him. Once your generation passes All those you knew are gone, Leaving you amid new faces, Abandoned, friendless, and alone.278 It was also reported to me that ʿAlī ibn Khashram heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal 33.3 recite: How swiftly fly the joys of sin! How long-abiding is the shame! How dear the thrill of sinful pleasures That damn you to eternal flame!279 We cite Ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, who who heard Abū 33.4 Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥibb recite what he had heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Khayyāṭ recite:

[Al-Khayyāṭ:] I recited part of what Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said about ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī: Why embrace a creed you once called damned? Why barter faith for worldly gain? Did a lying creed at once seem true, Or did Mammon lead my friend astray? I knew you once, when none could sway you From proclaiming, fearless, where you stood. Let riches go, and you lose nothing,280 But faith, once sold, is gone for good.281

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385

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386

Chapter 34: His Correspondence

We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites ʿAlī ibn 34.1 Muḥammad al-Muʿaddal, who cites Daʿlaj, who heard Abū l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn report that he heard Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd al-Dārimī say:

[Al-Dārimī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once addressed a letter to me as follows: “To Abū Jaʿfar—God grace you!—from Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by Abū l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī, 34.2 citing Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who cites Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, who cites Abū Naṣr ibn Kurdī, who cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad used to say that the word “to” in addresses should be ilā and not li-, and addressed his letters accordingly.282 We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 34.3 who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd report that he heard Abū Ghiyāth al-Ṭālqānī report that he heard Saʿīd ibn Yaʿqūb say:

[Saʿid ibn Yaʿqūb:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal wrote me the following letter: In the name of God, full of compassion, ever compassionate From Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad to Saʿid ibn Yaʿqūb Now then: desire for the things of this world is one kind of sickness, and desire for earthly power is another. The man of learning, on the other hand, is a physician. But if you ever see a physician bringing sickness on himself, avoid him. Peace to you! We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad, who cites ʿUmar ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baqqāl, who cites Abū 34.4 l-Ḥusayn ibn Bishrān, who cites ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad al-Daqqāq, who heard Ḥanbal report:

[Ḥanbal:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal used to address letters by writing from Soand-So to So-and-So. When I asked him why, he said, “The Prophet, God bless and keep him, wrote to Chosroes and Caesar, and all his other letters, that way. So did his Companions, as when ʿUmar—God be pleased with

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387

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390

35: His Appearance and Bearing We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 35.2 who cites Abū Nuʿaym Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father began dyeing his hair and beard with henna when he was sixty-three. Sulaymān said: We heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Qāḍī report that he heard Abū 35.3 Dāwūd al-Sijistānī say:

[Al-Sijistānī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal never joined people in talking about the things that most of them care about, but whenever Hadith was mentioned he would speak. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd, who cites 35.4 Abū Nuʿaym, who heard Abū Bakr ibn Mālik report that he heard Abū Jaʿfar ibn Dharīḥ al-ʿUkbarī report:

[Al-ʿUkbarī:] When I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, he was a tall old man with dyed hair and very dark skin. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 35.5 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī, who said:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] When Aḥmad was at home, he usually sat knees to the chest with his head bowed humbly before God. When he was outside, though, the humility was not so easy to see as it was when he was inside. I would come in and find him reading from a quire he held in his hand. When I sat down, he would close it and put it down in front of him. We cite Ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar al-Qazwīnī, who cites Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh, who heard Abū l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Ṣandalī report that he heard Khaṭṭāb ibn Bishr report:

[Khaṭṭāb ibn Bishr:] I was sitting in Aḥmad’s mosque with Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī trading Hadith reports when Abū Bakr heard the door open and jumped up. There was Aḥmad, sticking his head out. “Go look and see where Ḥasan’s gotten to,” he said, meaning his little boy. “The boy’s really got the poor man worried,” I thought to myself. The time was midday, and it was summer. Abū Bakr went into one of the houses where the weavers lived, found the boy, and brought him out. He told him where I was, and he told me to come in.283

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391

35.6

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 .   ٢

  . :   ، ، ١

38: His Kindness and His Consideration for Others

[Al-Būshanjī:] Of all the people I saw in Aḥmad’s time, I never met anyone as mindful of religion, as careful, as self-controlled, or as abstinent as Aḥmad, nor anyone as learned or as discerning in matters of religion, nor anyone so generous in spirit, so firm of heart, so congenial in company, or so unmistakably sincere.286 We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad 38.2 al-Ḥaddād, who cites Abū Nuʿaym Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard Abū Bakr ibn Mālik report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Yūnus al-Kudaymī report that he cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who cites Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan Abū l-Ash ʿath, who heard al-Qāsim ibn Nāṣr ibn Ḥassān report that he heard Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn Yazīd al-Fāmī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Baṣrī report that he heard ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī report:

[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once said to me, “I wish I could accompany you to Mecca, but I’m afraid I’ll get tired of your company, or you of mine.” When I came to say good-bye, I asked him if he wanted anything and he said, “I want you to remain fearful of God and mindful of the afterlife.” We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad, who cites ʿUmar ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baqqāl, who cites Abū 38.3 l-Ḥusayn ibn Bishrān, who cites ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad, who heard Ḥanbal report:

[Ḥanbal:] I remember that whenever Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal wanted to get up, he would say to whoever was with him, “By your leave.”

We cite Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who was informed by Muḥammad ibn Abī Naṣr, 38.4 who cites Abū ʿAlī Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Bayhaqī, who heard his father report that he heard Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Shahīd say that he heard al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī l-Iṣbahānī say that he heard Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī say:

[Al-Sijistānī:] Sitting with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal meant talking about the next world; the things of this world were never mentioned. I never saw him talk about this world at all. It reached me that Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn al-Munādī said:

[Ibn al-Munādī:] I heard my grandfather say, “Aḥmad was extremely modest, but generous in spirit; he was one of the most thoughtful and considerate people I’ve ever seen. He would sit with his head bowed and his eyes averted much of the time, and avoid talking about anything unseemly or

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401

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    ١ .   : 

38: His Kindness and His Consideration for Others

frivolous. When he did talk, it was to exchange Hadith or recall the example set by righteous men and renunciants, which he did with quiet dignity and eloquence. When meeting people, he would smile and give them his full attention. He showed great deference to senior men of learning, who in turn respected him enormously. He displayed the greatest veneration for Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, who was seven or so years older than he.”

We cite Ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī 38.6 ibn Aḥmad al-Muqri ʾ, who cites al-Khuṭabī, who heard Aḥmad’s son ʿAbd Allāh report:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Whenever my father left the mosque to come into the house, he would slap his sandal against the ground so people could hear him coming. He would often clear his throat, too, to let people know he was coming in.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 38.7 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī report that he heard Muhannaʾ report:

[Muhannaʾ:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal more than once or twice—more than three or four or five times, really—letting people kiss his face, his head, or his cheek. He wouldn’t say anything, but he wouldn’t stop them, either. I saw Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Hāshimī kiss him on the head and forehead. He didn’t stop him and he didn’t seem to disapprove. I also saw Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm kissing him on the forehead and the face. 38.8

Al-Khallāl also said:

I asked Zuhayr ibn Ṣāliḥ if he had ever seen his grandfather, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. “Yes,” he said. “I was about eight years old the first time. I was ten when he died.”287 “Do you remember what he was like?” “My sisters and I used to visit him every Friday. The door between our house and his was left open. He used to write a note to a man he bought nuts and dried fruit from and tell him to give each of us two silver pennies’ worth, and we would go and take two pennies’ worth of nuts or fruit and bring something for our sisters too.288

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38: His Kindness and His Consideration for Others

“Many times I saw him sitting in the sun with his back exposed and the scars showing. “I had a younger brother named ʿAlī, with the nickname Abū Ḥafs. My 38.9 father wanted to have him circumcised. He prepared a lot of food and invited people to come over. When the time came, he sent someone to invite my grandfather too. Later my father told me what he said: ‘I’ve heard about this new thing you’re doing, and I’ve heard that you’ve been wasteful about it. You should start with the poor and ill and feed them first.’ “The next day, when the cupper and the family members had arrived, my father went in to tell my grandfather. My grandfather came out with him, sat down next to the little boy, and stayed there while the circumcision took place. Afterward he took out two knotted pieces of cloth and gave one to the cupper and the other to the boy. Then he went back into his house. The cupper looked into the little bag and found a single dirham. We looked into the boy’s bag and found the same. “We had removed most of the things we had spread on the floor and put the put the boy on a little platform covered by some dyed garments. My grandfather didn’t seem to disapprove. “Once my grandfather’s maternal cousin, who had the kunyah Abū 38.10 Aḥmad, came from Khurasan and stayed with my father. One day after sunset prayers, my father told me to take Abū Aḥmad by the hand and show him in to my grandfather. I went into my grandfather’s house and found him doing more prayers so I sat down. When he finished, he asked me if Abū Aḥmad had arrived. “‘Yes.’ “‘Tell him to come in.’ “I went out, found Abū Aḥmad, and brought him back in. He sat down. My grandfather called out to an elderly woman—a tenant of his289—who used to work for him, and she brought out some bread, fresh herbs, vinegar, and salt on a wicker tray. Later she brought out one of those big platters and put it in front of us. It was a dried-whey stew290 with lots of meat and chard. We started eating and he joined us. As we ate, he asked Abū Aḥmad about the members of the family who were still in Khurasan. Several times, Abū Aḥmad had trouble understanding things in Arabic and so my grandfather would speak to him in Persian. All the while, he would choose pieces of meat and serve them to Abū Aḥmad and me too. Afterward he picked up the

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38: His Kindness and His Consideration for Others

platter himself and put it aside, then brought over a serving dish containing premium Barnī dates and shelled walnuts and put it in front of us on the tray. He ate and we did too, with him serving Abū Aḥmad. Then we washed our hands, with each of us taking care of himself.”

Al-Khallāl said that he heard Muḥammad ibn Mūsā report that he heard Ibrāhīm—mean- 38.11 ing al-Zuhrī—report that he heard ʿAbdūs al-ʿAṭṭār report:

[Al-ʿAṭṭār:] I sent my young son, along with a slave woman, to give my regards to Aḥmad. He welcomed the boy, held him in his lap, and asked him questions. He also sent out for a pudding,291 which he brought in, put in front of the boy, and coaxed him to eat, inviting the woman to eat as well. Then he went out to a vendor of fruits, nuts, and sweets, and came back with some almonds and sugar wrapped up in his gown. He took everything out, wrapped it up in a handkerchief, and gave it to the servant. Then he said to the boy, “Tell Abū Muḥammad I said hello.” Al-Khallāl also cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī, who said:

38.12

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once saw Aḥmad toss two dirhams into a circumciser’s basin. Al-Khallāl also cites ʿAbd al-Malik al-Maymūnī, who said:

38.13

[Al-Maymūnī:] I would often ask Aḥmad about something and he would say, “At your service!” Al-Khallāl also cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn to the effect that Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī 38.14 reported:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad was never abusive. If anyone was abusive to him, he would bear it patiently. Instead of getting angry, he would say, “May God suffice!”292 He didn’t bear grudges or speak rashly. His uncle once quarreled with the neighbors. When they would come to see Aḥmad, he would receive them as courteously as he always had, without taking sides or arguing his uncle’s part. He was very humble and loved the poor. I never saw poor men treated as well as they were when sitting in his company. He would treat them with special consideration while disregarding the affluent. He was graced with a quiet dignity. Whenever, in the late afternoon, he would sit in his usual place and give legal opinions, he would not speak until someone asked him a question. If he went out to his mosque, he didn’t go sit in the center of the

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407

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38: His Kindness and His Consideration for Others

gathering; instead, he sat wherever there was room. When he sat, he would never extend his leg, for fear of seeming disrespectful of others. He was kind, cheerful, and accommodating, and never vulgar or coarse. What he loved, he loved for the sake of God, and likewise for the things he hated. When he liked someone, he would show as much regard for his well-being as he would for his own, making no distinction between his own wishes and aversions and those of his friend. Even so, friendship never prevented him from intervening when someone he cared for behaved badly or wronged anyone else. Whenever he learned that someone was righteous, or self-denying, or had stood up for justice, or furthered the cause, he would inquire about him, talk about wanting to meet him, and express curiosity about his circumstances. He was a sensitive man: if he didn’t like something, he showed it. He would become indignant, though only on behalf of God; he would never get angry on his own behalf or do anything to promote his own interests. Wherever a matter of religion was at stake, he would become so incensed that he seemed a different person altogether: one heedless of blame or reproach. All the same he was easy to live with because he would suffer without complaint. One of his neighbors—a man who shared a wall with him—told me this story. “We had a dovecote, with pigeons in it, overlooking Aḥmad’s house. As a boy, I would climb up there and look down at him. He put up with it and never told me to stop. Then one day my uncle went up there and saw that the dovecote overlooked Aḥmad’s house. “‘Shame on you!’ he said to me. ‘Can’t you see that you’re disturbing Aḥmad?’ “‘But he never said anything to me!’ “‘You’d better give me those birds, or else!’ “He kept after me until I gave him the birds. Then he slaughtered them and tore down the dovecote.” Al-Khallāl said that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Jaʿfar ibn Jābir report that he heard Muḥammad 38.15 ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Junayd report citing Hārūn ibn Sufyān al-Mustamlī:

[Hārūn ibn Sufyān:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal decided to give away the money that al-Mutawakkil had given him, I went to see him and he gave me two hundred dirhams. “I need more,” I told him.

٤٠٩

409

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“That’s all there is,” he said, “but I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll give you three hundred and you can give it away.” After I took the money I said, “Aḥmad, I’m not giving a single dirham away to anyone.” All he did was smile. We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, 38.16 who heard al-Ḥasan ibn Abī Ṭālib report that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muṭṭalib report that he heard al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Anmāṭī report:

[Al-Anmāṭī:] Once I was at Aḥmad’s and he mentioned a Hadith I wanted to write down. He had his inkwell in front of him, and I asked if I could use it. “Of course,” he said gruffly. “No need to stand on ceremony!”293 We were informed by Abū l-Qāsim al-Ḥarīrī, who was informed by Abū Ṭālib al-ʿUshārī, 38.17 who heard Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn al-Jundī say that he heard ʿAlwān ibn al-Ḥusayn say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh say:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Someone asked my father why he didn’t spend more time with people. “Because I hate saying good-bye,” he said. We cite Ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who heard Ibrāhīm ibn 38.18

ʿUmar, who cites Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥamdān, who cites Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb, who heard Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī report:

[Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī:] Aḥmad would attend marriages, weddings, and circumcisions if invited, and eat what he was served there. I once heard him say to Aḥmad ibn Ḥafṣ al-Wakī ʿī, “I’m very fond of you, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.” Then he recited, “We heard Yaḥyā report, citing Thawr, citing Ḥabīb ibn ʿUbayd, citing al-Miqdām, that the Prophet—God bless and keep him—said, ‘When one of you feels affection for another, he should tell him.’”

We cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī, who cites ʿAbd 38.19 al-Ghaffār ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Muʾaddib, who heard ʿUmar ibn Aḥmad al-Wāʿiẓ report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Muʾadhdhin report that he heard Hārūn ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥammāl say:

٤١١

411

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414

39: His Forbearance and His Readiness to Forgive

[Isḥāq ibn Hāni ʾ:] We were once at Aḥmad’s house with al-Marrūdhī and Muhannaʾ ibn Yaḥyā l-Shāmī. There was a knock on the door and someone called out, “Is al-Marrūdhī here?” Since al-Marrūdhī didn’t want anyone to know where he was, Muhannaʾ ibn Yaḥyā put his finger on the palm of his hand294 and called back, “Al-Marrūdhī’s not here. What would he be doing here anyway?” Aḥmad laughed and did not seem to disapprove.

Chapter 39: His Forbearance and His Readiness to Forgive

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, 39.1 who heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Jārūdī report that he heard al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Jaʿfar report that he heard his father report that he heard Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Khiraqī report:

[Al-Khiraqī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “I forgive al-Muʿtaṣim for flogging me.” We cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb, 39.2 who cites Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Laʾʾāl (the trader in pearls), who cites Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ṣarrām:

[Al-Ṣarrām:] I heard Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq report that al-Mutawakkil took the partisan of ʿAlī who had denounced Aḥmad to the government and sent him to Aḥmad so he could recommend a punishment for him. But Aḥmad forgave him, saying, “He may have children who would be grieved if he were killed.” That was the gist of the story.295

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 39.3 who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad report that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ziyād report that he heard Ibn Hāni ʾ report:

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415

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422

40: His Property and Means of Subsistence

Addendum Aḥmad was sometimes so needy that he had to glean from the fields.301

40.4

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl cite Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn to the effect that Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī reported to them that he heard Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṭarasūsī report:

[Al-Ṭarasūsī:] The man who gave lodging to Aḥmad told me: “When he came to stay here he went out to glean. He came back having collected only a little. I said to him, ‘You’ve eaten more than you gleaned!’ “He said, ‘I saw them doing something I couldn’t bring myself to do: when they gleaned, they would crawl on all fours. But I dragged myself along sitting down.’” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites Abū 40.5 Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Khayyāṭ, who cites Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Fawāris, who cites Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq, who cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad told me, “I walked out to the frontier on foot and we went gleaning. I saw people tearing up the fields. But no one should cross onto another’s land without permission.” He also told me, “I walked all the way to Tarsus. We used to go out and glean.”

Addendum Aḥmad was sometimes so poor that he had to copy manuscripts for a fee. 40.6 To meet his expenses while traveling, he once hired himself out to some camel drivers. This episode will be described in the next chapter, God willing.

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423

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424

Chapter 41: His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Baghdādī, 41.1 who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad al-Iṣbahānī, who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ report that he heard Mūsā ibn Hārūn report that he heard Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh say:

[Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal made the journey to study with ʿAbd al-Razzāq, he ran out of money, so he hired himself out to a camel driver for the duration of the journey to Sanaa. His companions had offered help, but he refused to accept anything from anyone.

Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad said that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad report that al-Fatḥ ibn 41.2 Shakhraf wrote to him in his own hand saying that he heard ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd say:

[ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd:] ʿAbd al-Razzāq told us: “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came and stayed here for almost two years. At one point I said to him, ‘Aḥmad, there’s no way for you to make any money in this part of the world, so take this’”—and here ʿAbd al-Razzāq put out a handful of dinars to show us what he meant—“‘and spend it on yourself!’ But Aḥmad said, ‘I’m fine,’ and refused to accept anything from me.”

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 41.3 who cites Abū Nuʿaym al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Qāynī302 report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Junābadhī say that he heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Idrīs say that he heard Aḥmad ibn Sinān al-Wāsiṭī say:

[Al-Wāsiṭī:] I heard that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, as he was leaving Yemen, pawned his sandals to a baker in exchange for some food. He also hired himself out to some camel drivers when he left. ʿAbd al-Razzāq offered him some perfectly good dirhams,303 but he wouldn’t take them.

٤٢٥

425

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٤٢٨

428

41: His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father told me, “Yazīd ibn Hārūn once offered me five hundred dirhams—more or less—but I didn’t take it. He also offered money to Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and Abū Muslim al-Mustamlī, and they did.”

We cite Ismāʿīl and Muḥammad, who cite Ḥamd, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who 41.7 heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad report that he heard ʿUmar ibn al-Ḥasan al-Qāḍī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ḥātim ibn Abī Qimāsh [?]305 report that Ḥamdān ibn Sinān al-Wāsiṭī said:

[Al-Wāsiṭī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and several others came to study with me, but their money ran out. I offered them money and they took it, except for Aḥmad, who came to me with a fur and said, “Ask someone to sell this for me. That will give me enough to live on.” I bundled up some dirhams and offered them to him, but he refused to take anything. My wife said, “He’s a righteous man. Maybe it wasn’t enough. Give him twice that.” So I doubled the amount but he still wouldn’t take it. Finally he took his fur and left.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 41.8 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Barāthī, who heard Abū Muḥammad Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥassān al-Faqīh report:

[Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥassān:] I heard this story from a man who had known Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in Wāsiṭ, where they were students at the door of Yazīd ibn Hārūn. Aḥmad came to him with a cloak he wanted to sell even though it was the coldest time of year. “It took a while, but I persuaded him not to sell it. Then I went to Yazīd and said, ‘Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal just asked me to sell off his cloak—in this weather!’ “Yazīd told his servant to weigh out a hundred dirhams and bring them in. Then he gave the money to me and told me to pass it on Aḥmad. So I brought him the money and said, ‘This is for you, from Yazīd.’ “‘I do need it,’ he said, ‘and I am on a journey. But I don’t want to get used to accepting help. Take it back!’ “So I took it back. Then he gave me his cloak and I sold it.”

٤٢٩

429

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٤٣٠

430

41: His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress Al-Khallāl also cites Abū Ghālib ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad, who heard Aḥmad’s son Ṣāliḥ report: 41.9

[Ṣāliḥ:] One day Ḥusn306 came to me and said, “A man just came and left a basket of dried fruit and a note.” I read the note, which said: Aḥmad, I sold some merchandise in Samarqand worth such-and-such on your behalf and made a profit of such-and-such. Herewith are four thousand dirhams, which I’m sending to you along with some fruit I picked from my orchard, which belonged to my father and grandfather before me.

When he came home, I gathered the boys and went in to see him. “Dad,” I said, “doesn’t it hurt you to see me live on charity?” Putting the children in front of him, I wept. “How did you find out?” he asked. Then he said, “Leave it be for now. Tonight I’ll ask God what to do.” The next day, he said, “Ṣāliḥ, don’t tell anyone about this. I asked God and He told me not to accept.” He opened the basket and gave the fruit to the children. Then he sent the money back, along with a ten-cubit robe he had. Later I heard that the man set the robe aside to use as a shroud.

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Bakr and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn 41.10 Aḥmad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report; and we cite Ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, who cites Abū l-Qāsim al-Azharī, who cites al-Qaṭī ʿī, who [like Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad] heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm ibn Badr report:

[ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm:] A neighbor of ours once showed us a document and asked if we recognized the handwriting. “Yes,” we said, “it’s Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s. But why did he write this for you?” “We were staying with Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah in Mecca,” said the neighbor. “Aḥmad disappeared for a few days so we went to look for him. The people at the house where he was staying pointed out his room. We found the door ajar and saw that he was there, but dressed in rags.

٤٣١

431

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٤٥٠

450

41: His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I was told that when Aḥmad was sent back from the frontier, Abū Bakr al-Mustamlī went with him to look after him. He told the following story. “When we stopped at one of the way stations, we found that one of his friends had sent him a hundred dinars, telling him to spend it on his travels. But he wouldn’t take it. I said, ‘Aḥmad, I’m a frontiersman with mouths to feed. Let me take it!’ “‘That won’t do,’ he said. ‘What they give you the first time isn’t like the second.310 Better to live with some dignity.’ “Then he sent it back.” 41.27

Al-Khallāl also cited Aḥmad’s son ʿAbd Allāh:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] One night we heard a tapping on the door. I opened it and saw a man putting down a large footed tray covered with a white cloth. “Take this,” he said, then ran off before I could say anything. It was a big tray. I brought it inside and put it in front of my father. “What’s this?” he asked. “Did it come from Abū Muḥammad’s house?”— meaning Fūrān’s. “No,” I said. “Where, then? Who brought it here?” “Whoever it was put it down and left.” Under the cloth was some wholesome-looking food, along with goblets of sweets that had clearly cost someone a lot of money. My father sat for a while, thinking hard. Finally he said, “Send some of it to your uncle’s house and give some to Ṣāliḥ’s children,” pointing to the girl and the boys. “Take some for yourself, too.” Later I found out where it had come from. Several people used to send him gifts but he would never partake. ʿAbdūs al-ʿAṭṭār often sent things, but he would never taste them.

٤٥١

451

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Chapter 42: His Generosity

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 42.1 who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard his father report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad report that he heard Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Ṭarasūsī report:

[Al-Ṭarasūsī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once dropped a pair of clippers311 into the well. One of his tenants came along and fished it out. Aḥmad immediately handed him some money—half a dirham, more or less. “The clippers aren’t worth more than a qīrāṭ,”312 said the man. “I won’t take anything.” A few days later, Aḥmad asked him, “How much rent do you owe on your shop?” “Three months’ worth,” said the man, “at three dirhams a month.”313 “Consider it paid,” said Aḥmad, drawing a line through his account. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 42.2 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī Ḥanīfah al-Muʾaddib told me, “When I used to come see your father, he would often give me things and say, ‘This is half of what we’ve got in the house.’ One day I came and stayed for a long time. He brought out four loaves of bread and said, ‘This is half of what we have.’ “‘I’d rather have these four from you,’ I told him, ‘than four thousand from anyone else.’” Al-Khallāl also said that he heard Muḥammad ibn Abī Hārūn report that he heard 42.3 Abū Bakr ibn Abī Mūsā report that he heard Yaḥyā ibn Hilāl al-Warrāq report:

[Al-Warrāq:] I once went to Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr to ask for help. He gave me four or five dirhams, saying, “This is half of what I have.” Another time I went to Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal. He took out four dirhams and said, “This is all I have.” Al-Khallāl also cited ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ismāʿīl, who heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-Ṭayālisī report that Hārūn al-Mustamlī said to him:

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43: His Accepting Gifts and Giving Gifts in Return I read aloud to Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr his report citing Abū l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī 42.7 citing Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who cites Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ājurrī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Kurdī, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I was with Aḥmad on the way to Samarra when we stopped at a way station. I took out a loaf of flatbread and put a jug of water before him. Then a dog appeared. It stood beside him on its hind legs and started wagging its tail. He tossed it a bit of food. Soon he was tossing it a bit to eat for every bite he took himself. Afraid that at that rate Aḥmad would starve, I got up and shooed the dog away. Then I looked and saw that Aḥmad was red with embarrassment. “Let it be,” he said. “According to Ibn ʿAbbās, they have souls, even if they are wicked ones.”

Chapter 43: His Accepting Gifts and Giving Gifts in Return

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, 43.1 who cites Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz report that he cites ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim, who heard Ṣāliḥ report:

[Ṣāliḥ:] A man whose wife had just had a baby gave my father a footed tray of honey nut pudding. In return my father gave him some sugar worth a good deal of money. We cite Ibn Nāṣir, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was informed by Abū 43.2 Isḥāq al-Barmakī, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who cites ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad, who heard Aḥmad’s son Ṣāliḥ report:

[Ṣāliḥ:] Someone sent my father some fruit as a gift. In return, my father sent him an entire garment. 43.3

Al-Khallāl heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I remember that Aḥmad, when a man made him a gift of some water from Zamzam, reciprocated by sending him barley meal and sugar. Once he told me to spend five dirhams on a gift for someone, saying, “Go see his children, since he gave Saʿīd317 a gift.”

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 .  :  ٢

   .     ١

43: His Accepting Gifts and Giving Gifts in Return Al-Khallāl cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī and Muḥammad ibn Abī Hārūn to the effect that 43.4 Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm reported:

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] One of Aḥmad’s neighbors, a man named Jūwīn,318 gave him some walnuts, raisins, and figs in a bowl, the lot worth three dirhams or less. Aḥmad gave me a dinar and said, “Go buy ten dirhams’ worth of sugar and seven dirhams’ worth of dates, and drop it off at his place at night.” I did as he asked. [Al-Khallāl cites] Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī, who heard Isḥāq ibn Ibrahīm ibn Hāni ʾ report 43.5 that his father said:

[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāni ʾ:] A man from Samarqand came with a letter of recommendation from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, so Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal agreed to teach him. One day the man gave him a garment as a gift. Aḥmad gave it to my father and said, “Take it to the market and find out what it’s worth.” My father said, “I took it to the market and they told me it was worth twenty-some dirhams, and I came back and told Aḥmad. He stopped letting the man in until he could buy two garments and two face veils—or a garment and a face veil—to give him in return. Once he had sent the gifts, he allowed the man in again to hear Hadith.” Al-Khallāl cites ʿIṣmah ibn ʿIṣām, who heard Ḥanbal say:

[Ḥanbal:] Aḥmad had a friend named Maḥfūẓ who had traveled with him to study with ʿAbd al-Razzāq. The two had a real liking for each other. One day, a messenger of his appeared out of nowhere bringing some baskets of premium Barnī dates. I went in and told Aḥmad. He accepted the gift, but he sent Maḥfūẓ a garment in return. Maḥfūẓ came to see him and said, “Aḥmad, your gift distressed me.” “And yours distressed me too,” he replied.

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459

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462

. : ١

44: His Renunciation

“It didn’t take long,” he said, “before all of them started climbing over each other to go there, but none of them got much out of it.” On another occasion, when someone was described as successful, my father said, “Son, success means being successful in the end without owing anything to anybody.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 44.5 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who heard Abū Jaʿfar al-Qaṭṭān, known as Ibn Abī l-Qudūr, report:

[Ibn Abī l-Qudūr:] When prices were high, Aḥmad would come to me with woven cloth which he would hide on his person and have me sell for him. Sometimes I would get a dirham and a half for it and sometimes two dirhams. One day he didn’t come to see me. The next day, I said, “Aḥmad, where were you yesterday?” “Umm Ṣāliḥ was sick.” He gave me some woven cloth, which I sold for four dirhams. When I brought it to him, he didn’t like it. “You didn’t add any of your own money, did you?” he asked. “No,” I replied. “It was finely woven.” We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf, 44.6 who cites Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak, who heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Aḥmad’s son Ṣāliḥ report that his father said:

[Ṣāliḥ:] My father said, “When prices were high, your mother would weave fine cloth. She’d sell four and a half mithqāls323 for about two dirhams, and that’s how we’d eat.” My father once came into my house after we had put in a new ceiling. He called me over and dictated the following report: “We heard Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb report that he heard Ḥammād ibn Salamah report, citing Yūnus, citing al-Ḥasan, that al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays returned from a journey to find that they had put a new roof on his house and painted some of the planks red and green.324 They told him to look at it, and he said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t notice. Anyway, I can’t come in until you change it.’

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464

44: His Renunciation

“When I bought a slave woman, my wife complained to him about it. He said, ‘I’ve always tried to keep them away from the things of this world. But I haven’t heard the same about you.’ “My wife said, ‘Is there anyone besides you who hates having money?’ “‘Deal with her yourself, then,’ he replied.325 “We often bought things and hid them so he wouldn’t find out about them and rebuke us.”

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who was 44.7 informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī, who said:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] When we were in Samarra, Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā l-Miṣrī and a number of other Hadith-men came to see Aḥmad. “Why do you look so upset?” asked al-Miṣrī. “Islam is the one true faith, without harshness or constraint, and there’s room in it for everyone.” Aḥmad, who was lying down, simply stared at them. After they had left, he said, “Did you see them? I don’t want any of them in here again.”326 Al-Khallāl cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Simsār, who heard Isḥāq ibn Hāni ʾ al-Naysābūrī 44.8 report:

[Al-Naysābūrī:] Aḥmad once said to me, “Some morning, come by early and we’ll compare our copies of Renunciation.” So I went to see him early one morning. I asked his son's mother327 to bring me a mat and a pillow, and I put them out in the anteroom. Then Aḥmad came out with the book and his inkpot. When he saw the mat and the pillow, he said, “What’s this?” “For you to sit on,” I said. “Take it away,” he said. “We can’t study renunciation without renouncing.” So I took the things away and Aḥmad sat down on the ground. Al-Khallāl cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Simsār, who heard al-Sarī ibn Muḥammad, 44.9 Ṣāliḥ’s brother-in-law, say:

[Al-Sarī ibn Muḥammad:] One day Aḥmad’s grandson came over to help him with his ablutions.328 Seeing that his grandfather had taken a wet rag and put it on his head, he asked him if he had a fever. “What would I get a fever from?” he replied.329

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44: His Renunciation Al-Khallāl cites Yūsuf ibn al-Ḍaḥḥāk, who heard Ibn Jabalah report:

44.10

[Ibn Jabalah:] I was at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s front door, which was ajar, and I heard his son’s mother330 telling him, “Here I am suffering with you, but over at Ṣālīḥ’s house they’ve got plenty to eat,” and so on and so forth. “Speak no ill,” he kept telling her. When he came out, his little boy came out with him and began crying. “What do you want?” he asked him. “Raisins!” cried the boy. “Go tell the grocer,” said Aḥmad, “to give you a ḥabbah’s worth.”331

Al-Khallāl cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Warrāq, who heard Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Hāni ʾ 44.11 report that he heard his father say:

[Hāni ʾ:] When he returned from Samarra, Aḥmad told me to go to the bathhouse and ask the man who ran it to clear the place for him. So I went and asked, and the man agreed. I went back and told Aḥmad, who said, “It’s been fifty years since I’ve entered a bathhouse.332 I might as well not go now, either. Tell him to open it up again.” So I did.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 44.12 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak, who heard

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Aḥmad’s son Ṣāliḥ report:

[Ṣāliḥ:] My father used to depilate himself at home. One winter day he said, “After sunset I want to go to the bathhouse, so go tell the owner.” But after sunset, he said, “Let him know I’ve changed my mind,” and depilated himself at home. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad, and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 44.13 who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ, who heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report; and we cite Ibn Nāṣir, who was informed by Abū ʿAlī ibn al-Bannāʾ, who cites Abū l-Qāsim al-Azharī, who cites al-Qaṭī ʿī who [like Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad] heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report:

[ʿAbd Allāh:] One day when I was sitting with my father he looked at my feet, which were smooth and had no cracks on the soles.

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468

45: His House and Furniture

“Look at those feet!” he said. “Why don’t you walk barefoot and toughen them up?” We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites Abū 44.14 Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Khayyāṭ, who cites Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Fawāris, who cites Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say to Shujāʿ ibn Makhlad al-ʿAṭṭār, “What difference does it make what I eat or what I wear? It will all be over soon enough.” We cite ʿUmar ibn Ẓafar, who cites Jaʿfar ibn Aḥmad, who cites ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAlī 44.15 l-Azajī, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jahḍam, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn

ʿĪsā, who heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “My happiest days are when I wake up with nothing in the house.”

Chapter 45: His House and Furniture333

We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, 45.1 who heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report; and we cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥāfiẓ, who cites al-Qaṭī ʿī who [like Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad] heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Bilāl report that he heard

ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī say:

[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] When I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house, all I could think of was how much it resembled Suwayd ibn Ghafalah’s, which was said to be very humble and sparsely furnished.

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476

47: His Indulgences

“What?” exclaimed the doctor. “You have yourself cupped and then eat only bread and grain paste?” “What else am I supposed to eat?” asked Aḥmad. 46.6

Al-Khallāl said that Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq said:

[Ḥanbal:] When Aḥmad fell ill, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān prescribed almond oil,343 but he refused to drink it, saying he wanted sesame oil instead. His condition grew worse and so they prepared it for him, but when he realized what it was he pushed it away.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites Abū 46.7 Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Khayyāṭ, who cites Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Fawāris, who cites Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “My hands and feet are cold. It must be the vinegar and salt I put on my bread.” Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Hāni ʾ reported: “Aḥmad never ate anything cooked 46.8 with pepper or garlic. Once I had dinner with him and some of his relatives. As we talked, I noticed that after every bite, he would wipe his hand on a napkin and say ‘God be thanked!’ Later he said to me, ‘Eating with thanks is better than eating in silence.’”

Chapter 47: His Indulgences

We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad, who cites 47.1 Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who cites ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Mardak, who heard Abū Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥātim report that he heard Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal report:

[Ṣāliḥ:] When my father got sick, he let them take care of him. To keep him warm in winter, they would buy thorn-bush roots and burn them in a narrow coal-pan.

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477

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482

48: His Clothing Al-Khallāl cites ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd:

48.8

[Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd:] I saw Aḥmad one summer day wearing a tunic and a breechclout tied around his waist. I never saw him with his sleeves unrolled (when he was out walking, that is). 48.9

Al-Khallāl cites Sulaymān ibn al-Ash ʿath:

[Ibn al-Ash ʿath:] I used to see Aḥmad wearing his breechclout loosely draped. Al-Khallāl heard Zuhayr ibn Ṣāliḥ report that he heard his father say:

48.10

[Ṣāliḥ:] My father had a cap he had sewed himself. It was lined with cotton. When he got up at night he would put it on. Al-Khallāl cites Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Ḥassān:

48.11

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn:] I saw one of Aḥmad’s caps. It had one patch of striped cloth and another of Marawī353 white. Al-Khallāl read aloud to al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Nuʿaymī his report citing al- 48.12 Ḥusayn ibn al-Ḥasan citing Ḥumayd ibn Zanjuwayh, who said:

[Ibn Zanjuwayh:] I saw Aḥmad wearing a green gown patched with a piece of white wool. Al-Khallāl cites Muḥammad ibn Musā, who heard Ḥamdān ibn ʿAlī say:

48.13

[Ḥamdān ibn ʿAlī:] I saw Aḥmad wearing a gown patched in a different color. Al-Khallāl heard al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad needed to patch his shirt but didn’t have a patch, so he decided to cut a patch from his breechclout. We cut it for him and sewed on the patch. More than once, when he needed a scrap of cloth, he cut it from his breechclout. Once he asked me to repair some leather shoes he had worn for seventeen years. From the stitching on the outside I could see that they had already been repaired five or six times already.

٤٨٣

483

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484

 .   ١

49: His Scrupulosity Al-Khallāl heard Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Maʿbad report:

48.15

[Ibn Maʿbad:] I saw Abū ʿAbd Allāh wearing yellow sandals. We were informed by Ibn Nāṣir, who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites 48.16 Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Khayyāṭ, who cites Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Fawāris, who cites Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq, who heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once brought Aḥmad a new pair of leather shoes that had been made for him. He kept them overnight, but in the morning he said: “I’ve been thinking about those shoes”—he may even have said “most of the night”—“and couldn’t sleep, so I’ve decided not to wear them. How much time do I have left, anyway? More than half my life is over.” Taking a battered old pair of shoes he had, he said, “Here, slap some patches onto these.” He added, “Do you know how long I’ve had these? More than sixteen years, and they were used when I got them. These here”— meaning the new ones—“were weighing on my mind.” I read aloud to ʿAlī ibn Nāṣir his report citing Abī l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī citing Ibn Baṭṭah, 48.17 who cites Abū Ṭālib ibn al-Buhlūl, who heard Aḥmad ibn Aṣram al-Muzanī report:

[Al-Muzanī:] I once noticed that Aḥmad wore trousers that ended above the ankle. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by Abū l-Qāsim ibn al-Busrī, 48.18 citing Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who cites Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, who cites Abū Naṣr ibn Kurdī, who cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī, who said:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I saw Aḥmad wearing a murabbaʿ 354 outer garment. He often put the end of it under his feet when he prayed.

Chapter 49: His Scrupulosity

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Karūkhī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad 49.1 al-Anṣārī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Jārūdī, citing Abū Zurʿah Muḥammad ibn

٤٨٥

485

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494

49: His Scrupulosity

Ḥusn, his son’s mother, gave me another coin and said, “Take this and buy some beans for me too.” Aḥmad added, “And buy some beans in oil for the boys.” I ended up with one or two ḥabbahs in change from the coin I had spent on the beans in oil, so I told the bean vendor to give me some more oil. I took the oil and poured it over the beans I had bought for Aḥmad. When I brought the food back and put it in front of him, he noticed the trace of oil and asked, “What’s this?” I said, “There was a ḥabbah left over from the boys’ coin so I spent it on oil for you.” “Take it away, you idiot,” he said. “Who told you to do that? When are you going to learn?” He didn’t eat any of it. Al-Khallāl also cited Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Simsār:

[Al-Simsār:] I heard Aḥmad say to Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī, “Go to Umm ʿAlī”—meaning his daughter—“and take whatever she gives you.” Isḥāq went in and came back out carrying a chicken. Then he and I left together. “What did Umm ʿAlī say?” I asked him. “She said her father needs a cupping but has no money, and asked her to give me the chicken and have me sell it.” When we got the chicken to market, Isḥāq was offered a dirham and two dāniqs for it, but changed his mind about the sale and took it back. At the bridge, we ran across Aḥmad’s son ʿAbd Allāh, who was sitting at Ibn Bukhtān’s shop. He called Isḥāq over and asked, “Why are carrying a chicken? And whose is it?” I told him that Umm ʿAlī had given it to us to sell. “How much did you get for it?” “We were offered a dirham and two dāniqs.” “Give it to me for one and a half.” Isḥāq took the money and gave him the chicken. When we got back, Umm ʿAlī asked him how much he’d gotten. “One and a half dirhams.” “That’s all?” “The offer I got at the market was only a dirham and two dāniqs.” Then Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal asked, “Who bought it?”

٤٩٥

495

49.18

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٤٩٦

496

49: His Scrupulosity

“Your son ʿAbd Allāh.” When he heard that, Aḥmad grabbed the money back from Umm ʿAlī. “Go,” he shouted at me, “and return it!” Isḥāq went running back to ʿAbd Allāh. “Take your money back!” he said. “Your father shouted at me over it.” “Why did you tell him it was me?” asked ʿAbd Allāh, but took the money back. Isḥāq continued the story: [Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me to go back to the market and keep his son out of it. So I sold the chicken to someone I didn’t know for a dirham and a third, and then went back to Aḥmad. “You’d better not have sold it to ʿAbd Allāh,” he said. “No,” I replied. “I sold it to a stranger.” Al-Khallāl also cited Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Simsār:

49.19

[Al-Simsār:] ʿAbd Allāh’s mother had a house next to ours in the lane. The house had been part of Aḥmad’s inheritance, and so he collected a dirham in rent on it. At one point she needed money and ʿAbd Allāh gave it to her. After that, Aḥmad stopped taking the dirham from her, saying that it was now tainted.362 49.20

Al-Khallāl also cited Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ṣāliḥ reported that when his father got sick, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān the physician advised him to roast a gourd and drink the juice. “He told me not to cook it in my house or in ʿAbd Allāh’s,” said Ṣāliḥ. I heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say that he took it and cooked it and brought it back to him. Al-Khallāl said: We cite Abū l-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, who heard Abū Bakr ibn 49.21 Ḥammād al-Muqri ʾ report that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAyyāsh report:

[Ibn ʿAyyāsh:] Aḥmad sent me to buy him a single coin’s worth of clarified butter. I brought it to him wrapped in a green leaf.363 He took the butter, gave me back the leaf, and said, “Return it.” Al-Khallāl also cited Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Munādī, who heard al-Ṣaḥnāʾ ī364 49.22 report:

[Al-Ṣaḥnāʾ ī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal gave me a single coin to buy some beans on bread in broth. I came back with a lot of beans and he asked why. “There were two bean vendors trying to undersell each other.”

٤٩٧

497

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49: His Scrupulosity We cite ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn al-Mubārak al-Anmāṭī and Muḥammad Abū Manṣūr, who 49.33 cite al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites Abū Manṣūr Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī l-Bayyi ʿ, who heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Warrāq dictate that he heard Yaḥyā ibn Ṣāʿid report that he heard Abū Farwah Yazīd ibn Muḥammad al-Ruhāwī dictate in al-Ruhā:

[Al-Ruhāwī:] I once met Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in Baghdad and he asked me, “Whatever happened to that man al-Jawharī you have there in Ḥarrān? He was learned.” I replied that I knew of no one by that name teaching Hadith in Ḥarrān. “You know who I mean: he was an associate of Abū Maʿbad Ḥafṣ ibn Ghaylān.” “I don’t know him.” “Come on!” said Aḥmad. “He has a number of sons.” “Do you mean ‘the Owl’?” “Yes!” he said. “Learn from him: he’s reliable.” [The author:] The man’s name was Sulaymān ibn Abī Dāwūd and he was called “the Owl.” Out of scrupulosity, our exemplar Aḥmad avoided using his nickname. We cite ʿAbd al-Malik al-Karūkhī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who 49.34 cites, with his permission, Yaḥyā ibn ʿAmmār, who cites Abū Aḥmad ibn Janāḥ, who heard Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm report that he heard Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī say:

[Al-Sijistānī:] I once asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about the validity of a declaration of divorce pronounced by a drunken man. He said, “Ask someone else.”369 We cite Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir, who cites al-Mubārak ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who cites Ibrāhīm 49.35 ibn ʿUmar al-Barmakī, who cites Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who heard Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb al-ʿĀbid report that he heard Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī say:

[Al-Ḥarbī:] On his deathbed Aḥmad asked that we make expiation for him for one vow he had made, saying “I think I broke it.”370 We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who 49.36 cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Ḥarīrī, who cites Abū ʿUmar ibn Ḥayyawayh, who cites Abū Muzāḥim al-Khāqānī, who heard al-Qāsim ibn Aḥmad al-Ṣāyigh report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Marrūdhī report:

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50: His Shunning Appointment to Positions of Authority

[Al-Marrūdhī:] More times than I can count, I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about something and he said, “I don’t know.” Al-Khāqānī also heard Ibn al-Muṭṭawwi ʿī report that he heard Muḥammad ibn 49.37

ʿUbayd al-Yamāmī say:

[Al-Yamāmī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “Many times I’ve waited three years before knowing what to think about a problem of law.” We cite ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq, who cites Muḥammad ibn Marzūq, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn 49.38 Thābit, who cites al-Barmakī, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bukhayt, who heard ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad al-Jawharī report that he heard Abū Bakr al-Athram report:

[Al-Athram:] I often heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, when someone asked him a question, say that he didn’t know. He would say this even when he was aware of what had been said about it. When asked to give the answer he preferred, he would note that there was a difference of opinion. What he meant when he said “I don’t know” was that he didn’t know which view to choose. I often heard him say, “I don’t know,” and then start citing opinions. We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who was informed by ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Busrī, 49.39 citing Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Baṭṭah, who cites Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Kurdī, who cites Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī, who said:

[Al-Marrūdhī:] When I was with Aḥmad in Ītākh’s palace in Samarra, I pointed out something that had been put up on the wall.371 He told me not to look at it. “But I already did,” I said. “Well, don’t.”

Chapter 50: His Shunning Appointment to Positions of Authority372

We cite Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who was informed by Muḥammad ibn Abī Naṣr, 50.1 who cites Abū ʿAlī Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn, who heard his father report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ, who cites Naṣr ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr al-Baṣrī, who heard Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm

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