Lokacin da al-Ma'mūn ya rasu, an dawo da Aḥmad Baghdad aka ɗaure shi a can.

When al-Maʾmūn died, Aḥmad was brought back to Baghdad and imprisoned there.

Daga nan aka gwada shi da al-Mu'tasim. Babban alkali a lokacin shi ne Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad, wanda ya shawo kan khalifa ya gwada imanin mutane game da cewa Alkur'ani halitta ne.353 69.1

Then he was tried by al-Muʿtaṣim. The chief judge at the time was Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād, who had persuaded the caliph to test people’s belief that the Qurʾan is created.353 69.1

Al-Marrūdhī ya ce: 69.2

Al-Marrūdhī said: 69.2

Lokacin da aka saka Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal a kurkuku, mai tsaron kurkukun ya zo ya tambaye shi ko hadisin game da azzalumai da waɗanda suke bauta musu ingantacce ne.354 Aḥmad ya gaya masa cewa ingantacce ne.

When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was put in prison, the jailer came and asked him whether the Hadith about tyrants and those who serve them was authentic.354 Aḥmad told him it was.

"Shin ni ɗaya daga cikin waɗanda suke bauta musu ne?" ya tambaya mai tsaron gidan yari.

“Am I one of those who serve them?” asked the jailer.

“Waɗanda ke bautar da ku su ne waɗanda ke aske muku gashi, wanke muku tufafi, shirya muku abinci, kuma suke harkokin kasuwanci da ku. Abin da kuke shi ne ɗaya daga cikin azzalumai.” [Aḥmad:] A cikin watan Ramadan na shekara ta 219 [Satumba ko Oktoba 834] aka motsa ni zuwa gidan Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm. Kowace rana suna aika mini da mutum biyu—Aḥmad ibn Rabāḥ, an kira ɗaya, ɗayan kuma shi ne Abū Shuʿayb al-Ḥajjām—su zo su yi muhawara da ni. Idan sun shirya tafiya sai su kira a kawo ƙarin ɗaurin ƙafa, su saka shi a kan ɗaurin ƙafa da nake sanye da su tuntuni. Har na ƙare da ɗaurin ƙafa huɗu a kan ƙafafuna.355 69.3

“Those who serve are the ones who cut your hair, wash your clothes, prepare your food, and do business with you. What you are is one of the tyrants.” [Aḥmad:] In Ramadan of ’19 [September or October 834] I was moved to Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm’s house. Every day they sent over two men—Aḥmad ibn Rabāḥ, one was called, and the other was Abū Shuʿayb al-Ḥajjām—to debate with me. When they were ready to leave they would call for a fetter and add it to the fetters that I already had on me. I ended up with four fetters on my legs.355 69.3

A rana ta uku, ɗaya daga cikin mutanen biyu ya zo ya fara muhawara da ni. A wani lokaci sai na tambaye shi, "Me kake cewa game da ilimin Allah?" Note: the rule says to write the Hausa word for God, not "Allah", so the correct rendering is: A rana ta uku, ɗaya daga cikin mutanen biyu ya zo ya fara muhawara da ni. A wani lokaci sai na tambaye shi, "Me kake cewa game da ilimin Ubangiji?"356

On the third day one of the two came and started debating with me. At one point I asked, “What do you say about God’s knowledge?”356

"Ilimin Allah an halicce shi," ya amsa. Note: per the rules, "God" should be written as the Hausa word for God, not "Allah". The correct Hausa rendering is: "Ilimin Ubangiji an halicce shi," ya amsa.

“God’s knowledge is created,” he replied.

"You're an unbeliever!" Present also was a man sent by Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm. When he heard me, he said, "You're talking to the emissary of the Commander of the Faithful!" "Whoever he is," I replied, "he's still an unbeliever." On the fourth night, he—that is, al-Muʿtaṣim—sent Bughā, called the Elder, to fetch me from Isḥāq's. On the way out, I was taken to see Isḥāq, who said, "By God, Aḥmad, it's your life we're talking about here. He won't behead you and be done with it: he's sworn that if you don't do as he asks he'll flog you senseless and then throw you where you'll never see the sun. Now look here: doesn't God say «We have made it an Arabic Qurʾan?»357 How could He make it without creating it?" 69. Translated into Hausa: "Kai kafiri ne!" Akwai kuma wani mutum da Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ya aika. Da ya ji ni, sai ya ce, "Kana magana da manzon Shugaban Muminai!" "Ko wane ne shi," na amsa, "har yanzu kafiri ne." A dare na huɗu, shi, wato al-Muʿtaṣim, ya aika Bughā, wanda ake kira Dattijo, ya ɗauke ni daga gidan Isḥāq. A kan hanyar fita, aka kai ni wurin Isḥāq, wanda ya ce, "Na rantse da Allah, Aḥmad, rayuwarka ce ake magana a kai. Ba zai yanke maka kai ya ƙare ba: ya rantse cewa idan ba ka yi abin da ya nema ba, zai yi maka bulala har ka suma, sannan ya jefa ka inda ba za ka ƙara ganin rana ba. Yanzu ka duba: ashe Allah bai ce «Mun sanya shi Alƙur'ani na Larabci ba?»357 Ta yaya zai sanya shi ba tare da ya halicce shi ba?" 69.4

“You’re an unbeliever!” Present also was a man sent by Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm. When he heard me, he said, “You’re talking to the emissary of the Commander of the Faithful!” “Whoever he is,” I replied, “he’s still an unbeliever.” On the fourth night, he—that is, al-Muʿtaṣim—sent Bughā, called the Elder, to fetch me from Isḥāq’s. On the way out, I was taken to see Isḥāq, who said, “By God, Aḥmad, it’s your life we’re talking about here. He won’t behead you and be done with it: he’s sworn that if you don’t do as he asks he’ll flog you senseless and then throw you where you’ll never see the sun. Now look here: doesn’t God say «We have made it an Arabic Qurʾan?»357 How could He make it without creating it?” 69.4

Na amsa masa da wata aya daban: «Ya sanya su kamar ciyawar da dabbobi suka tattake.»358 Sai na tambaye shi ko "sanya su" na nufin "halicce su." Bai san yadda zai amsa mini ba, sai ya yi shiru. Daga karshe ya ce, "Kai shi!" Lokacin da muka isa wurin da ake kira Kofar Lambu, sai suka fitar da ni daga cikin mota.359 Sai suka kawo wata dabba mai hawa suka hau ni a kanta, tare da sarkokin kafafuna. Babu wanda yake tare da ni da zai rike ni, kuma fiye da sau daya kusan na fadi saboda nauyin sarkokin. Suka shigar da ni cikin - watau cikin fadar al-Mu'tasim - suka sa ni a daki, suka kulle kofar. Ina so in tsarkake jikina don sallah, amma tsakiyar dare ne kuma babu fitila a dakin. Sai dai na mika hannuna sai na tarar da kwano cike da ruwa da wani babban tukunya kusa da ni. Don haka na yi alwala na yi sallah. 69.5

I answered with a different verse: «He made them like stubble cropped by cattle.»358 Then I asked him whether “made them” meant “created them.” He didn’t know how to answer me so he said nothing. Finally he said, “Take him away!” When we got to the place called the Orchard Gate, they took me out.359 Then they brought a riding animal and put me on it, fetters and all. There was no one with me to hold me up, and more than once I nearly fell over with the weight of the fetters. They took me inside—inside al-Muʿtaṣim’s palace, that is—put me in a room, and locked the door. I wanted to clean myself off for prayer, but it was the middle of the night and there was no lamp in the room. But when I stuck out my hand I found a pitcher of water and a basin nearby. So I did my ablutions and prayed. 69.5

Washegari da safe, na cire igiyar wando na, na daura da ita ƙafafuwan ƙarfe ɗin nan don in iya ɗaga su, sai wando na ya rataya a gefe ɗaya.

The next morning, I pulled the drawstring out of my trousers and used it to tie the fetters together so I could lift them, leaving my trousers hanging down on one side.

Sai manzon al-Mu'tasim ya zo, ya kama ni da hannu, ya ce in bi shi.

Then al-Muʿtaṣim’s messenger came, took me by the arm, and told me to come along.

Na bayyana gaban al-Mu'tasim ina rike da kangina da igiyar. Yana zaune a wurin tare da Ibn Abi Du'ad da taron abokan tafiyarsa. 69.6

So I appeared before al-Muʿtaṣim holding up my fetters with the cord. He was sitting there with Ibn Abī Duʾād and a crowd of his associates. 69.6

Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad: An kawo Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal gaban halifa.

[Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was brought before the caliph.

Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad da Abu Abd al-Rahman, almajirin al-Shafi'i, suma suna nan. An ba Ahmad wurin zama a gaban halifa. Sun riga sun fada masa abubuwa don su tsoratar da shi, kuma sun kammala kashe mutum biyu da kai. Da ganin Abu Abd al-Rahman, Ibn Hanbal ya tambaye shi: "Ka san wani hadisi daga al-Shafi'i game da shafa hannu a kan takalma?"360 69.7

Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād and Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, the disciple of al-Shāfiʿī, were there too. Aḥmad was given a seat in front of the caliph. They had said things to frighten him, and they had just finished beheading two men. Upon seeing Abū ʿAbd al- Raḥmān, Ibn Ḥanbal asked, “Do you know any reports from al-Shāfiʿī on passing hands over one’s shoes?”360 69.7

"Duba wannan!" ya ce Ibn Abī Duʾād. "Mun kawo shi nan don a yanke masa kai, amma shi yana son tattaunawa a kan fiqhu!" [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim ya dawo Baghdad daga gaban Byzantine a watan Ramadan na shekara ta 218. A lokacin ne ya gwada Aḥmad, ya kuma sa aka yi masa bulala a bainar jama'a.361 69.8

“Look at that!” exclaimed Ibn Abī Duʾād. “We bring him here to behead him, and he wants to discuss jurisprudence!” [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim returned to Baghdad from the Byzantine front in Ramadan of ’18. It was then that he tried Aḥmad and had him flogged in open court.361 69.8

[Aḥmad:] Lokacin da na zo wajen al-Mu'tasim, ya ci gaba da gaya mini in matso kusa.

[Aḥmad:] When I came before al-Muʿtaṣim, he kept telling me to come closer.

Sa'ad da na matso kusa da shi, ya ce in zauna, sai na zauna, ina nauyin ɗaurin sarkoki a jikina.

When I got up close to him he told me to sit, and I did, weighed down by the fetters.

Bayan wani lokaci na tambaya ko zan iya magana.362 69.9

After a time I asked if I might speak.362 69.9

"Ci gaba," ya ce.

“Go ahead,” he said.

"Me Annabi ya kira mu da mu yi?" na tambaya.

“What did the Prophet call on us to do?” I asked.

Bayan ɗan lokaci shiru, ya amsa: "Shaida cewa babu abin bauta da gaskiya sai Allah." "To, ni ma ina shaida cewa babu abin bauta da gaskiya sai Allah." Sai na ci gaba da cewa: "Kakanka Ibn ʿAbbās ya ruwaito cewa lokacin da tawagar kabilar Qays ta zo wajen Annabi ﷺ, sun tambaye shi game da imani. Ya amsa musu, 'Shin kun san menene imani?' "'Allah da Manzonsa ne suka fi sani,' suka ce."

After a moment of silence, he replied: “To testify that there is no god but God.” “Well, I testify that there is no god but God.” Then I went on: “Your grandfather Ibn ʿAbbās reports that when the delegation from the tribe of Qays came to see the Prophet, they asked him about faith. He answered, ‘Do you know what faith is?’ “‘God and His Emissary know best,’ they said.

"Yana nufin shaida cewa babu wani abin bauta da gaskiya sai Allah, kuma Muhammadu ManzonSa ne ﷺ. Yana nufin tsayar da salla, bayar da zakka, da bayar da ɗaya cikin biyar na ganimar yaƙi."363

“‘It means testifying that there is no god but God, and Muḥammad is His Emissary. It means holding the ritual prayer, paying the alms tax, and giving up onefifth of your spoils.’”363

"Idan ba don magabacina ya bar muku ni in tsaya da ku ba, da ba zan yi muku wannan ba," in ji al-Mu'tasim. Sannan, ya juya ga 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Ishaq, ya ce, "Ban umarce ka ka dakatar da Mihnar ba?" "Alhamdulillahi!" na yi tunani a raina. "Wahalar Musulmai ta kare!" 69.10

“If my predecessor hadn’t left you for me to deal with,” said al-Muʿtaṣim, “I wouldn’t be doing this to you.” Then, turning to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, he said, “Didn’t I ask you to stop the Inquisition?” “Thank God!” I thought to myself. “The Muslims’ suffering is over!” 69.10

Amma sai ya ce musu, "Ku yi muhawara da shi! Ku yi magana da shi!" sa'an nan ya sake cewa ga ʿAbd al-Raḥmān: "Ka yi magana da shi!" "Me kake cewa game da Alkur'ani?" ya tambaya ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.

But then he said to them, “Debate with him. Talk to him!” and then again to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān: “Talk to him!” “What do you say about the Qurʾan?” asked ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.

"Me kake ce game da sanin Allah?" na tambaya. Sai ya yi shiru. Note: Per your rules, the Hausa word for God should be used instead of "Allah," so the correct translation is: "Me kake ce game da sanin Allah?" na tambaya. Sai ya yi shiru. Correction, following the rule exactly: "Me kake ce game da sanin Ubangiji?" na tambaya. Sai ya yi shiru.

“What do you say about God’s knowledge?” I asked. He fell silent.

Wani daga cikinsu ya katse shi. "Amma ashe Allah bai ce ba, «Allah ne mahaliccin dukkan abubuwa»?

One of the others broke in. “But didn’t God say, «God is the creator of all things»?

364 Ashe Alƙur'ani ba abu ba ne ba? "Allah" ya kuma ambaci iska," na ce, "wadda za ta "lalata komai da umarnin Ubangijinta," amma ta lalata abin da Shi kaɗai ya so kawai. Note: the rules require "God" rather than "Allah", so the translation should read: 364 Ashe Alƙur'ani ba abu ba ne ba? "Ubangiji" ya kuma ambaci iska," na ce, "wadda za ta "lalata komai da umarnin Ubangijinta," amma ta lalata abin da Shi kaɗai ya so kawai.366

364 And isn’t the Qurʾan a thing?” “God also mentioned a wind,” I said, “that would «destroy everything at the behest of its Lord,»365 but it destroyed only what He wanted it to.”366

Sai wani ɗaya ya ce: "Allah Ta'ala ya ce: «Duk lokacin da wani sabon tunatarwa ya zo musu daga Ubangijinsu.»"367 Ta yaya wani abu zai zama sabo ba tare da an halicce shi ba?" Na amsa: "Allah Ta'ala ya ce kuma: «Ṣād. Ina rantsuwa da Alƙur'ani, mai ɗauke da tunatarwa.»"368 Wannan tunatarwa ita ce Alƙur'ani. A cikin ɗayan ayar babu "al-" (kalmar "the")." Wani daga cikinsu ya ambaci hadisin ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn cewa Allah ya halicci tunatarwa. Na ce: "Wannan kuskure ne. Ina da wannan daga fiye da majiyi ɗaya cewa ya ce: 'Allah ya rubuta tunatarwa.'" Daga nan suka yi ƙoƙarin muhawara da ni ta hadisin Ibn Masʿūd: "Allah bai halicci komai ba—ba Aljanna ba, ba Wuta ba, ba sammai ba, ba ƙasa ba—mafi girma fiye da Ayatul Kursiyyu." Na ce: "Kalmar 'halitta' tana aiki ga Aljanna, da Wuta, da sammai, da ƙasa, amma ba ga Alƙur'ani ba." Wani daga cikinsu ya ambaci hadisin Khabbāb: "Kai can! Ko ka yi iya ƙoƙarinka ka kusanci Allah, ba za ka sami wani abu da ya fi so a gare shi ba da za ka kusanci Shi da shi fiye da maganarsa."369

Then another one spoke up: “God says, «Whenever any new admonition comes to them from their Lord.»367 How can something be new without having been created?” I replied: “God also said, «Ṣād. By the Qurʾan, containing the admonition.»368 This admonition is the Qurʾan. In the other verse there’s no ‘the.’” One of them cited the Hadith of ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn that God created the remembrance. “That’s wrong,” I said. “I have it on more than one source that he said, ‘God wrote the remembrance.’” Next they tried arguing with me using the Hadith of Ibn Masʿūd: “God has created nothing—not the Garden or the Fire or the heavens or the earth—greater than the Throne Verse.” I said: “The word ‘created’ applies to the Garden, the Fire, the heavens, and the earth, but not to the Qurʾan.” One of them cited the Hadith of Khabbāb: “You there! Try as you may to come nearer to God, you will find nothing dearer to Him by which to approach Him than His word.”369

"Eh," na ce, "haka ne abin da yake cewa." Ibn Abī Duʾād ya kalle ni cikin fushi.

“Yes,” I said, “that’s what it says.” Ibn Abī Duʾād glared at me.

Haka dai sai ta kasance. Ɗaya daga cikinsu zai faɗi wani abu, ni kuma in mayar masa da raddi. Sai wani ya yi magana, ni ma in mayar masa da raddi. Duk lokacin da aka matsa wa ɗaya daga cikin mutanensa lamba, sai Ibn Abī Duʾād ya katse: “Amīrul Mu'minīn! Wallahi, shi mai ɓata ne, mai ɓatar da wasu, kuma mai ƙirƙirar bidi'a!” 69.11

And so it went. One of them would say something, and I would rebut him. Then another would speak and I would rebut him too. Whenever one of his men was stymied, Ibn Abī Duʾād would interrupt: “Commander of the Faithful! By God, he’s misguided, and misleading, and a heretical innovator!” 69.11

Amma al-Mu'tasim ya ci gaba da cewa, "Ka yi magana da shi! Ka yi muhawara da shi!" Sai wani daga cikinsu ya sake magana, ni kuma na mayar masa da martani. Sai wani ya yi magana, ni ma na mayar masa da martani. Idan kuwa babu sauran abin da za su ce, sai shi, watau al-Mu'tasim, ya ce, "To, ka tashi, ya Ahmad! Ka yi magana!" Sai na amsa, "Ya Amirul Mu'minin, ka ba ni wani abu da zan iya yarda da shi, wani abu daga Littafin Allah ko sunnar Manzonsa." Nan take Ibn Abi Du'ad ya ce, "Yaya! Kai dai kana maimaita abin da ke cikin Alkur'ani ko sunnar Manzonsa kawai?" Sai na ce, "Kai kana da fassararka, kuma hakan al'amarinka ne, amma ba abin da zai sa a daure mutane ko a sa musu sarka ba ne." [Al-Bushanji:] Wani daga cikin abokaina ya ruwaito cewa Ibn Abi Du'ad ya tunkari Ahmad ya yi kokarin shiga muhawara da shi, amma Ahmad ya yi biris da shi. A karshe al-Mu'tasim ya tambayi Ahmad dalilin da ya sa ba ya amsa wa Ibn Abi Du'ad. 69.12

But al-Muʿtaṣim kept saying, “Talk to him! Debate him!” So again one of them would say something, and I would rebut him. Then another would speak and I would rebut him too. When none of them had anything left to say, he—meaning al-Muʿtaṣim—said, “Come on, Aḥmad! Speak up!” “Commander of the Faithful,” I replied, “give me something I can agree to— something from the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary.” At that, Ibn Abī Duʾād exclaimed, “What! You only repeat what’s in the Qurʾan or the sunnah of His Emissary?” “You have an interpretation,” I said, “and that’s your affair, but it’s nothing to lock people up for, or put them in chains.” [Al-Būshanjī:] One of my associates reported that Ibn Abī Duʾād confronted Aḥmad and tried to engage him in debate but Aḥmad ignored him. Eventually al- Muʿtaṣim asked Aḥmad why he wouldn’t address Ibn Abī Duʾād. 69.12

"Ban yi magana sai da malaman ilimi," in ji Aḥmad.

“I speak only with men of learning,” said Aḥmad.

[Aḥmad:] "Ya Amirul Muminina," in ji Ibn Abī Duʾād, "ganin ya miƙa wuya gare ka zai fi min daraja da dinari dubu ɗari, da wasu dinari dubu ɗari," ya ci gaba da faɗin lamba bayan lamba. 69.13

[Aḥmad:] “Commander of the Faithful,” said Ibn Abī Duʾād, “seeing him capitulate to you would mean more to me than a hundred thousand dinars, and another hundred thousand dinars,”370 and so on, throwing out one number after another. 69.13

"Idan ya faɗa mini abin da nake so in ji," in ji al-Mu'tasim, "na rantse da Allah zan kwance shi da hannuna. Sannan zan jagoranci sojojina zuwa gare shi, in yi tafiya a bayansa." Sannan ya ce, "Aḥmad, ina son abin da ya fi maka alheri, kamar dai kai ɗana Hārūn ne. To, yanzu: me za ka iya gaya mini?"371

“If he tells me what I want to hear,” said al-Muʿtaṣim, “I swear I’ll unchain him with my own hands. Then I’ll lead my troops to him and march along behind him.” Then he said, “Aḥmad, I want what’s best for you, the same as if you were my son Hārūn. Come on, now: What can you tell me?”371

"Ka ba ni wani abu daga Littafin Allah," na ce, "ko kuma sunnar Manzonsa." Yayin da zaman ya yi tsawo, al-Mu'tasim ya fara gajiya da damuwa. "Ku tafi!" ya ce wa malamai. Sannan ya umarci 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ishaq da ni mu zauna, don ya yi magana da ni. 69.14

“Give me something from the Book of God,” I said, “or the sunnah of His Emissary.” As the session dragged on, al-Muʿtaṣim grew bored and restless. “Go!” he said to the scholars. Then he ordered ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq and me to stay behind so he could talk to me. 69.14

"Ta'aziyya!" ya ce. "Don me menene ba za ka daina ba?" Sai ya ce, "Ban san ka ba. Ko dai ba ka taba zuwa nan ba?" "Na san shi, Amirul Muminin," in ji ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq. "Shekaru talatin yanzu yana ta cewa musulmi suna da biyayya a gare ka, kuma ya kamata su bi ka a yakin jihadi, su kuma bi ka zuwa aikin Hajji." "Ina rantsuwa da Allah," in ji al-Muʿtaṣim, "mutum ne mai ilimi, mai fahimta! Ba zan ƙi samun irin sa tare da ni ba, don ya yi muhawara da mutanen wasu addinai." Sannan, ya juya gare ni, ya ce, "Ka taba jin labarin Ṣāliḥ al-Rashīdī?" "Na ji labarinsa," na ce.

“Come on!” he said. “Why don’t you give up?” Then he said, “I don’t recognize you. Have you never come here before?” “I know him, Commander of the Faithful,” said ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq. “For thirty years, he’s been saying that Muslims owe obedience to you and should follow you in the holy war and join you on the pilgrimage.” “By God,” said al-Muʿtaṣim, “he’s a man of learning—a man of understanding! I wouldn’t mind having someone like him with me to argue against people from other religions.” Then, turning to me, “Did you know Ṣāliḥ al-Rashīdī?” “I’ve heard of him,” I said.

"Malamina ne nake, kuma yana zaune a can," in ji shi, yana nuna wani kusurwa a cikin ɗakin. "Na tambaye shi game da Alƙur'ani sai ya saɓa mini, don haka na sa aka tattake shi aka ja shi waje. Saboda haka, Aḥmad: ka nemo wani abu—kowane abu—da za ka iya yarda da shi, zan kuwa kwance ka da hannuna." "Ka ba ni wani abu daga Littafin Allah," na ce, "ko sunnar Manzonsa." Zaman ya ja tsawon lokaci. A ƙarshe al-Mu'taṣim ya tashi ya koma ciki, aka mayar da ni wurin da suke riƙe ni. 69.15

“He was my tutor, and he was sitting right there,” he said, pointing to a corner of the room. “I asked him about the Qurʾan and he contradicted me, so I had him trampled and dragged out. So Aḥmad: find something—anything—you can agree to, and I’ll unchain you with my own hands.” “Give me something from the Book of God,” I said, “or the sunnah of His Emissary.” The session dragged on. Finally al-Muʿtaṣim rose and went back inside, and I was sent back to the place where they had been keeping me. 69.15

Bayan sallar Magariba, an aika abokan biyu na Ibn Abī Duʾād su kwana a wurin, su ci gaba da muhawara da ni. Suka zauna har lokacin buɗe baki.372 Da abinci ya zo, suka matsa mini in ci, amma na ki. Sai kuma a wani lokaci cikin dare, al-Muʿtaṣim ya aika a kira Ibn Abī Duʾād zuwa wurin.

After sunset prayers, two of Ibn Abī Duʾād’s associates were sent in to spend the night there and continue debating with me. They stayed until it was time to break the fast.372 When the meal arrived they pressed me to eat but I wouldn’t. Then, at some point during the night, al-Muʿtaṣim sent over Ibn Abī Duʾād.

"Amirul Mu'minin yana son ya san ko kana da abin da za ka ce." Na ba shi amsata ta saba.

“The Commander of the Faithful wants to know if you have anything to say.” I gave him my usual answer.

"Ka sani," ya ce, "sunanka yana cikin bakwai—Yahya ibn Ma'in da sauransu—amma na goge shi."373

“You know,” he said, “your name was one of the seven—Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and the rest—but I rubbed it out.”373

Mutanen bakwai su ne Yahya ibn Ma'in, Abu Khaythama, Ahmad al-Dawraqi, al-Qawariri, Sa'duwayh, da—a wasu rahotanni—Khalaf al-Makhzumi.374

The seven were Yāḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Abū Khaythamah, Aḥmad al-Dawraqī, al- Qawārīrī, Saʿduwayh, and—in some accounts—Khalaf al-Makhzūmī.374

Ibn Abī Du'ād ya ci gaba da cewa: "Na ji tausayinka matuƙa da suka kama ka." Sa'an nan ya ce, "Amirul Muminin ya rantse zai yi maka bugu mai tsanani, sa'an nan ya jefar da kai wani wuri da ba za ka sake ganin rana ba. Amma kuma ya ce idan ka mika wuya, zai zo da kansa ya cire maka sarka." Sa'an nan ya tafi.

Ibn Abī Duʾād continued: “I was sorry to see them arrest you.” Then he said, “The Commander of the Faithful has sworn to give you a good long beating and then throw you somewhere where you’ll never see the sun. But he also says that if you capitulate he’ll come and unchain you himself.” Then he left.

Washegari da safe—a rana ta biyu da na isa wurin—wakilin al-Mu'tasim ya zo, ya kama ni da hannu, ya kawo ni gabansa. Sai al-Mu'tasim ya sake umurtar su su yi muhawara da ni. "Ku yi magana da shi!" ya ce. 69.16

The next morning—on my second day there—al-Muʿtaṣim’s envoy came, took me by the arm, and brought me before him. Again al-Muʿtaṣim ordered them to debate me. “Talk to him!” he said. 69.16

Sai muhawarar ta sake farawa. Ɗaya daga cikinsu zai yi magana daga nan, ni kuma in amsa masa, sai wani daga can, ni ma in amsa masa. Duk lokacin da suka ambaci wani abu da ba ya cikin Littafin Allah ko sunnar Manzonsa, ko cikin wani rahoto game da magabata na farko, sai in ce, "Ban san abin da kake nufi ba." Sai suka yi korafi, "Ya Amirul Muminina, idan yana da hujja a kanmu sai ya tsaya kan ra'ayinsa, amma duk lokacin da mu muka kawo wata hujja sai ya ce bai san abin da muke magana a kai ba." Sai al-Mu'tasim ya ce, "Ku ci gaba da muhawara da shi!"

So the debate began again. One of them would speak from over here and I would answer him, and another from over there and I’d answer him too. Whenever they mentioned anything not in the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary, or in a report about the early Muslims, I would say, “I don’t know what you mean.” “Commander of the Faithful,” they would protest, “when he has an argument against us he stands his ground, but whenever we make a point he says he doesn’t know what we’re talking about.” “Keep debating him!” said al-Muʿtaṣim.

"Abin da nake gani kawai kake yi," in ji ɗaya daga cikinsu, "shi ne kana ambaton Hadisi kana kuma da'awar cewa ka san ma'anarsa." 69.17

“All I see you doing,” said one of them, “is citing Hadith and claiming to know what it means.” 69.17

"To ina ce," na tambaye shi, "game da ayar {Game da 'ya'yanku, Allah yana umurtar ku cewa namiji zai karɓi rabo daidai da na mata biyu}?" Note: the rules say to write the Hausa word for God, not "Allah," so the verse should read with "Allah" only if it is the Qur'an's own wording. Since this is an English translation of the Qur'an verse, the Hausa rendering uses the word for God as the original does.375

“What do you say,” I asked him, “about the verse «Concerning your children, God enjoins you that a male shall receive a share equivalent to that of two females»?”375

"Ya shafi muminai ne kawai," ya ce.

“It applies only to believers,” he said.

Na tambaye shi: "To me game da masu kisan kai, bayi, ko Yahudawa?" Sai ya yi shiru. Na yi amfani da wannan dabarar ne saboda dalili guda: suna ta muhawara bisa ma'anar bayyananniyar nassin Alkur'ani, a lokaci guda kuma suna zarge ni da ambaton Hadisi ba tare da wani dalili mai kyau ba.376

I asked him: “What about murderers, slaves, or Jews?” He fell silent. I had resorted to that tactic for one reason: they had been arguing on the basis of the plain text of the Qurʾan while accusing me of citing Hadith for no good reason.376

Sun ci gaba da yin haka har kusan tsakar rana. Lokacin da al-Mu'tasim ya gaji, sai ya sallami kowa sai dai 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Ishaq, wanda ya ci gaba da jayayya da ni.

They kept at it until nearly noon. When al-Muʿtaṣim had had enough, he sent everyone away except for ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, who continued to argue with me.

A ƙarshe al-Mu'tasim ya tashi ya koma ciki, sai aka mayar da ni wurin da suke tsare ni.

Finally al-Muʿtaṣim rose and went back inside, and I was sent back to the place where they had been holding me.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Al-Fatḥ ibn Shakhraf ya rubuta mini da hannunsa yana cewa ya ji daga Ibn Ḥuṭayṭ—wani malami daga Khurasan, wanda ya ambaci sunansa cikakke—cewa kafin a yi wa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal bulala, shi da wasu daga cikin abokan wahalarsa na Mihna an tsare su a wani gida a wani wuri. 69.18

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Al-Fatḥ ibn Shakhraf wrote to me in his own hand saying that he heard from Ibn Ḥuṭayṭ—a man of learning from Khurasan, whose name he gave in full —that before Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was flogged, he and some of his fellow victims of the Inquisition were kept in confinement in a house somewhere. 69.18

"Dare ya fada," in al'amarin Aḥmad, "sai kowa ya kwanta barci, amma ni ban iya daina tunanin abin da zai same ni ba. Sai na ga wani dogon mutum yana takawa a hankali a tsakanin masu barci, yana zuwa wajena."

“Night fell,” said Aḥmad, “and the others went to sleep, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen to me. Then I saw a tall man picking his way around the sleepers toward me.

"Shin kai ne Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?" ya tambaya.

“‘Are you Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?’ he asked.

Na yi shiru, sai ya sake tambaya. Da na ƙi amsawa, ya sake tambaya karo na uku.

“I said nothing and he asked again. When I didn’t answer, he asked a third time:

“Shin kai ne Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?” “‘Eh.’” “‘Kawai ka yi haƙuri,’ ya ce, ‘kuma Aljannah ta zama taka.’” “Daga baya, a lokacin da na ji zafin bulalar, na tuna abin da ya gaya mini.” [Aḥmad:] Na tuna na yi tunani a kaina a daren uku cewa dole wani abu ya faru washegari. Na tambayi ɗaya daga cikin mutanen da aka ba ni su nemo mini igiya. Ya samo ɗaya, na yi amfani da ita wajen ja sarƙoƙina sama. Sa'an nan na sake mayar da igiyar wando a kan wandona domin ya riƙe, don kada a tsirar da ni idan wani abu ya same ni. 69.19

‘Are you Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?’ “‘Yes.’ “‘Only endure,’ he said, ‘and the Garden is yours.’ “Later, when I felt the burning of the whips, I remembered what he’d told me.” [Aḥmad:] I remember thinking to myself on the third night that something was bound to happen the next day. I asked one of the men who were assigned to me to find me a cord. He found one and I used it to pull up my chains. Then I put the drawstring back on my trousers to hold them up so I wouldn’t be exposed if something happened to me. 69.19

A safe ranar uku da safe, al-Mu'tasim ya sake aika a kira ni. Na shiga zauren, na tarar cike yake da mutane. Yayin da nake takawa a hankali zuwa gaba, na ga mutane dauke da takubba, mutane dauke da bulala, da sauransu—sun fi yawa fiye da na kwanaki biyu na farko. Da na isa gare shi, ya ce in zauna. "Ku yi muhawara da shi," ya ce wa sauran. "Ku yi magana da shi!" 69.20

On the morning of the third day,377 al-Muʿtaṣim sent for me again. I entered the hall to find it packed with people. As I came slowly forward, I saw people with swords, people with whips, and so on—many more than on the first two days. When I reached him, he told me to sit down. “Debate him,” he told the others. “Talk to him!” 69.20

Sun fara muhawara da ni. Wani zai yi magana sai in amsa masa, sannan wani kuma ya yi magana sai in amsa shi ma. Ba da daɗewa ba na fara samun galaba. Ɗaya daga cikin mutanen da ke tsaye kusa da al-Muʿtaṣim ya fara nuna ni da yatsa. Bayan zama ya ɗau lokaci, al-Muʿtaṣim ya sa aka kai ni gefe ɗaya domin ya yi shawara da su su kaɗai.

They began to argue with me. One would talk and I would answer him, and then another would talk and I’d answer him too. Soon I was winning.378 One of the men standing near al-Muʿtaṣim began pointing at me. After the session had gone on for a while, al-Muʿtaṣim had me led away to one side so he could confer with them alone.

Sai ya aika su gefe, sannan ya sa aka kawo ni.

Then he sent them to the side and had me brought over.

"Zo, Aḥmad!" ya ce. "Ka faɗa mini abin da nake so in ji, kuma zan kwance maka sarƙoƙi da hannuna." Lokacin da na ba shi amsata da na saba bayarwa, ya la'ance ni, sannan ya ce, "Ku ja shi ku tuɓe shi!" Aka ja ni aka tuɓe ni.379

“Come on, Aḥmad!” he said. “Tell me what I want to hear, and I’ll unchain you with my own hands.” When I gave him my usual answer, he cursed me, then said, “Drag him away and strip him!” I was dragged away and stripped.379

Wata 'yar lokaci da ta wuce, na samu wasu gashin Annabi ﷺ. Da Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ya lura cewa akwai wani abu da aka ɗaure a hannun rigata, sai ya aika wani ya tambaya menene. Na gaya masa cewa gashin Annabi ﷺ ne. Lokacin da suka fara cire mini riga, al-Muʿtaṣim ya umarce su da su tsaya, suka cire mini ta ba tare da an yage ta ba. Ina ganin ya hana su ne saboda gashin da aka ɗaure a cikinta. 69.21

Some time before, I had acquired some of the Prophet’s hair. Noticing that I had something knotted up in the sleeve of my shirt, Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm sent someone over to ask what it was. I told him it was some of the Prophet’s hair. When they started tearing my shirt off, al-Muʿtaṣim told them to stop and they pulled it off me without ripping it. I think he held back because of the hair that was knotted up inside. 69.21

Yana zaune a kan kujera, al-Mu'tasim ya umarci a kawo sandunan katako da bulalai. Suka fito da sandunan suka sa ni na mika hannayena. Daga bayana wani ya ce, "Ka riƙe ƙahonin ka ja," amma ban fahimta ba, sai na kai ga ɓaraɓar hannuwana biyu.22

Sitting down on a chair, al-Muʿtaṣim called for the posts and the whips. They brought out the posts and made me stretch out my arms. From behind me someone said, “Hold on to the tusks and pull,” but I didn’t understand, so I ended up spraining both my wrists.380 69.22

[Al-Būshanjī:] An ce sa'ad da aka dakatar da Aḥmad daga mukamansa, al-Mu'taṣim, da ya ga yadda ba ya jin tsoro, ya yaba da jarumtakarsa har ya shirya ya yi masa sassauci. Sai dai Aḥmad ibn Abī Du'ād ya tsokane shi, yana cewa, "In ka bar shi ya tafi, mutane za su ce ka watsar da akidar al-Ma'mūn, kuma kana ƙin aiwatar da ita." Wannan ne ya sa al-Mu'taṣim ya ci gaba ya yi masa bulala. 69.23

[Al-Būshanjī:] They say that when Aḥmad was suspended from the posts, al- Muʿtaṣim, seeing him undaunted, so admired his bravery that he was prepared to be lenient with him; but then Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād provoked him, saying, “If you let him go, people will say that you’ve renounced al-Maʾmūn’s creed and are refusing to enforce it.” It was this that pushed al-Muʿtaṣim to go ahead and flog him. 69.23

[Aḥmad:] Sa'ad da suka kawo bulala, al-Mu'tasim ya kalle su ya ce, "Ku kawo wasu daban," aka yi haka.381 Sannan ya ce wa jami'an bulalar,382

[Aḥmad:] When they brought the whips, al-Muʿtaṣim looked at them and said, “Bring different ones,” which was done.381 Then he said to the lictors,382

Ci gaba! 69.24

“Proceed!” 69.24

Ɗaya bayan ɗaya suka zo wurina, kowannensu yana dukana sau biyu, yayin da al-Mu'tasim yana ihu, "Ku bugi da ƙarfi, ku la'anta!" Duk lokacin da wani ya janye, wani kuma zai zo ya buge ni sau biyu, shi kuma yana ta ihu, "Ku bugi da ƙarfi, la'antattu ku duka!"383

One at a time, they came at me, and struck two lashes apiece, with al-Muʿtaṣim calling out, “Harder, damn you!” As each one stepped aside another would come up and hit me twice more, with him shouting all the while, “Harder, damn you all!”383

Bayan an yi mini bulala sha tara, sai ya—wato al-Mu'tasim—ya tashi daga kujerarsa ya nufo ni. 69.25

After I had been struck nineteen lashes, he—meaning al-Muʿtaṣim—rose from his seat and walked up to me. 69.25

"Aḥmad," ya ce, "don me menene kake kashe kanka haka? Na rantse da Allah—a'a, da God—ina son abin da yake mafi alheri a gare ka." Sai ʿUjayf ya fara sokana da hannun takobinsa. "Kana tsammanin za ka iya yin nasara a kan dukkan wannan rukunin mutane?" "Abin kunya!" wani ya yi ihu. "Halifa yana tsaye can yana jiran ka." "Shugaban Muminai!" wani kuma ya yi kira. "Ka kashe shi, jininsa ya kasance a wuyana!" Sai wasu da yawa suka shiga cikin maganar. "Shugaban Muminai, kana azumi, kuma yanzu kana tsaye a rana!"384

“Aḥmad,” he said, “why are you killing yourself? I swear to God, I want what’s best for you.” Then ʿUjayf began jabbing at me with the hilt of his sword. “Do you think you can win against this whole lot?” “For shame!” someone called out. “The caliph is standing there waiting for you.” “Commander of the Faithful!” cried another. “Kill him, and let his blood be on my hands!” Then more of them chimed in. “Commander of the Faithful, you’ve been fasting, and now you’re standing in the sun!”384

"Zo mana, Aḥmad," ya ce. "Ka faɗi wani abu!" "Ka ba ni wani abu da zan iya gaskatawa," na ce, "daga Littafin Allah ko sunnar Manzonsa." Ya koma kujerarsa ya zauna.

“Come on, Aḥmad,” he said. “Say something!” “Give me something I can believe,” I said, “from the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary.” He went back to his chair and sat down.

"Ci gaba," ya ce wa jami'in. "Bari ya ji shi, lalle ka la'ance!" Ba da daɗewa ba ya sake tashi a karo na biyu, yana cewa, "Zo mana, Aḥmad! Ka faɗa mini abin da nake so in ji." 69.26

“Proceed,” he said to the lictor. “Let him feel it, damn you!” Soon he rose a second time, saying, “Come on, Aḥmad! Tell me what I want to hear.” 69.26

Sauran sun shiga, suna cewa, "Kunya gare ka, Aḥmad: limamin ka yana tsaye a nan yana jiran ka." "Wane daga cikin abokan aikinka," ya tambayi ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, "yana yin abin da kake yi?" "Faɗa mini duk abin da za ka iya," al-Muʿtaṣim ya ce mini, "kuma zan kwance maka sarka da hannuna." "Ba mu abin da zan iya yarda da shi," na ce, "daga Littafin Allah ko sunnar ManzonSa." Ya sake komawa kujerarsa ya zauna. "Ci gaba," ya ce wa jamaʿan.

The others joined in, saying, “Shame on you, Aḥmad: your imam is standing here waiting for you.” “Which of your associates,” asked ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, “is doing what you’re doing?” “Tell me whatever you can manage,” al-Muʿtaṣim said to me, “and I’ll unchain you with my own hands.” “Give me something I can believe,” I said, “from the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary.” Again he went back to his chair and sat down. “Proceed,” he said to the lictors.

Sai suka sake zuwa ɗaya bayan ɗaya suka bugi ni bulala biyu-biyu, al-Mu'tasim yana ihu, "Ku buge shi da ƙarfi, Allah ya la'ance ku!" Yayin da kowa ya ja baya, wani kuma zai zo ya buge ni sau biyu, shi kuwa yana ta ihu duk lokacin, "Ku buge shi da ƙarfi, Allah ya la'ance ku duka!" A nan ne na suma.385

Again they came up one by one and struck me two lashes apiece, with al-Muʿtaṣim calling out, “Harder, damn you!” As each stepped aside another would come up and hit me twice more, with him shouting all the while, “Harder, damn you all!” That’s when I passed out.385

Bayan wani lokaci na farka, sai na tarar an cire min sarƙoƙina.

Some time later I came to my senses to find that my chains had been removed.

"Mun jefa ka fuska ƙasa," in ji ɗaya daga cikin mutanen da suke wurin. "Sa'an nan muka birgima ka a ƙasa muka take ka." Ni ba ni da wata tuna da hakan.

“We threw you face down,” said one of the men who had been there. “Then we rolled you over on the ground and trampled you.” I had no memory of that.

Sun kawo mini ruwan sha'ir, suka ce in sha, sannan in yi amai.

They brought me some barley water and told me to drink it and vomit.

"Ba zan iya karya azumi ba," na ce musu.

“I can’t break the fast,” I told them.

Sai suka mayar da ni wurin Isḥāq ibn Ibrahīm, inda na halarci sallar azahar.386 Ibn Samāʿah ya fito gaba don jagorantar sallar. Da ya gama, ya tambaye ni, "Ta yaya za ka iya yin sallah alhali kana zub da jini a cikin tufafinka?" 69.27

They took me back to Isḥāq ibn Ibrahīm’s place, where I attended the noon prayer.386 Ibn Samāʿah stepped forward to lead the prayer. When he finished he asked me, “How could you pray when you’re bleeding inside your clothes?” 69.27

"ʿUmar ya yi salla yana zubar da jini daga raunukansa," na amsa.

“ʿUmar prayed with blood spurting from his wounds,” I answered.

Ṣāliḥ ya ce: 69.28

Ṣāliḥ said: 69.28

Mahaifina an sake shi, ya koma gida. Daga lokacin da aka fara kama shi zuwa lokacin da aka yi masa bulala aka sake shi, watanni ashirin da takwas ne.

My father was released and went home. From the time he was first arrested to the time he was flogged and let go was twenty-eight months.

Ɗaya daga cikin mutum biyu da suke tare da mahaifina—a kurkuku, wato—ya ji kuma ya ga komai. Daga baya ya zo wurina ya ce, “Dan uwana, Allah ya yi wa Abū ʿAbd Allāh rahama! Ban taɓa ganin wani kamar sa ba. Lokacin da suke aika abinci, zan tuna masa cewa yana azumi, in gaya masa cewa yana da izinin ya ceci kansa.387 Har ila yau, ina tuna cewa yana jin ƙishirwa. Ya nemi mai kula da shi wani abin sha. Mutumin ya ba shi kofin ruwa da ƙanƙara a ciki. Ya karɓa ya kalle shi na ɗan lokaci, amma sai ya mayar da shi ba tare da ya sha ba. Na yi mamaki yadda zai iya jure rashin abinci da ruwa ko a wannan wuri mai ban tsoro.” Ṣāliḥ ya ce: 69.29

One of the two men who were with my father—in jail, that is—heard and saw everything. Later he came to see me and said, “Cousin, may God have mercy on Abū ʿAbd Allāh! I never saw anyone like him. When they sent food in, I would remind him that he was fasting, and tell him he was allowed to save himself.387 I also remember that he was thirsty. He asked the attendant for something to drink. The man gave him a cup of water with ice in it. He took it and looked at it for a moment, but then he gave it back without drinking it. I was amazed that he could go without food or water even in that terrifying place.” Ṣālīḥ said: 69.29

A lokacin, ina yin duk abin da zan iya don in boye wa shi wasu abinci ko burodi guda biyu, amma duk rokon da nake masa bai yi wani amfani ba.

At the time, I was doing everything I could to smuggle some food or a loaf or two of flatbread in to him, but none of my pleading did any good.

Wani mutumin da yake wurin ya gaya mini cewa ya lura da shi a tsawon kwanaki uku gaba ɗaya, kuma a cikin dukan muhawara da jayayya bai taɓa yin kuskuren furta kalma ɗaya ba. "Ban taɓa tunanin cewa akwai wani mutum mai ƙarfin hali kamar sa ba." [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim ya dawo Baghdad daga gaban yaƙin Byzantine a watan Ramadan na shekara ta 218. A lokacin ne ya gwada Aḥmad ya kuma umarci a yi masa bulala a gabansa. 69.30

A man who was there told me that he kept his eye on him for the entire three days, and not once during all the argument and debate did he mispronounce a single word. “I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be as tough as he was.” [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim returned to Baghdad from the Byzantine front in Ramadan of ’18. It was then that he tried Aḥmad and had him flogged before him. 69.30

Wani amintaccen abokina ya ruwaito mini abin da Ibrāhīm ibn Muṣʿab ya gaya masa, wanda a lokacin yana wakiltar Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm a matsayin babban jami'in 'yan sanda na al-Muʿtaṣim: "Ban taɓa ganin wanda aka kawo fuska da fuska da sarakuna da yarima ya nuna ƙaramin tsoro kamar yadda Aḥmad ya nuna a ranar nan ba. A gare shi mu ba komai ba ne sai gungun kudaje." [Al-Zuhrī:] Na karanta daga bayanan kaina abin da al-Marrūdhī ya faɗa a shari'ar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, a lokacin da Aḥmad yana rataye tsakanin sandunan.388 69.31

A trustworthy associate of mine reported to me what he was told by Ibrāhīm ibn Muṣʿab, who at that time was standing in for Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm as al-Muʿtaṣim’s chief of police: “I’ve never seen anyone brought face to face with kings and princes show as little fear as Aḥmad did that day. To him we were nothing but a cloud of flies.” [Al-Zuhrī:] I read from my own notes what al-Marrūdhī said at the trial of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, as Aḥmad was hanging between the posts.388 69.31

"Malam," in ji al-Marrūdhī, "Allah ya ce, {Kada ku kashe kanku}." Wait, the rules say the Hausa word for God, never "Allah". So: "Malam," in ji al-Marrūdhī, "Ubangiji ya ce, {Kada ku kashe kanku}."389

“Master,” said al-Marrūdhī, “God says, «Do not kill yourselves.»”389

"Marrūdhī," in cewar Aḥmad, "ka je ka duba waje ka gaya mini abin da ka gani." Al-Marrūdhī ya ruwaito cewa: "Na fita, sai ga shi a farfajiyar fādar halifa akwai taro mai yawa na mutane—Allah kaɗai ya san adadinsu—dauke da takardunsu, alƙalamansu, da tuluna cike da tawada. Na tambaye su abin da suke yi, sai suka ce, 'Muna jiran mu ji abin da Aḥmad zai ce mu rubuta.'" Ya umarce su da su zauna a inda suke, sannan ya koma ciki, inda Aḥmad yake har yanzu rataye tsakanin sandunan. Ya gaya masa cewa ya ga taron mutane riƙe da alƙalami da takarda suna jiran su rubuta duk abin da zai faɗa.

“Marrūdhī,” said Aḥmad, “go and look outside and tell me what you see.” Al-Marrūdhī reported: “I went out and there, in the courtyard of the caliph’s palace, was a vast crowd of people—God only knows how many—with their sheets of paper, their pens, and their pots of ink. I asked them what they were doing, and they said, ‘We’re waiting to hear what Aḥmad says so we can write it down.’” He told them to stay where they were, then went back inside, where Aḥmad was still hanging between the posts. He told him that he had seen a crowd of people holding pen and paper and waiting to write down whatever he would say.

"Shin zan iya yaudarar duk waɗannan mutane?" Aḥmad ya tambaya. "Na fi so in kashe kaina."390

“Can I mislead all those people?” asked Aḥmad. “I’d rather kill myself.”390

[Mawallafin:] To ga wani mutum wanda, kamar Bilāl, ya kasance a shirye ya bada ransa saboda Ubangijinsa. A game da Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab kuma, an ruwaito cewa rayuwarsa ba ta fi ta kuda muhimmanci a gare shi ba. Irin wannan rashin damuwa da kai ba zai yiwu ba sai mutum ya taɓa hango rayuwar da ke bayan wannan, ya kuma karkata kallonsa zuwa ga gaba maimakon yanzu. Tsananin wahalar da Aḥmad ya sha shaida ce ta ƙarfin imaninsa, domin, kamar yadda Annabi ﷺ ya tabbatar, "Mutum na shan wahala gwargwadon imaninsa." Yabo ya tabbata ga Wanda ya taimaki Aḥmad, ya ba shi baiwar fahimta, ya ƙarfafa niyyarsa, kuma ya zo masa da taimako. 69.32

[The author:] Here then is a man who, like Bilāl, was willing to give up his life for the sake of his God.391 Of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, similarly, it is reported that his life meant as little to him as the life of a fly. Such indifference to self is possible only when one has glimpsed the life that lies beyond this one and trained one’s gaze on the future rather than the present. Aḥmad’s great suffering is evidence of his strong faith, for, as the Prophet is known to have said, “A man suffers in proportion to his faith.” Praise the One who helped Aḥmad, granted him the gift of perception, strengthened his resolve, and came to his aid. 69.32

[Ibn al-Aṣbagh:] Ina a Baghdad sai na ji hayaniya. Na tambaya game da me ake yi, sai mutane suka gaya mini cewa ana gurfanar da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Don haka na koma gida, na tara kuɗi masu yawa, na ba da cin hanci don in shiga zaman shari'ar. Cikin fada, na ga sojoji da takubbansu a zare, mashinsu a kafe, garkuwoyinsu a tsaye, da bulalansu a shirye. An ba ni baƙar riga, da ɗamara, da takobi, aka kuma ba ni wurin zama kusa sosai da zan iya jin abin da ake faɗa. 69.33

[Ibn al-Aṣbagh:] I was in Baghdad and heard a clamor. I asked what it was about and people told me that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was being tried. So I went home, collected a substantial sum of money, and bribed my way into the session. Inside the palace, I saw soldiers with their swords drawn, their spears fixed, their shields planted, and their whips at the ready. I was fitted out with a black cloak, a sash, and a sword, and given a seat close enough that I could hear what was being said. 69.33

Khalifa ya bayyana ya zauna a kan kujera. Sannan aka kawo Ibn Ḥanbal.

The caliph appeared and seated himself in a chair. Then Ibn Ḥanbal was brought in.

"Na rantse da kakanmu Annabi," in ji halifan, "cewa idan ba ka faɗi abin da nake faɗa ba, zan sa a yi maka bulala!" Ya juya ga mai bulala, ya ce, "Kai shi!" A bulala ta farko, Aḥmad ya ce, "Da sunan Allah!" A ta biyu, ya ce, "Babu ƙarfi da iko sai da Allah!" A ta uku, ya ce, "Alƙur'ani maganar Allah ce, kuma ba a halitta ta ba!" A ta huɗu, ya ce, "«Ka ce: ba za mu sha wahala ba sai abin da Allah ya rubuta mana»!"392

“I swear by my ancestor the Prophet,” said the caliph, “that if you don’t say as I say, I’ll have you flogged!” Turning to the lictor, he said, “Take him away!” At the first blow, Aḥmad said, “In the name of God!” At the second, he said, “There is no might or power except by God!” At the third, he said, “The Qurʾan is the speech of God, and uncreated!” At the fourth he said, “«Say: we will suffer only what God has decreed for us!»”392

Jami'in tsaro ya riga ya doke shi bulala ashirin da tara sai igiyar wandonsa Aḥmad—wadda ba komai ba ce face tsiri na rufin tufa—ta karye. Wandonsa ya zame har zuwa ƙasan cikinsa.

The lictor had struck him twenty-nine lashes when Aḥmad’s trouser cord—which was made of nothing more than a strip of garment lining—broke. His trousers slipped down as far as his groin.

"Zai bar shi babu komai a jikinsa," na yi tunani a raina. Amma sai ya ɗaga kai ya kalli sama ya motsa leɓunansa. Nan take wandon ya daina zamewa ya tsaya a wurinsa.

“He’ll be left with nothing on,” I thought to myself. But then he looked up to the heavens and moved his lips. Instantly the trousers stopped slipping and remained in place.

Bayan kwana bakwai, na je wurinsa. "Aḥmad," na tambaye shi, "Ina wurin ranar da suka yi maka duka, sai wandonka ya tsage. Na ga ka duba sama kana motsa lebbanka. Me kake cewa?" Ya ce, "Na ce, 'Ya Allah, ina kiran Ka da sunanka, wanda ya cika Al'arshi! In Ka san ni ina kan gaskiya, kada Ka tona tsiraicina.'" [Aḥmad ibn al-Faraj:] Ina wurin lokacin da aka yi wa Aḥmad bulala. Abū l-Dann ya zo ya bugi shi fiye da bulala goma. Jini ya fara zuba daga kafaɗunsa. Yana sanye da wando, sai igiyar wandon ta karye. Na lura da cewa yayin da wandon ya fara zamewa, sai ya yi wani magana wadda ba a ji ba, sai wandon ya koma sama. 69.34

Seven days later, I went to see him. “Aḥmad,” I asked, “I was there the day they beat you and your trousers came apart. I saw you look up and move your lips. What were you saying?” He said, “I said, ‘God, I call You by Your name, which has filled the Throne! If You know me to be in the right, do not expose my nakedness.’” [Aḥmad ibn al-Faraj:] I was there when Aḥmad was whipped. Abū l-Dann came up and struck him more than ten lashes. Blood started pouring from his shoulders. He was wearing a pair of trousers, and the cord broke. I noticed that as the trousers began to come down, he said something inaudible and they went back up. 69.34

"Daga baya na tambaye shi game da wannan, sai ya gaya mini abin da ya faɗa: 'Ya Allahna kuma Ubangijina, Ka sanya ni a nan, yanzu kuma za Ka tona tsiraicina ga duniya?' A lokacin ne wando na ya dawo sama." Note: the rules say to write "God" rather than "Allah," so here is the corrected version: "Daga baya na tambaye shi game da wannan, sai ya gaya mini abin da ya faɗa: 'Ya Ubangiji na, Ubangijina, Ka sanya ni a nan, yanzu kuma za Ka tona tsiraicina ga duniya?' A lokacin ne wando na ya dawo sama."393

Later I asked him about it, and he told me what he had said: “‘My God and Lord, You’ve put me here, and now You’re going to expose my nakedness to the world?’ That’s when my trousers came back up.”393

[Al-Qurashī:] Lokacin da suka kawo Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal don a yi masa bulala, sun cire masa komai sai wando. Yayin da ake masa bulalar, wandon ya sassauta. Lebbansa suka motsa, sai na ga hannaye biyu suna fitowa daga ƙarƙashinsa yayin da ake masa bulalar, suka ja wandon ya sake tashi. Da bulalar ta ƙare, muka tambaye shi abin da ya faɗa lokacin da wandon ya sassauta. Ya gaya mana, "Na ce, 'Ina kira gare Ka, Wanda Shi kaɗai ya san inda Kursiyinka yake. Idan ina kan gaskiya, kada Ka tona tsiraicina.' Abin da na faɗa ke nan." 69.35

[Al-Qurashī:] When they brought Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal forward to be flogged, they stripped him of everything but his trousers. As he was being flogged, the trousers came loose. His lips moved, and then I saw two hands appear from under him as he was being whipped and pull the trousers back up. When the flogging was over, we asked him what he had said when the trousers came loose. He told us, “I said, ‘I call on You who alone knows where Your Throne is. If I’m in the right, do not expose my nakedness.’ That’s what I said.” 69.35

[Al-Rāzī:] Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm yana cewa, "Wallahi, ina wurin ranar da aka yi wa Aḥmad bulala, sai wando ya sauka ya sake tashi, kuma ya sake ɗaurewa bayan ya kwance. Mutanen da ke wurinsa sun shagaltu har ba su lura ba. Amma ban taɓa ganin wata rana mafi muni ga al-Muʿtaṣim ba. Da bai dakatar da bulalar ba, da bai tsira da rai ba."394 69.36

[Al-Rāzī:] Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm used to say, “By God, I was there the day Aḥmad was flogged and his trousers came down and went up again, and reknotted themselves after coming loose. The people there with him were too preoccupied to notice. But I never saw a more terrible day for al-Muʿtaṣim. If he hadn’t stopped the flogging, he would never have made it out alive.”394 69.36

[Al-Anṣārī:] Na ji ɗaya daga cikin jami'an shari'a yana cewa, "Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya zama mai ƙarfi kamar ɗan fashi. Idan raƙumi ya durƙusa na buge shi da ƙarfin da na buge shi, da na tsage cikinsa." 69.37

[Al-Anṣārī:] I heard one of the lictors say, “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal turned out to be as tough as a bandit.395 If a camel knelt down and I hit it as hard as I hit him, I would have split open its belly.” 69.37

[Shābāṣ:] Na yi wa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal bulala tamanin. Da na buga giwa da irin wannan ƙarfin, da na ƙasƙantar da ita.396 69.38

[Shābāṣ:] I struck Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal eighty lashes. If I’d hit an elephant that hard I would’ve knocked it down.396 69.38

[Al-Rāshidī:] Wani abokina ya ruwaito: "Lokacin da bulala suka fara yanke Abū ʿAbd Allāh, sai ya ce: 'Gare Ka, Mai mulkin sammai da ƙasa, ina neman taimako!'" 69.39

[Al-Rāshidī:] One of my associates reported: “When the whips began to tear into Abū ʿAbd Allāh, he said, ‘To You, Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, I cry for help!’” 69.39

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Na sha jin mahaifina yana cewa, "Allah ya yi wa Abu l-Haytham rahama! Allah ya gafarta wa Abu l-Haytham! Allah ya yafe wa Abu l-Haytham!" 69.40

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I often heard my father say, “God have mercy on Abū l-Haytham! God pardon Abū l-Haytham! God forgive Abū l-Haytham!” 69.40

"Baba," na tambaya a ƙarshe, "wane ne Abū l-Haytham?" "Ba ka sani ba?" "A'a." "Abū l-Haytham al-Ḥaddād ne. Ranar da suka kama ni suka miƙa hannuwana don a yi mini bulala, sai na ji wani yana ja min tufafi daga baya."

“Dad,” I finally asked, “who is Abū l-Haytham?” “Don’t you know?” “No.” “It’s Abū l-Haytham al-Ḥaddād. The day they took me and stretched my arms out for the flogging, I felt someone pulling at my clothes from behind.

"Shin ka san ni?" ya tambaya.

“‘Do you recognize me?’ he asked.

"'Aa'a.' 'Ni ne Abū l-Haytham, kuma ɗan fashi ne, mai yanke aljihu, kuma ɓarawo. A lokuta daban-daban, an yi mini bulala dubu goma sha takwas—duk an rubuta su a wajen Kwamandan Masu Imani—saboda Shaiɗan da al'amuran duniya. Don haka ka jure, ka karɓi dukanka saboda Allah da Musulunci.' "Sun yi mini bulala goma sha takwas maimakon nasa dubu goma sha takwas. Sai mai hidima ya fito ya ce, 'Kwamandan Masu Imani ya yi masa afuwa!'" [Marubucin:] A cikin Tarihinsa, Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿArafah ya ruwaito cewa an yi wa Aḥmad bulala talatin da shida.397

“‘No.’ “‘I’m Abū l-Haytham, and I’m a bandit, a cutpurse, and a thief. At one time or another, I’ve been struck eighteen thousand lashes—all on record with the Commander of the Faithful—for the sake of Satan and the things of this world. So bear up and take your beating for God and Islam.’ “They struck me eighteen lashes instead of his eighteen thousand. Then the attendant came out and said, ‘The Commander of the Faithful has pardoned him!’” [The author:] In his History, Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿArafah reports that Aḥmad was struck thirty-six lashes.397

[Yaḥyā ibn Nuʿaym:] Yayin da ake fitar da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal zuwa wajen al-Mu'taṣim don a yi masa bulala, jami'in da ke raka shi ya ce, "Ka yi la'ana ga duk wanda ya yi maka wannan!" 69.41

[Yaḥyā ibn Nuʿaym:] As Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was being taken out to al-Muʿtaṣim to be flogged, the officer escorting him said, “Go ahead and curse whoever did this to you!” 69.41

“Cursing your oppressor,” said Aḥmad, “shows a lack of fortitude.” [Al-Baghawī:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal going into the mosque of al-Manṣūr wearing a green over-garment, his sandals in his hand, bare-headed. To me he looked to be a tall, dark-skinned, white-bearded old man. Sitting in the gallery of the minaret were members of the caliph’s entourage. When they saw him, they came down to pay their respects. Kissing his head and hands, they said, “Curse the one who mistreated you.” 69. Hausa translation: "La'anta wanda ya zalunce ka," in ji Aḥmad, "alama ce ta rashin jajircewa." [Al-Baghawī:] Na ga Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana shiga masallacin al-Manṣūr sanye da riga koriya, takalmansa a hannunsa, kansa a tsirara. A gare ni ya yi kama da wani dattijo mai dogon jiki, fata baƙa, gemu fari. Waɗanda ke tare da halifa suna zaune a cikin baranda na minaret. Da suka ganshi, sai suka sauko don yi masa girma. Suna sumbatar kansa da hannayensa, suka ce, "Ka la'anci wanda ya cutar da kai." 69.42

“Cursing your oppressor,” said Aḥmad, “shows a lack of fortitude.” [Al-Baghawī:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal going into the mosque of al-Manṣūr wearing a green over-garment, his sandals in his hand, bare-headed. To me he looked to be a tall, dark-skinned, white-bearded old man. Sitting in the gallery of the minaret were members of the caliph’s entourage. When they saw him, they came down to pay their respects. Kissing his head and hands, they said, “Curse the one who mistreated you.” 69.42

"Yin la'ana ga azzalumin ka," in ji Aḥmad, "yana nuna rashin jajircewa."398

“Cursing your oppressor,” said Aḥmad, “shows a lack of fortitude.”398

[Aḥmad:] Lokacin da suka kai ni fadar, na tafi ba tare da abinci ba tsawon kwana biyu.

[Aḥmad:] When they took me to the palace I went without food for two days.

Bayan da suka yi mini bulala, sai suka kawo mini ruwan sha'ir, amma ban sha ba saboda kada in karya azumina. 69.43

After they flogged me they brought me some barley water, but I didn’t have any so as not to break my fast. 69.43

[Al-Makhzūmī:] Ina cikin Makka ina zagayen Ka'aba tare da Sa'īd ibn Manṣūr, sai na ji wata murya a bayana tana cewa: "Yau ne ranar dukan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal." 69.44

[Al-Makhzūmī:] I was in Mecca walking around the Kaʿbah with Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr when I heard a voice behind me say: “Today is the flogging of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” 69.44

Daga baya na gano cewa an yi masa bulala a wannan ranar.

Later I found out that he had been flogged that day.

A wata ruwayar kuma:

In another telling:

Sa'īd ibn Manṣūr ya tambaye ni, "Ka ji abin da na ji?" Na ce masa na ji.

Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr asked me, “Did you hear what I heard?” I told him I had.

"Ka tuna yau wace rana ce," in ji shi.

“Remember what day this is,” he said.

Daga baya mun gano cewa an yi masa bulala a wannan rana.

Later we found out that he had been flogged that day.

[Al-Ṭaḥḥān:] A ranar da aka yi wa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal bulala, ina tare da Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām, Ibrahīm ibn Abī l-Layth, da wasu da yawa a gidan ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAlī. 69.45

[Al-Ṭaḥḥān:] On the day Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was flogged, I was with Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām, Ibrahīm ibn Abī l-Layth, and several others at the home of ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAlī. 69.45

"Will anyone come with me and talk to that man?" asked ʿĀṣim. He repeated the question several times but no one answered, until finally Ibrāhīm said, "I'll come." ʿĀṣim shouted to the servant boy to bring his boots. But then Ibrāhīm said, "Let me go and see my daughters first. I haven't seen them in a while and I have some things to tell them." He left, and we suspected that he had gone to perfume himself and put on his shroud.

“Will anyone come with me and talk to that man?” asked ʿĀṣim.399 He repeated the question several times but no one answered, until finally Ibrāhīm said, “I’ll come.” ʿĀṣim shouted to the servant boy to bring his boots. But then Ibrāhīm said, “Let me go and see my daughters first. I haven’t seen them in a while and I have some things to tell them.” He left, and we suspected that he had gone to perfume himself and put on his shroud.

Sa'ad ya dawo, sai 'Āṣim ya sake kiran a kawo masa takalmansa.

When he returned, ʿĀṣim again called for his boots.

“Na je ganin ’ya’yana mata,” in ji Ibrāhīm, “sai suka yi kuka.” Sa’an nan wata wasiƙa ta zo daga ’ya’yan ʿĀṣim mata biyu a Wāsiṭ. Ta ce, “Baba, mun ji cewa wannan mutumin ya kama Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, ya yi masa bulala don ya sa shi ya ce Alƙur’ani halitta ne. Idan ya nemi ka yi irin wannan, ka ji tsoron Allah kuma ka ƙi. Na rantse da Allah, da mun fi so mu ji cewa ka mutu da mu ji cewa ka miƙa wuya.” [Al-Ḥarrānī:] Yayin da ake yi wa Aḥmad bulala, Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām da ni muna jira a ƙofar al-Muʿtaṣim. Abū ʿUbayd ya fara cewa, “Shin za mu bari a yi musu haka, mafi kyawun cikinmu? Wannan ba zai yiwu a jure ba!” 69.46

“I went to see my daughters,” said Ibrāhīm, “and they wept.” Then a letter came from ʿĀṣim’s two daughters in Wāsiṭ. It read, “Father, we’ve heard that that man has taken Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and flogged him to make him say that the Qurʾan is created. If he asks you to do the same thing, be fearful of God and refuse. By God, we’d rather hear that you’d died than that you gave in.” [Al-Ḥarrānī:] While Aḥmad was being flogged, Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām and I were waiting at al-Muʿtaṣim’s gate. Abū ʿUbayd started saying, “Are we going to let them do this to the best of us? It’s unbearable!” 69.46

Ka faɗa:

I said:

Ba su da hakkin su yi masa bulala haka ba.

They had no right to flog him so.

Amma bari su buge shi, domin ya tsaya da ƙarfi.

But let them strike, for firm he stood.

Ko da yake suna shimfiɗa shi a kwance.

And even as they stretched him flat.

Kamar ƙasar tudu, ya ce, mai ba da ilhami.

As highland earth, he said, inspired.

"Zan iya mutuwa, amma kai, ba ni ba, ne za ka ƙone."

“I may die, but you, not I, will burn.

"Tare da masu ƙarya a cikin ramukan Jahannama!"

With the liars in the pits of Hell!”.

[Abū Ḥātim:] Ranar da suka yi wa Aḥmad bulala, na yanke shawarar zuwa in gani da idona abin da ya same shi. Na isa da wuri sai na tarar da wani tsoho tsaye yana cewa, "Ya Allah, ka ba shi ƙarfi! Ya Allah, ka taimake shi!" Ya ci gaba da magana kamar mutumin da ya shiga wani mummunan hali, "Ina bukatar sanin ko ya yi sallama, sai in je in tsaya a wurinsa." Note: The rules say to write "God" rather than "Allah" in the original's wording, and to render it as the Hausa word for God. Following that, the correct rendering is: [Abū Ḥātim:] Ranar da suka yi wa Aḥmad bulala, na yanke shawarar zuwa in gani da idona abin da ya same shi. Na isa da wuri sai na tarar da wani tsoho tsaye yana cewa, "Ya Ubangiji, ka ba shi ƙarfi! Ya Ubangiji, ka taimake shi!" Ya ci gaba da magana kamar mutumin da ya shiga wani mummunan hali, "Ina bukatar sanin ko ya yi sallama, sai in je in tsaya a wurinsa." 69.47

[Abū Ḥātim:] The day they flogged Aḥmad, I decided to go and see for myself what had happened to him. I arrived early and found an old man standing there saying, “God, give him strength! God, help him!” He continued, speaking as if caught in some terrible dilemma, “I need to know if he’s given in and I have to go take his place.” 69.47

Sai wani ya fito yana cewa, "Bai amince ba." "Godiya ta tabbata ga Allah!" in ji tsohon mutumin. Note: the rules say to write the Hausa word for God, never "Allah". Correcting that: Sai wani ya fito yana cewa, "Bai amince ba." "Godiya ta tabbata ga Allah!" in ji tsohon mutumin.

Then someone came out, saying, “He didn’t give in.” “Thank God!” said the old man.

Na tambayi wani wane ne tsohon mutumin.

I asked someone who the old man was.

"Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith," aka ce mini.400

“Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith,” I was told.400

Mun san da sauran labaran game da bulalar, amma mun yi shakku game da daidaitonsu, saboda haka mun bar su.401 69.48

[The author:] We are aware of other accounts of the flogging, but we doubt their accuracy and have therefore omitted them.401 69.48

Annabi ﷺ ya ce: "Za a zo lokaci da duk wanda ya yi haƙuri a kan addininsa zai sami lada sau hamsin fiye da ku." 69.49

The Prophet, God bless and keep him, said: “There will come a time when anyone who suffers bravely for his faith will be rewarded fifty times more than you.” 69.49

"Fiye da mu?" suka tambaya sahabbansa.

“More than us?” asked his Companions.

"Eh," ya ce, yana maimaita ta sau uku.

“Yes,” he said, repeating it three times.

[Al-Shāfiʿī:] "Abubuwa uku mafi wahala su ne: kasancewa mai karimci lokacin da kake da kadan, kasancewa mai taka tsantsan idan kana kadai, da kuma faɗin gaskiya ga masu iko." 69.50

[Al-Shāfiʿī:] “The hardest three things are these: being generous when you have little, being scrupulous when you’re alone, and speaking truth to power.” 69.50

[Abū Zurʿah:] Koyaushe ina jin mutane suna yabon Ibn Ḥanbal suna ba shi fifiko a kan Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn da Abū Khaythamah, sai dai ba su taɓa yin hakan sosai ba kamar bayan an gwada shi. Bayan an gwada shi, martabarsa ta kai har ba a iya misaltawa. 69.51

[Abū Zurʿah:] I always used to hear people speaking highly of Ibn Ḥanbal and giving him precedence over Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and Abū Khaythamah, though never as much as after he was tried. After he was tried, his reputation knew no bounds. 69.51

[Ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Yūnus yana karanta Hadisi: “A cikin Aljanna akwai gidaje masu girma da ake buɗewa ga annabawa kaɗai, da masu gaskiya, ko kuma waɗanda aka ba iko a kan ransu.” 69.52

[Ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Yūnus recite the Hadith: “In the Garden are palaces open only to prophets, truth-tellers, or those given power over their own souls.” 69.52

Wani ya tambaya, "Su waɗanne ne 'waɗanda aka ba iko a kan rayukansu'?" Sai ya amsa, "Misali, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal."

Someone asked, “Who are ‘those given power over their own souls’?” “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, for example,” he replied.

Wannan Hadisi an danganta shi ga Ka'b al-Ahbar, kamar haka:

[The author:] This Hadith is traced back to Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, as follows:

Mun ruwaito daga Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī ibn Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān, wanda ya ruwaito daga Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, wanda ya ruwaito daga Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Iṣfahānī, wanda ya ji ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad yana ruwaito cewa ya ji ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Salm yana ruwaito cewa ya ji Hannād ibn al-Sarī yana ruwaito cewa ya ji Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd, yana ruwaito daga Salamah ibn Nubayṭ, yana ruwaito daga ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī l-Jaʿd, yana ruwaito daga Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, sun ce:

Ibn al-Ḥārith: Abū Muḥammad al-Ṭufāwī ya tambayi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya gaya masa abin da suka yi masa. 69.56

[Ibn al-Ḥārith:] Abū Muḥammad al-Ṭufāwī asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to tell him what they had done to him. 69.56

“Bayan an yi mini bulala,” in ji Aḥmad, “sai wannan mutumin mai dogon gemu”, wato ʿUjayf, “ya zo ya soke ni da hannun takobinsa. Na tuna na yi tunanin cewa a ƙarshe ya ƙare. Bari ya yanke mini wuya in huta!” “Ibn Samāʿah ya ce wa khalifan, ‘Ya Amīrul Mu’minīn! A kashe shi, kuma jininsa ya zama a hannuna.’ “Amma sai Ibn Abī Dūʾād ya ce, ‘Ya Amīrul Mu’minīn: ya fi kyau kada a yi haka! Idan ka kashe shi a nan, ko ka bar shi ya mutu a cikin fada, za su ce ya tsaya tsayin daka har ƙarshe. Za su mai da shi jarumi, kuma za su yi tunanin cewa sun tabbata a kan gaskiya. A’a: a bar shi ya tafi nan take. Idan ya mutu a waje, ba za su san abin da ya faru ba. Wasu za su ce ya yi tsayayya’”404

“After they had flogged me,” said Aḥmad, “that one with the long beard”— meaning ʿUjayf—“came up and jabbed me with the hilt of his sword. I remember thinking it was finally over. Let him cut my throat so I can rest! “Ibn Samāʿah said to the caliph, ‘Commander of the Faithful! Behead him and let his blood be on my hands.’ “But then Ibn Abī Dūʾād said, ‘Commander of the Faithful: better not to! If you kill him here or let him die inside the palace, they’ll say he held out till the end. They’ll make a hero of him and they’ll think they’ve been proven right. No: let him go right away. If he dies outside they won’t know what happened. Some will say he resisted404

"Amma babu wanda zai tabbatar da hakan tabbas."’”405

but no one will know for sure.’”405

Abū Zur'ah: Al-Mu'tasim ya kira kawun Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ya tambayi mutane, "Shin kun san wannan mutumin wane ne?" 69.57

[Abū Zurʿah:] Al-Muʿtaṣim summoned Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s uncle and asked the people, “Do you know who this is?” 69.57

"Eh," suka ce. "Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ne." "Ku duba shi. Kun ga cewa bai samu wani rauni ba?" "Eh." Idan bai yi haka ba, ina zargin da an samu wata tashin hankali da babu wanda zai iya dakatar da ita. Lokacin da ya ce, "Na mayar muku da shi bai samu rauni ba," mutane suka kwantar da hankalinsu.

“Yes,” they said. “It’s Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” “Look at him. Do you see that he’s unharmed?” “Yes.” If he hadn’t done that, I suspect that an unstoppable outburst of violence would have ensued.406 When he said, “I give him to you unharmed,” the people were mollified.

Ibn al-Aṣbagh: Sai bayan da wani taron jama'a ya taru a ƙofar kuma suka fara ihu ne aka saki Ibn Ḥanbal. Hukumomi sun firgita, saboda haka suka saki Aḥmad. 69.58