[Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl:] Ni da Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Tirmidhī mun taba kasancewa a wurin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, sai al-Tirmidhī ya ce, “Wani ya ambaci malaman Hadisi ga Ibn Abī Qutaybah a Makka, sai ya kira su da mutane marasa kyau.” 22.1

[Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl:] Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Tirmidhī and I were once at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s and al-Tirmidhī said, “Someone mentioned Hadith scholars to Ibn Abī Qutaybah in Mecca and he called them a bad lot.” 22.1

"Mai bidi'a!" Aḥmad ya yi ihu, yana tashi yana girgiza rigarsa. "Mai bidi'a! Mai bidi'a!" Sannan ya ɓace cikin gidansa.

“Heretic!” exclaimed Aḥmad, rising and shaking out his garment. “Heretic! Heretic!” Then he disappeared into his house.

[Ṣāliḥ:] Na ji babana yana cewa: "Duk wanda ya girmama malamai masana Hadisi, zai samu daraja a wurin Annabi ﷺ, kuma duk wanda ya raina su, zai rasa kyautatawarsa, domin malamai masana Hadisi su ne malamai na Annabi ﷺ da kansa." 22.2

[Ṣāliḥ:] I heard my father say: “Anyone who reveres Hadith scholars will acquire standing in the eyes of the Prophet, God bless and keep him, and anyone who treats them with contempt will lose his favor, since Hadith scholars are the Prophet’s own rabbis.” 22.2

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Na ce wa Aḥmad: "Duk wanda ya mutu yana Musulmi kuma mai bin sunnah, to ya mutu lafiya." 22.3

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I said to Aḥmad: “Whoever dies a Muslim and a follower of the sunnah dies well.” 22.3

"Ba shakka!" ya mayar da martani. "Duk wanda ya mutu yana Musulmi kuma mai bin sunnah, to ya mutu cikin kyakkyawan hali fiye da kowa." [Al-Bazzāz:] Wani ya tambayi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal inda za a samu Al-Abdāl. Ya yi shiru har muka yi zaton ba zai amsa ba. Sai ya ce, "Idan ba a cikin malaman hadisi ba, ban san inda za a same su ba." 22.4

“I should say so!” he retorted. “Whoever dies a Muslim and a follower of the sunnah dies as well as anyone could.” [Al-Bazzāz:] Someone asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal where to find the Substitutes. He remained silent so long we thought he wasn’t going to respond. Then he said, “If not among the Hadith scholars, I don’t know where.” 22.4

[Al-Zabīdī:] Sau ɗaya, a lokacin da ya ga malaman Hadisi suna zuwa, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya nuna kwalabe-kwalaben tawada da ke hannunsu ya ce, "Waɗancan su ne fitilun Musulunci." 22.5

[Al-Zabīdī:] Once, seeing the Hadith scholars approaching, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pointed at the inkpots in their hands and said, “Those are the lamps of Islam.” 22.5

[Al-Makkī:] Sau ɗaya, yayin da ya ga malaman Hadisi suna fitowa daga zaman karatu tare da malamin su, suna riƙe da kwalabe na tawada a hannuwansu, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya ce, "In waɗannan mutane ba su ne mafi kyau a cikinmu ba, to ban san wanda zai zama mafi kyau ba." 22.6

[Al-Makkī:] Once, seeing the Hadith scholars emerging from a session with their teacher, inkpots in their hands, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said, “If these people aren’t the best we have, I don’t know who would be.” 22.6

[Al-Qāflānī:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Idan malaman Hadisi ba su zama Al-Abdal ba, to ban san wanda zai zama ba." 22.7

[Al-Qāflānī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “If the Hadith scholars are not the Substitutes, I don’t know who would be.” 22.7

Abū l-Thalj: Na tambayi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ko ya fi kyau a rubuta Hadisi ko a yi salla da azumi. 22.8

[Abū l-Thalj:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal whether it was better to write down Hadith or to pray and fast. 22.8

"Ya fi kyau a rubuta Hadisi," ya ce.

“It’s better to write down Hadith,” he said.

"Me yasa?" "Saboda da sallah da azumi, mutum zai iya cewa koyaushe, 'Na ga wasu suna yi, don haka ni ma na yi.'" [Al-Faḍl ibn Ziyād:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa: "Duk wanda ya ƙi wani Hadisi na Annabi ﷺ, yana kan gab da halaka." 22.9

“Why?” “Because with praying and fasting, someone can always say, ‘I saw others doing it so I did it too.’” [Al-Faḍl ibn Ziyād:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say: “Anyone who rejects a Hadith of the Prophet, God bless and keep him, stands on the brink of ruin.” 22.9