[Ibn al-Ash'ath:] Ban taɓa jin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana ambaton abubuwan duniya ba. 44.1

[Ibn al-Ashʿath:] I don’t think I ever heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal mention the things of this world. 44.1

[ʿUmar ibn Sulaymān:] Na yi sallar dare ta Ramadan tare da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, wanda Ibn ʿUmayr ya jagoranta. Lokacin da ya yi sallar dare ta ƙari, ya riƙe hannayensa a kirjinsa. Shi da sauran waɗanda ke masallacin suka yi sallar a hankali sosai, har ban iya jin komai daga abin da suka ce ba. Masallacin ba shi da fitilu masu rataye,229 ko tabarma, ko turare230 — sai fitila kawai da aka ajiye a kan matakala. 44.2

[ʿUmar ibn Sulaymān:] I performed the Ramadan nighttime prayers with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, led by Ibn ʿUmayr. When he performed his additional night prayer, he clasped his hands to his chest. He and the others at the mosque prayed so softly that I couldn’t hear anything they said. The mosque had no hanging lamps,229 mats, or incense230—only a lamp placed on the step. 44.2

[Al-Samarqandī:] Na taɓa tambayar Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān game da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. 44.3

[Al-Samarqandī:] I once asked Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān about Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. 44.3

“Shin yana cikin abin koyi ne?” “Lallai shi ya kasance haka, ta hanyar Allah – ya sha talauci shekara saba’in!” [Ṣāliḥ:] Na taba cewa wa mahaifina, “Na ji cewa Aḥmad al-Dawraqī ya samu dinare dubu.” 44.4

“Is he an exemplar?” “Indeed he was, by God: he suffered poverty for seventy years!” [Ṣāliḥ:] I once said to my father, “I heard that Aḥmad al-Dawraqī got a thousand dinars.” 44.4

Ya amsa da cewa: «Abin da Ubangijinka ya tanadar maka ya fi alheri kuma ya fi dawwama.»231

He replied: «The provision of your Lord is better and more lasting.»231

Na kuma ambaci Ibn Abī Shaybah, ʿAbd al-Aʿlā l-Narsī, da sauran masu ruwayar hadisi waɗanda aka kai Samarra.

I also mentioned Ibn Abī Shaybah, ʿAbd al-Aʿlā l-Narsī, and the other Hadith-men who had been taken to Samarra.

"Ba da daɗewa ba," ya ce, "sai duk suka fara turereniya don zuwa can, amma babu wanda ya samu abin kirki sosai daga ciki." A wani lokacin kuma, lokacin da aka siffanta wani da samun nasara, mahaifina ya ce, "Ɗana, nasara tana nufin samun nasara a ƙarshe ba tare da bin wani bashi ga kowa ba." [Ibn Abī l-Qudūr:] Lokacin da farashin kaya ya yi tsada, Aḥmad zai zo wurina da zanen saƙa, wanda zai ɓoye a jikinsa, ya sa ni in sayar masa. Wani lokaci zan samu dirhami ɗaya da rabi a kansa, wani lokaci kuma dirhami biyu. Wata rana bai zo wurina ba. Washegari na ce, "Aḥmad, ina ka shiga jiya?" 44.5

“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.” [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?” 44.5

Umm Ṣāliḥ ta yi rashin lafiya. Ya ba ni wani yadi da aka saƙa, wanda na sayar da shi a dirhami huɗu. Lokacin da na kawo masa kuɗin, bai yi farin ciki da hakan ba.

“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.

"Ba ka saka wani kuɗinka na kanka ba, ko?" ya tambaya.

“You didn’t add any of your own money, did you?” he asked.

"Aʼa," na amsa. "Yana da kyau sosai." [Ṣāliḥ:] Mahaifina ya ce, "A lokacin da farashi ya yi tsada, mahaifiyarka takan saƙa tufafi masu kyau. Takan sayar da mithqāl huɗu da rabi a kusan dirhami biyu, kuma da hakan ne muke ci."44.6

“No,” I replied. “It was finely woven.” [Ṣāliḥ:] My father said, “When prices were high, your mother would weave fine cloth. She’d sell four and a half mithqāls232 for about two dirhams, and that’s how we’d eat.” 44.6

Mahaifina ya taba shigowa gida na bayan mun gama yin sabon rufi. Ya kira ni ya fara dictating wannan rahoto: "Mun ji Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb yana ruwaito cewa ya ji Ḥammād ibn Salamah yana ruwaito, yana kawo Yūnus, yana kawo al-Ḥasan, cewa al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays ya dawo daga tafiya ya tarar an sanya wa gidansa sabon rufi kuma an fenti wasu daga cikin katakan da ja da kore.233 Suka ce masa ya duba shi, sai ya ce, 'Ina baƙin ciki da ban lura ba. Dai dai dai, ba zan shiga ciki ba sai kun canza shi.'" "Lokacin da na sayi baiwa, matata ta koka masa game da hakan. Ya ce, 'Ni koyaushe ina ƙoƙarin nisantar da su daga abubuwan duniya. Amma ban ji irin haka game da kai ba.'" Matata ta ce, "Akwai wani baya ga kai da yake ƙin samun kuɗi?" "To, ki yi mu'amala da ita da kanki," ya amsa.234

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.233 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.’ “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.234

"Sau da yawa muna sayen abubuwa mu ɓoye su don kada ya gano su ya tsawata mana." [Al-Marrūdhī:] Lokacin da muke Samarra, Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā l-Miṣrī da wasu malaman hadisi da dama suka zo don ganin Aḥmad. 44.7

“We often bought things and hid them so he wouldn’t find out about them and rebuke us.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] When we were in Samarra, Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā l-Miṣrī and a number of other Hadith-men came to see Aḥmad. 44.7

"Me me ya sa kake kama da fushi?" al-Miṣrī ya tambaya. "Musulunci ita ce addini na gaskiya guda ɗaya, babu tsanani ko takura a cikinta, kuma akwai wuri a cikinta ga kowa." Aḥmad, wanda yake kwance, kawai ya kalle su. Bayan sun tafi, ya ce, "Kun gan su? Ba na son ɗaya daga cikinsu ya sake shigowa nan."235

“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.”235

[Al-Naysābūrī:] Aḥmad ya taba faɗa mini, "Wata safiya, ka zo da wuri mu kwatanta kwafinmu na Zuhd." 44.8

[Al-Naysābūrī:] Aḥmad once said to me, “Some morning, come by early and we’ll compare our copies of Renunciation.” 44.8

Na je wurinsa da safe wata rana. Na roki uwar ɗansa da ta kawo mini tabarma da matashin kai, sai na shimfiɗa su a falon gaba. Sai Aḥmad ya fito yana riƙe da littafi da tawadarsa. Da ya ga tabarmar da matashin kan, sai ya ce, "Menene wannan?" "Domin ka zauna a kai," na ce.

So I went to see him early one morning. I asked his son’s mother236 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.

"Ka ɗauke shi," ya ce. "Ba za mu iya karatun zuhudu ba tare da mun yi watsi da duniya ba." Sai na ɗauke abubuwan, Aḥmad kuwa ya zauna a ƙasa.

“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-Sarī ibn Muḥammad:] Wata rana jikan Aḥmad ya zo don ya taimaka masa wajen alwala.237 Ganin cewa kakansa ya ɗauki wani ɗan kyalle mai ɗanshi ya sanya a kansa, sai ya tambaye shi ko yana da zazzaɓi. 44.9

[Al-Sarī ibn Muḥammad:] One day Aḥmad’s grandson came over to help him with his ablutions.237 Seeing that his grandfather had taken a wet rag and put it on his head, he asked him if he had a fever. 44.9

"Me zai iya kamuwa da zazzabi daga me?" ya amsa.238

“What would I get a fever from?” he replied.238

[Ibn Jabalah:] Na tsaya a ƙofar gidan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, wadda take a buɗe kaɗan, sai na ji matar ɗansa239 tana cewa masa, "Ga ni ina shan wahala tare da kai, amma a gidan Ṣālīḥ suna da abinci sosai," da sauran maganganu haka. 44.10

[Ibn Jabalah:] I was at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s front door, which was ajar, and I heard his son’s mother239 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. 44.10

"Kada ka faɗi mummunan magana," ya rika gaya mata.

“Speak no ill,” he kept telling her.

Sa'ad da ya fito, ƙaramin yaronsa ya fito tare da shi, ya fara kuka.

When he came out, his little boy came out with him and began crying.

"Me kake so?" ya tambaye shi.

“What do you want?” he asked him.

"Zabibi!" yaron ya yi ihu.

“Raisins!” cried the boy.

"Je ka gaya wa mai kantin," in ji Aḥmad, "ya ba ka ḥabbah ɗaya kacal."240

“Go tell the grocer,” said Aḥmad, “to give you a ḥabbah’s worth.”240

[Hāniʾ:] Lokacin da ya dawo daga Samarra, Aḥmad ya umarce ni da in je wurin wanka in roƙi mai gudanarwarta da ya share masa wurin. Sai na je na tambaya, mutumin ya amince. Na koma na faɗa wa Aḥmad, sai ya ce: “Shekara hamsin ke nan da na shiga wurin wanka.241 Ni ma ba zan je yanzu ba. Ka faɗa masa ya sake buɗe shi.” Haka na yi. 44.11

[Hāniʾ:] 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.241 I might as well not go now, either. Tell him to open it up again.” So I did. 44.11

[Ṣāliḥ:] Mahaifina ya kasance yana cire gashin jikinsa a gida. Wata ranar hunturu ya ce, "Bayan faɗuwar rana ina so in je wurin wanka, don haka ka je ka sanar da mai shi."44.12

[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.” 44.12

Amma bayan faɗuwar rana, sai ya ce, "A sanar da shi cewa na canja ra'ayi," sannan ya cire gashin jikinsa a gida.

But after sunset, he said, “Let him know I’ve changed my mind,” and depilated himself at home.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Wata rana da nake zaune tare da mahaifina sai ya kalli ƙafafuna, waɗanda suke santsi kuma babu tsagewa a tafin ƙafafu. 44.13

[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. 44.13

“Dubi waɗannan ƙafafu!” ya ce. “Me ya sa ba ka tafiya babu takalmi don ka ƙarfafa su?” [Al-Marrūdhī:] Na ji Aḥmad yana cewa da Shujāʿ ibn Makhlad al-ʿAṭṭār, “Me ya bambanta idan na ci abin da nake ci ko na sa abin da nake sawa? Duk zai ƙare nan ba da daɗewa ba.” 44.14

“Look at those feet!” he said. “Why don’t you walk barefoot and toughen them up?”[ 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.” 44.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Na ji Aḥmad yana cewa, "Ranaku mafi farin ciki shi ne idan na tashi daga barci ba ni da komai a gida." 44.15

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “My happiest days are when I wake up with nothing in the house.” 44.15