Annabinmu Aḥmad an haife shi a Baghdad, kamar yadda muka ambata, kuma ya girma a can.

Our exemplar Aḥmad was born in Baghdad, as we have mentioned, and grew up there.

Bayan ya yi karatu a wurin malamai da masana hadisi na birnin, sai ya tafi neman ilimi a wasu wuraren kuma. 3.1

After studying with the teachers and Hadith scholars of the city, he set out to seek learning elsewhere as well. 3.1

Gidan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana da Kogin Dijla mai Ido Ɗaya a bayansa kai tsaye.2

[Ibn Kurdī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house had the One-Eyed Tigris15 directly behind it. 3.2

[Abū ʿAfīf:] Aḥmad yana tare da mu a makarantar Alƙur'ani tun yana ƙarami.

[Abū ʿAfīf:] Aḥmad was with us in Qurʾan school when he was just a little boy.

Ko da haka, ya fito fili fiye da kowa. A wancan lokaci, halifa yana zaune a al-Raqqah, sai fadawan da suka bi shi can suka fara rubuta wasiƙu zuwa ga iyalansu a Baghdad.

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.

Sa'ad da suke son amsa wata wasiƙa, matan gidajensu za su roƙi malaminmu ya aika Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal zuwa gidajensu. Malamin zai aika shi, sai ya tafi yana duba ƙasa sosai. Matan sukan faɗi kalmomi marasa kunya, amma ba zai rubuta su ba. 3.3

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. 3.3

[Abū Sirāj:] Sa'ad da muke makarantar Alƙur'ani tare da Aḥmad, mata sukan aika saƙo zuwa ga malamin makarantar suna cewa, "Ka aika mana Ibn Ḥanbal ya rubuta mana, don mu amsa wasiƙun da muka karɓa." Duk lokacin da ya shiga inda mata suke, sai ya riƙa sunkuyar da kansa don kada ya kalle su.

[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 ya kuma ce mahaifinsa, wanda ya ambaci sunansa, ya burge shi da yadda Aḥmad ke ɗabi'arsa: "Wata rana mahaifina ya ce mana, 'Ina kashe kuɗi wajen ɗaukar malamai domin 'ya'yana su koyi kyawawan ɗabi'u, amma ga alama babu wani amfani. To ku dubi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: marayu ne, amma duba yadda ya fito da kyau!'16 Ya ci gaba da mamaki na wani lokaci." 3.4

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Abū Sirāj also said that his father, whose name he gave, 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!’16 He went on marveling for some time.” 3.4

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad ya gaya mini, "Lokacin da nake yaro, ina zuwa makarantar Alƙur'ani, sannan lokacin da na cika shekara goma sha huɗu sai na fara aiki da ayyuka."17 3.5

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad told me, “When I was a boy, I would go to the Qurʾan school, and then when I was fourteen I took up duties.”17 3.5

[Abū l-Munabbih:] Labarin farko da muka ji game da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal shi ne lokacin da kawunsa ya karɓi wasiƙa daga hukumomi. Ya rubuta amsa ya ba Aḥmad, wanda ya kamata ya mika ta ga wani manzo da ke jira. Amma maimakon ya mika ta, Aḥmad ya saka ta a cikin wani ɗaki na ciki da suke da shi a gida. Lokacin da manzon ya nemi wasiƙar, kawun ya amsa da cewa ya riga ya aika ta. Sai ya tambayi Aḥmad, "Ina wasiƙar da na umarce ka ka ba mutumin da ke bakin ƙofa?" 3.6

[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 alcove18 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?” 3.6

"Yana sanye da riga mai dogon hannu," ya amsa. "Za ka sami wasikarka a cikin kogon bango."20

“He was wearing a long-sleeved gown,”19 he replied. “You’ll find your letter in the alcove.”20

[Al-ʿAbbās:] Dāwūd ibn Bisṭām ya gaya mini: "Wata rana, sa'ad da rahoton daga Baghdad ya jinkirta, na aika wa ƙanen Aḥmad sako, ina fatan rubuta dukkan wasiƙun don in aika wa khalifa, amma nasa bai iso ba tukuna. Ya amsa da cewa ya aika ɗan’uwansa ya kawo shi. Sai ya aika a kira Aḥmad, wanda a lokacin yaro ne kawai. 3."7

[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. 3.7

"Ashe ban gaya maka ka isar da rahoto na ba?" ya tambaya.

“‘Didn’t I tell you to deliver my report?’ he asked.

"Eh," in Aḥmad ya amsa.

“‘Yes,’ replied Aḥmad.

"Me yasa ba ka yi ba, to?" "Na kasance ina ɗaukar waɗancan rahotanni, amma ba yanzu ba. Na jefa shi cikin ruwa."21 Sai Ibn Bisṭām ya karanta «Mu na Allah ne, kuma gare Shi za mu koma!»22 ya ƙara da cewa: "Idan yaro yana da irin wannan tsoron Allah, to ina mu da ke?"23

“‘Why didn’t you, then?’ “‘I used to carry those reports but not any more.21 I threw it into the water.’” Ibn Bisṭām then recited «We are of God, and to Him we return!»22 adding: “When a boy has such scruples, where does that leave us?”23

[Yūnus al-Mu'addib:] Na ga Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal a lokacin da Hushaym yana raye, kuma ko a lokacin ya riga ya shahara sosai. 3.8

[Yūnus al-Muʾaddib:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal while Hushaym was still alive, and even then he was already well respected. 3.8

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Na ji Aḥmad yana cewa, "Sa'ad da Hushaym ya rasu ina da shekara ashirin."24

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “When Hushaym died I was twenty years old.”24

[Wani mai neman Hadisi tare da ni:] Aḥmad koyaushe yana fitowa fili. Wata rana, ina jiran sa a wajen Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah. A lokacin, Aḥmad bai kai shekara talatin ba tukuna. Amma da ya shigo, kowa ya yi ƙoƙarin share wuri dominsa, yana kira, "Ku zo nan zauna!" 3.9

[A fellow Hadith-seeker:] Aḥmad always stood out. One day, I was waiting for him at Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah’s. At the time, Aḥmad was not yet thirty. But when he came in, everyone tried to clear a space for him, calling out, “Come sit over here!” 3.9