Bisa ga rubutun tarihinsa, al-Ma'mūn ya aika wasiƙa daga al-Raqqah 338 zuwa ga shugaban 'yan sandan Baghdad, Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, yana umurtarsa da ya gwada al'umma, shi kuma ya yi haka. 67.1

According to his biographers, al-Maʾmūn sent a letter from al-Raqqah 338 to the chief of the Baghdad police, Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, telling him to put the community to the test, which he did. 67.1

[Ṣāliḥ:] Na ji mahaifina yana cewa, "Sa'ad da suka kawo mu don a yi mana tambaya a gaban Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, abu na farko da suka yi shi ne karanta wasiƙar da wanda ke Tarsus ya rubuta" — wato al-Ma'mūn.339 "Suka karanta mana wasu ayoyi, ciki har da «Babu wani abu kamarsa»340 da «Shi ne Mahaliccin komai.»341 Da na ji «Babu wani abu kamarsa», sai na karanta «Shi ne Mai ji, Mai gani.»342" 67.2

[Ṣāliḥ:] I heard my father say, “When they took us in to be questioned by Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, the first thing they did was to read aloud the letter written by the one in Tarsus”—that is, al-Maʾmūn.339 “They recited some verses to us, including «Nothing is like Him»340 and «He is the creator of everything.»341 When I heard ‘Nothing is like Him,’ I recited «He is the One who hears and sees.»342 67.2

Sannan waɗanda suke wurin aka gwada su. Waɗanda suka ƙi amincewa an ɗauke su aka kulle su. Daga cikinsu duka, huɗu ne kawai suka yi tsayin daka. Sunayensu su ne Muḥammad ibn Nuḥ; ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar al-Qawārīrī; al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥammād, wanda ake kira Sajjādah; da mahaifina. Daga baya ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar da al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥammād ma sun miƙa wuya, inda suka bar Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ da mahaifina ne kawai a cikin kurkuku.

“Then those present were put to the test. Those who withheld their assent were taken away and locked up. Of them all, only four resisted. Their names are Muḥammad ibn Nuḥ; ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar al-Qawārīrī; al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥammād, called Sajjādah; and my father. Later ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿUmar and al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥammād gave in too, leaving only Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ and my father in confinement.

Daga nan suka zauna a wurin har zuwa wasu kwanaki bayan haka, sai wata wasiƙa ta zo daga Tarsus tana umurnin a kai su biyun can. Aka kai su yadda aka umurta, an ɗaure su da sarƙa, ɗaya da ɗayan. [Abū Maʿmar al-Qaṭīʿī:] Ina wurin lokacin da aka kawo Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal fādar sarki a lokacin Miƙa wuya (Mihna). Ya kasance mutum mai taushin hali koyaushe, amma sa'ad da ya ga mutanen al'umma suna yarda, jijiyoyinsa suka kumbura, idanunsa suka yi ja, sai dukan taushinsa ya ɓace. Da na gan shi, na tuna ina cewa a zuciyata, "Yana tsayawa don Allah." 67.3

There they stayed until, several days later, a letter arrived from Tarsus ordering the two of them to be transported there. They were duly sent, shackled one to the other.” [Abū Maʿmar al-Qaṭīʿī:] I was there when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was brought to the palace during the Inquisition. He had always been a meek man, but when he saw the members of the community giving their assent, his veins swelled, his eyes went red, and all the meekness was gone. Seeing him, I remember thinking to myself, “He’s standing up for God.” 67.3

"Abū ʿAbd Allāh," na ce masa, "wannan labari ne mai daɗi! Ashe ba mu taɓa jin Muḥammad ibn Fuḍayl ibn Ghazwān yana riwayarsa daga al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jumayʿ, daga Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, wanda ya ce: 'Daga cikin sahabban Annabi ﷺ akwai waɗanda, idan an tambaye su game da wani al'amari na addini, sai su yi kallo a fusace su birgima idanunsu kamar mahaukata' ba?" [Ibn Abī Usāmah:] Na tuna na ji cewa a lokacin Mihna, wani ya ce wa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, "Ka ga? Gaskiya tana shan kashi, ƙarya kuma tana nasara!" 67.4

“Abū ʿAbd Allāh,” I told him, “this is good news! Haven’t we heard Muḥammad ibn Fuḍayl ibn Ghazwān report, citing al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jumayʿ, citing Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, who said, ‘Among the Prophet’s Companions were some who, if challenged on any matter of religion, would glower and roll their eyes like madmen’?” [Ibn Abī Usāmah:] I remember hearing that during the Inquisition, someone said to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, “See? Right loses and wrong wins!” 67.4

"Abadan!" ya mayar da martani. "Ƙarya tana nasara ne kawai idan zukatan mutane suka karkata suka rasa hanya, amma namu bai karkata ba tukuna." [Ṣāliḥ:] Mahaifina da Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ an ɗauke su da sarƙoƙi, mu kuma muka bi su har zuwa al-Anbār. A can ne Abū Bakr al-Aḥwal ya tambayi mahaifina, "Abū ʿAbd Allāh, idan suka yi maka barazanar takobi, za ka miƙa wuya?" 67.5

“Never!” he retorted. “Wrong wins only if people’s hearts wander off and lose their way, but ours haven’t done that yet.” [Ṣāliḥ:] My father and Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ were carried off in chains and we went with them as far as al-Anbār. There Abū Bakr al-Aḥwal asked my father, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh, if they threaten you with a sword, will you give in?” 67.5

"A'a," ya amsa. Sai aka kai shi da Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ.

“No,” he answered. Then he and Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ were taken away.

Daga baya mahaifina ya ce mini:

Later my father told me:

"Sa'ad da muka isa al-Raḥbah343 tsakiyar dare ne. Yayin da muke tashi, wani mutum ya zo wajenmu ya ce, 'Wane ne cikinku Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?' 'Wani ya nuna ni.' 'Ka rage gudu,' mutumin ya ce wa direban raƙumi. Sannan ya ce mini: 'Ji ka! Me zai dame ka idan sun kashe ka a nan take? Za ka shiga Aljanna, a nan take.' Sannan ya ce, 'Na bar ka a hannun Allah,' ya kuma tafi." Note: The rule says to write the Hausa word for God, never "Allah". Correcting that now: "Sa'ad da muka isa al-Raḥbah343 tsakiyar dare ne. Yayin da muke tashi, wani mutum ya zo wajenmu ya ce, 'Wane ne cikinku Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?' 'Wani ya nuna ni.' 'Ka rage gudu,' mutumin ya ce wa direban raƙumi. Sannan ya ce mini: 'Ji ka! Me zai dame ka idan sun kashe ka a nan take? Za ka shiga Aljanna, a nan take.' Sannan ya ce, 'Na bar ka a hannun Ubangiji,' ya kuma tafi."

“When we got to al-Raḥbah343 it was the middle of the night. As we were leaving, a man came up to us and said, ‘Which of you is Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?’ “Someone pointed me out. ‘Slow down,’ said the man to the camel-driver. Then to me: ‘Listen, you! What does it matter if they kill you right here and now? You’ll enter the Garden, here and now.’ Then he said, ‘I leave you in the care of God,’ and left.

“Na tambaya wane ne shi, sai suka ce mini: ‘Balarabe ne daga Rabī‘ah, mai suna Jābir ibn ‘Āmir, wanda ke rubuta waƙoƙi a cikin jeji. Mutane suna yabonsa sosai.’” [Ibrāhīm ibn ‘Abd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya ce, “Abin da ya fi ƙarfi da wani ya faɗa mini a lokacin jarrabawata shi ne abin da wani Balarabe na jeji ya faɗa mini a Raḥbat Ṭawq: ‘Aḥmad, idan ka mutu saboda gaskiya, kana mutuwar shahada, kuma idan ka rayu, kana rayuwar jarumi.’” 67.7

“I asked who he was and they told me: ‘He’s an Arab of Rabīʿah named Jābir ibn ʿĀmir who composes poetry in the wilderness. People speak highly of him.’” [Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said, “The most powerful thing anyone said to me during my ordeal was what a desert Arab said to me at Raḥbat Ṭawq: ‘Aḥmad, if you die for the truth you die a martyr, and if you live you live a hero.’” 67.7

Da haka ya ƙarfafa ƙudirina.

With that he strengthened my resolve.

[Aḥmad:] "Babu abin da ya taɓa yin tasiri a kaina fiye da kalmomin wani Balarabe mai zama a hamada daga Raḥbat Ṭawq: 'Aḥmad, idan ka mutu saboda gaskiya, kana mutuwar shahada, idan kuwa ka rayu, kana rayuwar jarumi.'" 67.8

[Aḥmad:] “Nothing has ever made more of an impression on me than the words of a desert Arab from Raḥbat Ṭawq: ‘Aḥmad, if you die for the truth you die a martyr, and if you live you live a hero.’” 67.8

Ibn Abī Ḥātim ya ruwaito daga mahaifinsa yana cewa, "A ƙarshe ya yi daidai. Da Inquisition ɗin ta ƙare, Allah ya sa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya zama sunan da ake la'akari da shi." [Marubucin:] Mun kuma ji cewa al-Shāfiʿī, Allah ya yarda da shi, ya yi wani mafarki inda Annabi ﷺ ya nemi ya gargaɗi Aḥmad cewa za a yi masa shari'a game da halittar Alƙur'ani. Za a bayar da wannan rahoto tare da sarkar masu ruwaitonsa a babin mafarkai. 67.9

Ibn Abī Ḥātim quoted his father as saying, “In the end he was right. By the time the Inquisition was over, God had made Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal a name to be reckoned with.” [The author:] We have also heard that al-Shāfiʿī, may God be pleased with him, had a dream where the Prophet asked him to warn Aḥmad that he would be tried regarding the creation of the Qurʾan. This report will be given along with its chain of transmitters in the chapter on dreams. 67.9

[Al-Anbārī:] Lokacin da na samu labarin cewa ana kai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal wurin al-Ma'mūn, sai na ƙetare Kogin Furat na tarar da Aḥmad zaune a wani masauki na matafiya. Lokacin da na gaishe shi sai ya ce, "Abū Ja'far, bai kamata ka wahalar da kanka ba!" 67.10

[Al-Anbārī:] When I found out that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was being taken to see al- Maʾmūn, I crossed the Euphrates and found Aḥmad sitting in a caravanserai. When I greeted him he said, “Abū Jaʿfar, you shouldn’t have troubled yourself!” 67.10

“Babu wata matsala,” na ce masa. Sai na ce, “Ka saurara! Tun daga yau, akwai mutanen da suka shirya bin misalinka. Idan ka ce Alƙur'ani halitta ne, da yawa daga cikinsu za su ce haka. Idan ka ƙi, da yawa daga cikinsu ma za su ƙi. Ka yi tunani: ko da mutumin nan bai kashe ka ba, dole za ka mutu a jima ko a yanzu. Don haka ka ji tsoron Allah kuma kada ka miƙa wuya!” “Abin da Allah ya so ya faru!” in ji Aḥmad, yana kuka. “Abin da Allah ya so ya faru!” Sai ya ce, “Abū Jaʿfar, ka maimaita mini abin da ka faɗa.” Sai na maimaita masa, shi kuma ya sake cewa “Abin da Allah ya so ya faru! Abin da Allah ya so ya faru!” [Ṣāliḥ:] Mahaifina ya gaya mini: “Muna tsaka da barin Adana sai ƙofar birnin ta buɗe a bayanmu, sai wani ya yi kira: ‘Albishir! Mutumin nan ya mutu!’344 67.11

“It was no trouble,” I told him. Then I said, “Listen here! As of today, you have people prepared to follow your example. If you say the Qurʾan is created, many of them will say the same. If you resist, many of them will too. Think about it: even if that man doesn’t kill you, you’re going to die sooner or later anyway. So fear God and don’t give in!” “God’s will be done!” said Aḥmad, weeping. “God’s will be done!” Then he said, “Abū Jaʿfar, repeat what you said for me.” So I repeated it, and again he said “God’s will be done! God’s will be done!” [Ṣāliḥ:] My father told me: “We were just leaving Adana when the city gate opened behind us and someone called out: ‘Good news! That man is dead!’344 67.11

"Na kasance ina addu'a cewa ba zan taɓa haduwa da shi ba." [Al-Būshanjī:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Sau uku ina roƙon Allah ... " — wait, the rule: the original says "God", so write the Hausa word for God, not "Allah". "Na kasance ina addu'a cewa ba zan taɓa haduwa da shi ba." [Al-Būshanjī:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Sau uku ina roƙon Ubangiji da wani abu, sau biyu kuma na ga an amsa roƙona. Na roƙe Shi ya kiyaye ni daga al-Ma'mūn, na kuma faɗa masa cewa ba na so in ga al-Mutawakkil. To, ban taɓa ganin al-Ma'mūn ba."345 67.12

“I had been praying I would never meet him.” [Al-Būshanjī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “Three times I’ve asked God for something and twice seen my request granted. I asked Him to keep me away from al- Maʾmūn, and I told Him I didn’t want to see al-Mutawakkil. Well, I never saw al- Maʾmūn.”345 67.12

Al-Ma'mūn ya rasu a Badhandūn, wani kogi a yankin Byzantine, yayin da aka tsare Aḥmad a al-Raqqah. Al-Mu'taṣim ya karɓi rantsuwar biyayya a Anatolia, sannan ya koma Iraƙi. An kawo Aḥmad baya zuwa Baghdad a shekara ta 218 [833], kuma al-Mu'taṣim ne ya yi masa shari'a. Dangane da al-Mutawakkil kuwa, a lokacin da ya kawo Aḥmad fada don ya koyar da 'ya'yansa Hadisi, ya lura da shi ta wani ɗaki na sirri, ma'ana ya ga Aḥmad amma Aḥmad bai taɓa ganinsa ba.

Al-Maʾmūn died at the Badhandūn—a river in Byzantine territory—while Aḥmad was locked up in al-Raqqah. Al-Muʿtaṣim received the oath of allegiance in Anatolia and returned to Iraq. Aḥmad was brought back to Baghdad in 218 [833], and it was al- Muʿtaṣim who tried him. As for al-Mutawakkil, when he brought Aḥmad to the palace to instruct his children in Hadith, he observed him from a secret compartment, meaning that he saw Aḥmad but Aḥmad never saw him.

[Ṣāliḥ:] Mahaifina da Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ an mayar da su daga Tarsus suna cikin sarƙoƙi. Sa'ad da suka isa al-Raqqah, aka sa su a cikin jirgin ruwa. A ʿĀnāt,346

[Ṣāliḥ:] My father and Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ were sent back from Tarsus still in irons. When they reached al-Raqqah, they were put onto a boat. At ʿĀnāt,346

Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ ya rasu, aka cire sarƙoƙinsa. Mahaifina ya yi masa sallah. 67.13

Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ died and his chains were removed. My father prayed over his body. 67.13

[Ḥanbal:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa: "Ban taɓa ganin wani da yake ƙarami haka ko kuma babu ilimi haka ya tsaya wa Allah da ƙarfin zuciya fiye da Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ ba. Ina fatan Allah ya tsare shi lokacin da ya mutu!" 67.14

[Ḥanbal:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say: “I never saw anyone so young or so unlearned stand up for God more bravely than Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ. I hope God saved him when he died! 67.14

"Wata rana, lokacin da mu biyu kaɗai muke, ya ce mini: 'Aḥmad, ka ji tsoron Allah! Ka ji tsoron Allah! Mu biyu ba mu yi kama da juna ba. Kai mutum ne da mutane ke bi, kowa yana kallonka yana jiran ganin abin da za ka yi. Ka ji tsoron Allah, ka tsaya da ƙarfi!' — ko kuma kalmomi makamancin haka. Ka yi tunanin shi yana ƙoƙarin sa ni in yi ƙarfi, yana gargaɗi na in aikata abin da yake daidai! Ga abin da ya same shi: ya yi rashin lafiya, ya ƙare da mutuwa a gefen wata hanya a wani wuri. Na yi masa salla, na binne shi." Ya yiwu ya ƙara da cewa: "Hakan ya faru ne a ʿĀnāh." Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit ya ruwaito cewa Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ ya rasu a shekara ta 218 [833].

“One day, when the two of us were alone, he said to me, ‘Aḥmad, fear God! Fear God! We’re nothing alike, you and I. You’re a man people follow and everyone is watching and waiting to see what you’ll do. Fear God, and stand firm!’—or words to that effect. Imagine him trying to keep me strong and warn me to do the right thing! And look what happened to him: he fell sick and ended up dying by the side of a road somewhere. I prayed over him and buried him.” He may have added: “That was in ʿĀnāh.” Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit reported that Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ died in 218 [833].