[Al-Dūrī:] Lokacin da Ahmad ibn Hanbal ya rubuta mini wasiƙar gabatarwa zuwa ga wasu masu ruwaito Hadisi a Basra, ya kira ni kawai da “wanda ke neman Hadisi.” 49.1

[Al-Dūrī:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal wrote me a letter of introduction to some Hadith transmitters in Basra, he called me simply “someone seeking Hadith.” 49.1

[Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm:] Na ji cewa lokacin da wasu abokan aikinsa masu ilimin Hadisi suka ziyarce shi, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya saya musu abinci da kuɗin da yake da su a hannunsa kawai.264 Na kuma ji cewa lokacin da al-Mutawakkil ya kawo shi Samarra, ya ki taɓa duk wani abinci da aka shirya a fadar, ya kuma sa kaylajah—wato kwata na garin sha'ir265—ya wadata shekara kwana goma sha biyar yayin da yake jiran kuɗi su iso masa daga Baghdad. 49.2

[Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm:] I heard that when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was visited by a group of his fellow Hadith-men, he bought them something to eat using only the money he had on hand.264 I also heard that when al-Mutawakkil brought him to Samarra he refused to touch anything prepared at the palace, and made a kaylajah—a fourth of barley meal265—last for fifteen days while he waited for money to reach him from Baghdad. 49.2

Isḥāq ibn Mūsā l-Anṣārī: Al-Ma'mūn ya ba ni wasu kuɗi, ya umarce ni in raba su ga masu ruwayar hadisi, "domin wasu daga cikinsu talakawa ne." 49.3

[Isḥāq ibn Mūsā l-Anṣārī:] Al-Maʾmūn gave me some money and ordered me to distribute it to the Hadith-men, “since some of them are poor.” 49.3

Dukansu sun karɓi wasu kuɗi—sai dai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, wanda ya ƙi taɓa su.

Every one of them accepted some money—except for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who refused to touch it.

[Fūrān:] Mun kasance a wajen Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dare biyu kafin ya rasu. Tare da mu akwai wani baƙar bawa matashi wanda kawunsa Abū Yūsuf ya saya da kuɗin da al-Mutawakkil ya ba shi. Bawan ya so ya yi wa Aḥmad fanka, amma ya hana shi. 49.4

[Fūrān:] We were at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s two nights before he died. With us was a young black slave whom his uncle Abū Yūsuf had bought with the money given him by al-Mutawakkil. The slave wanted to fan Aḥmad but he told him not to. 49.4

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Lokacin da nake rashin lafiya, mahaifina ya zo ya duba ni. 49.5

[ʿAbd Allāh:] When I was ill, my father came to check on me. 49.5

"Baba," na ce, "har yanzu muna da wasu kuɗin da al-Mutawakkil ya ba mu. Me zai hana in yi amfani da su wajen yin aikin Hajji?" Ya ce, "Ya kamata ka yi."

“Dad,” I said, “we still have some of the money al-Mutawakkil gave us. What if I used it to make the pilgrimage?” “You should,” he said.

"Amma idan ba ka damu da kashe shi ba," na tambaya, "to me ya sa ba ka karbe shi ba?" "Ban dauke shi haramun ba, dana," ya amsa, "amma na fi son in nisanta kaina daga gare shi." [Muhammad dan Ubaidullah:] Ahmad dan Hanbal ya gaya mini, "Kowace shekara ina duba gidan da nake zaune a ciki, sannan in biya zakka a kansa, bisa ga abin da Umar dan al-Khattab ya ce game da Kasar Bakar a Iraki."266 49.6

“But if you don’t mind spending it,” I asked, “why don’t you take it?” “I don’t consider it forbidden, son,” he answered. “But I’d rather abstain.” [Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me, “Every year I survey the house I live in and pay the alms-tax on it, following what ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said about the Black Land in Iraq.”266 49.6

[Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Shādhakūnī ya taba gaya mini, "Ka taba ganin ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī yana ƙoƙarin koyi da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal? Wannan zai zama ranar da ba za ta taɓa zuwa ba! Suna kama da gishiri da ƙasa mai farar fata.267 Da zarar a Makka na ga da idona yadda Aḥmad yake da ƙwazo wajen taka-tsantsan. Ya ajiye wata tukunyar tagulla a wurin wani mai sayar da 'ya'yan itace da goro, domin ya sami abin da zai ci. Lokacin da ya samu kuɗin fansar tukunyar, ya je wurin mai sayarwar, wanda ya miƙa masa tukunyoyi biyu ya ce, 'Ka ɗauki wadda take taka ce.'" 49.7

[Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Shādhakūnī once told me, “Have you seen ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī trying to emulate Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal? That’ll be the day! They’re like chalk and cheese.267 Once in Mecca I saw firsthand how scrupulous Aḥmad is. He had pawned a copper pail to a fruit-and-nut vendor so he could buy something to eat. When he had enough money to redeem the pail, he went to the vendor, who held out two of them and said, ‘Take whichever one is yours.’ 49.7

"Ba zan iya faɗa ba," in ji Aḥmad. "Ka riƙe shi, kuma ka riƙe kuɗin." Sai ya bar guganensa.

“‘I can’t tell,’ said Aḥmad. ‘Keep it, and keep the money.’ “So he left his pail.

"'Ɗaya daga cikinsu nasa ne, na rantse da Allah,' in ji mai sayarwar. 'Ina gwada shi kawai!'" [Al-Ṭūsī:] Duk lokacin da ya ga wani Kirista, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yakan rufe idanunsa.

“‘One was his, I swear,’ said the vendor. ‘I was just testing him!’” [Al-Ṭūsī:] Whenever he saw a Christian, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal would close his eyes.

Lokacin da aka tambaye shi dalili, ya ce, "Ba zan iya kallon duk wanda ke karya game da Allah ba." 49. Note: per the rules, the word for God should be written as the Hausa word for God, not "Allah". The correct translation is: Lokacin da aka tambaye shi dalili, ya ce, "Ba zan iya kallon duk wanda ke karya game da Ubangiji ba." 49.8

Asked why, he said, “I can’t look at anyone who lies about God.” 49.8

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ko da yake mahaifina ya san hadisai masu yawa, ban taba ganinsa yana karanta kasa da ɗari hadisai ba tare da littafi ba. 49.9

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Even with all the Hadith my father knew, there were fewer than a hundred reports I ever saw him recite without using a book. 49.9

Al-Madīnī: Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya fi kowa daga cikinmu ƙwaƙwalwa, amma na ji cewa shi yana karanta Hadisi ne kawai daga littattafai—misali da ya kamata dukkanmu mu bi. 49.10

[Al-Madīnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal has a better memory than any of us, but I’ve heard that he only recites Hadith out of books—an example all of us should follow. 49.10

[Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Marwazī:] Mun kasance muna zaune tare da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, muna maimaita hadisai har sai mun ƙware da su sosai, mun kuma iya karanta su daidai.

[Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Marwazī:] We used to sit with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and go over Hadith reports until we knew them well and could recite them correctly.

Duk lokacin da muke son mu rubuta wani abu, sai ya ce: "Littafi ya fi tuna shi fiye da yadda muke tunawa." Sannan ya tashi ya je ya dauko littafin. 49.11

Whenever we wanted to write something down, he would say, “The book remembers it better than we do.” Then he would jump up to get the book. 49.11

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Na taba jin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Dole ne in aro dirhami sittin da biyar don in kashe su a kan wannan ƙofar shiga, amma abin da nake samu daga ginin shi ne kwata kawai na haya." 49.12

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “I had to borrow sixty-five dirhams to spend on this entranceway, but all I get on the building is a quarter of the rent.” 49.12

"Me yasa ba ka bar ʿAbd Allāh ya biya ba?" na ce.

“Why didn’t you let ʿAbd Allāh pay for it?” I said.

"Ba na so ya gurbata kuɗina."268

“I don’t want him to taint my money.”268

[Al-Tustari:] Na ji cewa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya taɓa yin kwana uku bai ci abinci ba, sai ya aika wa wani abokinsa saƙo yana neman ya ara masa gari. Da iyalinsa suka gane cewa yana cikin yunwa, sai suka yi gaggawar gasa masa wani abu. Lokacin da suka kawo masa abincin, sai ya tambaye su yadda suka yi suka gasa da sauri haka. 49.13

[Al-Tustari:] I heard that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once went three days without eating and sent a message to a friend asking to borrow some flour. Realizing that he was starving, his family quickly baked something for him. When they put the dish in front of him, he asked how they had managed to bake so fast. 49.13

"Tanda a cikin gidan Ṣāliḥ ya riga ya yi zafi," suka faɗa masa.

“The oven in Ṣāliḥ’s house was already warm,” they told him.

"Ka ɗauke wannan!" ya ce, kuma ya ƙi taɓa shi. Sa'an nan ya umarci a rufe ƙofar da ta haɗa gidansa da na Ṣāliḥ.269

“Take this away!” he said, and refused to touch it. Then he ordered them to seal up the door that joined his house to Ṣāliḥ’s.269

[Al-Marrūdhī:] A lokacin rashin lafiyar ƙarshe na Aḥmad, na ji shi yana cewa wa matarsa, "Wa ya gaya miki ki yi gasa wani abu a can?"—yana nufin gidan ɗansa Ṣāliḥ. Ta taɓa yin gasa wani abu a can a baya, sai ya ƙi taɓa shi, yana cewa, "Wa zai ci wannan?" 49.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] During Aḥmad’s final illness, I heard him say to his wife, “Who told you to bake anything there?”—meaning at his son Ṣāliḥ’s house. She had baked something there once before and he had refused to touch it, saying, “Who’s going to eat that?” 49.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Na taba kasancewa tare da Aḥmad a wani wuri, sai ya karanta: «Kun zauna a cikin muhallan waɗanda suka zalunci kansu,»270 sannan ya ƙara da cewa, "Lallai mun yi haka," ko kuma, "Ga inda muke." 49.15

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I was once with Aḥmad somewhere and he recited, «You lived in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves,»270 adding, “We certainly have,” or “That’s where we are.” 49.15

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Aḥmad ya taɓa aika ni da tsabar kuɗi uku ko huɗu don in sayo kayan ƙamshi don tukunyar girki. Sai ya ƙara ba ni wata tsabar kuɗi ya ce, "Ka sayi kayan ƙamshi da wannan ma, amma kada ka haɗa su da sauran."49.16

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Aḥmad once sent me with three or four coins to buy spices for the cooking pot. Then gave me another coin and said, “Buy spices with this one too, but don’t mix them with the others.” 49.16

Amma kayan yaji sun gauraya. Lokacin da na dawo da su na gaya masa, sai ya ce, "Ka mayar da abin da ka saya, ka karɓi kuɗinka." Na yi haka, sai ya haɗa su da kuɗin da ya biya baiwar nan, domin ya kasa raba tsabar kuɗin da suka lalace daga sauran.

But the spices did get mixed up. When I brought them back and told him, he said, “Return what you bought and get the money back.” I did, and he tossed it in with the money he paid the servant girl, since he couldn’t sort out which coins were tainted.

[Ibn Hāniʾ:] Aḥmad ya taɓa ba ni tsabar kuɗi ya ce, “Ɗauka wannan ka sayo mini wake a cikin ruwa.” 49.17

[Ibn Hāniʾ:] Aḥmad once gave me a coin and said, “Take this and buy me some beans in water.” 49.17

Ḥusn, mahaifiyar ɗansa, ta ba ni wani tsabar kuɗi, ta ce, "Ka karɓi wannan ka sayo mini wake shi ma." Aḥmad ya ƙara da cewa, "Kuma ka sayo wake a cikin mai don yara." Na ƙare da ɗan kuɗi kaɗan, ɗaya ko biyu ḥabbah, daga tsabar kuɗin da na kashe wajen wake a cikin mai, sai na ce wa mai sayar da wake ya ba ni ƙarin mai. Na karɓi man na zuba a kan wake da na sayo wa Aḥmad. Lokacin da na kawo abincin na ajiye masa a gaba, ya lura da alamar mai, ya ce, "Mene ne wannan?" Na ce, "Akwai ḥabbah ɗaya da ta rage daga tsabar kuɗin yara, sai na kashe ta wajen mai dominka." "Ɗauke shi, wawa," ya ce. "Wa ya gaya maka ka yi haka? Yaushe za ka koyi hankali?" Bai ci ko kaɗan daga ciki ba.

Ḥusn, his son’s mother, gave me another coin and said, “Take this and buy some beans for me too.” Aḥmad added, “And buy some beans in oil for the boys.” I ended up with one or two ḥabbahs in change from the coin I had spent on the beans in oil, so I told the bean vendor to give me some more oil. I took the oil and poured it over the beans I had bought for Aḥmad. When I brought the food back and put it in front of him, he noticed the trace of oil and asked, “What’s this?” I said, “There was a ḥabbah left over from the boys’ coin so I spent it on oil for you.” “Take it away, you idiot,” he said. “Who told you to do that? When are you going to learn?” He didn’t eat any of it.

[Al-Simsār:] Na ji Aḥmad yana cewa wa Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī, “Je ka wajen Umm ʿAlī”—wato ’yarsa—“ka karɓi duk abin da ta ba ka.” 49.18

[Al-Simsār:] I heard Aḥmad say to Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī, “Go to Umm ʿAlī”—meaning his daughter—“and take whatever she gives you.” 49.18

Isḥāq ya shiga ya dawo yana ɗauke da kaza. Sai shi da ni muka tafi tare.

Isḥāq went in and came back out carrying a chicken. Then he and I left together.

"Me Umm ʿAlī ta faɗa?" na tambaye shi.

“What did Umm ʿAlī say?” I asked him.

"Ta ce mahaifinta yana bukatar cupping amma babu kuɗi, sai ta nemi ta ba ni kajin in sayar da shi." Lokacin da muka kai kajin kasuwa, aka ba Isḥāq dirhami ɗaya da dāniq biyu a kansa, amma ya canja ra'ayi game da sayarwar, sai ya ɗauke shi ya dawo da shi.

“She said her father needs a cupping but has no money, and asked her to give me the chicken and have me sell it.” When we got the chicken to market, Isḥāq was offered a dirham and two dāniqs for it, but changed his mind about the sale and took it back.

A gadar gada, mun ci karo da ɗan Aḥmad, ʿAbd Allāh, wanda yake zaune a shagon Ibn Bukhtān. Ya kira Isḥāq, ya ce masa, "Me ya sa kuke ɗauke da kaza? Kuma na wa ne?" Sai na gaya masa cewa Umm ʿAlī ce ta ba mu ta sayar.

At the bridge, we ran across Aḥmad’s son ʿAbd Allāh, who was sitting at Ibn Bukhtān’s shop. He called Isḥāq over and asked, “Why are carrying a chicken? And whose is it?” I told him that Umm ʿAlī had given it to us to sell.

"Nawa ka sayar da shi?" "An ba mu dirhami ɗaya da dāniq biyu." "Ka ba ni shi kan dirhami ɗaya da rabi." Isḥāq ya karɓi kuɗin, ya ba shi kajin. Da muka dawo, Umm ʿAlī ta tambaye shi nawa ya samu.

“How much did you get for it?” “We were offered a dirham and two dāniqs.” “Give it to me for one and a half.” Isḥāq took the money and gave him the chicken. When we got back, Umm ʿAlī asked him how much he’d gotten.

"Dirham da rabi ne." "Shi ke nan?" "Tayin da na samu a kasuwa dirham ɗaya ne da dānīqai biyu kawai." Sai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya tambaya, "Wa ya saya?" "Ɗanka ʿAbd Allāh." Da Aḥmad ya ji haka, sai ya karɓi kuɗin daga hannun Umm ʿAlī. "Tafi," ya yi mini ihu, "ka mayar da shi!" Isḥāq ya yi gudu ya koma wajen ʿAbd Allāh.

“One and a half dirhams.” “That’s all?” “The offer I got at the market was only a dirham and two dāniqs.” Then Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal asked, “Who bought it?” “Your son ʿAbd Allāh.” When he heard that, Aḥmad grabbed the money back from Umm ʿAlī. “Go,” he shouted at me, “and return it!” Isḥāq went running back to ʿAbd Allāh.

"Ka karɓi kuɗinka!" ya ce. "Mahaifinka ya yi min tsawa saboda su." "Me ya sa ka gaya masa cewa ni ne?" ʿAbd Allāh ya tambaya, amma ya karɓi kuɗin.

“Take your money back!” he said. “Your father shouted at me over it.” “Why did you tell him it was me?” asked ʿAbd Allāh, but took the money back.

Isḥāq ya ci gaba da labarin:

Isḥāq continued the story:

[Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya ce mini in koma kasuwa in hana ɗansa shiga cikinta. Don haka na sayar da kajin ga wani da ban sani ba a kan dirhami ɗaya da kashi ɗaya bisa uku na dirhami, sannan na koma wajen Aḥmad.

[Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me to go back to the market and keep his son out of it. So I sold the chicken to someone I didn’t know for a dirham and a third, and then went back to Aḥmad.

"Ka da ma ka sayar da shi ga ʿAbd Allāh," ya ce.

“You’d better not have sold it to ʿAbd Allāh,” he said.

"A'a," na amsa. "Na sayar da shi ga wani baƙo." [Al-Simsār:] Mahaifiyar ʿAbd Allāh tana da gida kusa da namu a cikin layin. Gidan ya kasance wani ɓangare na gadon Aḥmad, saboda haka yana karɓar dirhami ɗaya a matsayin haya a kansa. A wani lokaci tana buƙatar kuɗi, sai ʿAbd Allāh ya ba ta. Bayan haka, Aḥmad ya daina karɓar dirhami daga gare ta, yana cewa yanzu ya gurɓata.271 49.19

“No,” I replied. “I sold it to a stranger.” [Al-Simsār:] ʿAbd Allāh’s mother had a house next to ours in the lane. The house had been part of Aḥmad’s inheritance, and so he collected a dirham in rent on it. At one point she needed money and ʿAbd Allāh gave it to her. After that, Aḥmad stopped taking the dirham from her, saying that it was now tainted.271 49.19

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ṣāliḥ ya ruwaito cewa lokacin da mahaifinsa ya yi rashin lafiya, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān mai warkarwa ya shawarce shi da ya gasa kwarya ya sha ruwan ta. 49.20

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ṣāliḥ reported that when his father got sick, ʿAbd al- Raḥmān the healer advised him to roast a gourd and drink the juice. 49.20

"Ya ce mini kada in dafa shi a gidana ko a gidan ʿAbd Allāh," in ji Ṣāliḥ.

“He told me not to cook it in my house or in ʿAbd Allāh’s,” said Ṣāliḥ.

Na ji Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī yana cewa ya ɗauke shi, ya dafa shi, sannan ya mayar da shi gare shi.

I heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say that he took it and cooked it and brought it back to him.

[Ibn ʿAyyāsh:] Aḥmad ya aike ni in sayo masa man shanu mai tsafta na dinari ɗaya.

[Ibn ʿAyyāsh:] Aḥmad sent me to buy him a single coin’s worth of clarified butter.

Na kawo masa shi nannade cikin ganyen kore.272 Ya karɓi man shanu, ya mayar mini da ganyen, ya ce, "Ka mayar da shi."21

I brought it to him wrapped in a green leaf.272 He took the butter, gave me back the leaf, and said, “Return it.” 49.21

[Al-Ṣaḥnāʾī:] Ahmad ibn Hanbal ya ba ni tsabar kudi guda daya don in sayo wake da burodi a miya. Na dawo da wake mai yawa, sai ya tambaye ni dalilin hakan. 49.22

[Al-Ṣaḥnāʾī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal gave me a single coin to buy some beans on bread in broth. I came back with a lot of beans and he asked why. 49.22

An wasu mãsu sayar da wake biyu suna ƙoƙarin rage farashin juna. "Ka mayar da shi," ya ce. "Ka mayar wa mai sayarwa abincinsa, ka bar shi ya riƙe kuɗin." Na yi kamar yadda ya umarce ni.

“There were two bean vendors trying to undersell each other.” “Take it back,” he said. “Give the vendor the food back and let him keep the money.” I did as he asked.

[Al-Mukharrimī:] Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah ya zo ya sauka a wurinmu, sai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya zo ya ziyarce shi. Aḥmad ya kwana a nan daidai. Ya ajiye wa kansa wani gurasa a cikin hannun riga, ya sha ruwa daga magudanar ruwa, sannan ya jira a waje domin Rawḥ ya fito.

[Al-Mukharrimī:] Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah came to stay with us and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came to see him. Aḥmad slept right here. He kept some bread for himself in his sleeve and drank water from the watercourse, and he waited outside for Rawḥ to appear.

Sai Yaḥyā ibn Aktham ya zo tare da tawagarsa. Ya zauna a gaban Aḥmad ya fara yi masa tambayoyi. Aḥmad ya ci gaba da kallon ƙasa. Da Yaḥyā ya fahimci cewa ba zai amsa ba, sai ya tashi ya tafi.273 49.23

Then Yaḥyā ibn Aktham showed up with an entourage. He sat in front of Aḥmad and started asking him questions. Aḥmad just kept looking down. When Yaḥyā realized he wasn’t going to respond, he got up and left.273 49.23

[Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad:] Wani daga gidan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya zo ya sanar da shi cewa ɗansa yana rashin lafiya kuma yana son man shanu. Aḥmad ya ba wani daga cikin mutanen da ke wurin tsabar kuɗi, ya umarce shi da ya sayo man shanu. Mutumin ya dawo da man shanu nannadenshi cikin ganyen chard. Da ya ga ganyen nan kawai, Aḥmad ya tambaya, "Daga ina waɗannan ganye suka fito?" 49.24

[Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad:] Someone from Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house came to tell him that his son was ill and wanted butter. Aḥmad gave a coin to one of the men present and told him to buy some butter. The man brought back some butter wrapped in leaves of chard. As soon as he saw them, Aḥmad asked, “Where did those leaves come from?” 49.24

"Daga wurin mai kayan masarufi." "Ka nemi izininsa kafin ka ɗauke su?" "A'a." "Ka mayar da duka!" [Ṣāliḥ:] Lokacin da na haifi jariri, wani abokina ya ba ni kyauta. Bayan watanni, abokin nan ɗaya ya yanke shawarar zuwa Basra. Ya tambaye ni ko mahaifina zai rubuta masa wasiƙar gabatarwa ga dattawan can. Lokacin da na tambayi mahaifina, sai ya ce, "Zan rubuta masa, sai dai shi ya ba ka kyauta." 49.25

“From the grocer.” “Did you ask his permission to take them?” “No.” “Take it all back!” [Ṣāliḥ:] When I had a baby, one of my friends gave me a gift. Months later, the same friend decided to go to Basra. He asked me whether my father would write a letter of introduction to the elders there. When I asked my father he said, “I would write for him except that he gave you a gift.” 49.25

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Akwai wani tsoho a nan wanda ya gaya mana cewa: "Na lura cewa Aḥmad yana fama da ƙaiƙayi, sai na kawo masa magani na ce masa ya shafa shi a inda ya ji ƙaiƙayin. Ya karɓa, amma sai ya mayar mini da shi. Na tambaye shi dalilin haka, sai ya ce: 'Kai kana karatun Hadisi tare da ni.'"274 49.26

[ʿAbd Allāh:] There was once an old man here who told us, “I noticed that Aḥmad was suffering from scabies, so I brought him some medicine and told him to put it on the rash. He took it but then gave it back. I asked him why, and he said, ‘You study Hadith with me.’”274 49.26

[Al-Harawī:] Muna a ƙofar Hushaym sai ga wani mutum ya zo da wasiƙar gabatarwa. Lokacin da suka buɗe ƙofar don su bar shi ya shiga, mu ma muka shiga, sai dai Aḥmad, shi ya tsaya a baya. Yana matashi a lokacin—bai ma kai shekara ashirin ba. 49.27

[Al-Harawī:] We were at Hushaym’s door when someone showed up with a letter of introduction. When they opened the door to let him in, we went in too, except for Aḥmad, who stayed back. He was a young man at the time—not even twenty. 49.27

"Ahmad, ka shigo ciki!" muka ce.

“Aḥmad, come on in!” we said.

"Babu wanda ya ba ni izini," ya amsa.

“No one gave me permission,” he replied.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad ya yi gyaran rufin gidan da ya bai wa masaƙa haya. An yi gyaran ta yadda bututun magudanar ruwa zai zubar da ruwa a titi. Washegari ya ce, "Kira kafinta ka ce masa ya juya bututun ya zubar da ruwan zuwa cikin gidan." 49.28

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad had some repairs done on the roof of the house he rented out to the weavers. The repairs were done in such a way that the drainpipe emptied into the street. The next morning he said, “Call the carpenter and tell him to turn the pipe so it drains to the house.” 49.28

Na kira maginin katako, sai ya matsar da bututun.275

I called the carpenter and he moved the pipe.275

Na halarci zaman karatun hadisi na Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal shekara biyu.

[Al-Ḥarbī:] I attended Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal’s Hadith sessions for two years.

Duk lokacin da ya fito domin karanta Hadisi, yana kawo alkalami na bambaro da kwalbar tawada da aka lulluɓe da jan fata. Idan ya ga kuskure ko wani abu da ya ɓace a rubutunsa, sai ya gyara shi da alkalaminsa da tawadarsa; yana da tsananin taka-tsantsan har ba ya karɓar nasa daga cikin namu. Mukan tambaye shi ko ya haddace wasu rahotanni, sai ya ce, "A'a, ina buƙatar rubutu." 49.29

Whenever he came out to recite Hadith, he would bring out a reed pen and an inkpot covered in red leather. If he found an error or an omission in his transcript, he would correct it using his own pen and ink; he was too scrupulous to take any of ours. We would ask if he knew certain reports by heart, and he’d say, “No, I need the transcript.” 49.29

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Duk lokacin da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—Allah ya yi masa rahama—ya fito don koya mana, koyaushe yana da alƙalamin reed da tukunyar tawada da aka lulluɓe da fata. Yana da tsananin taka-tsantsan har ba zai karɓi tawadarmu ba don gyara harafin S ko wani makamancin haka.276 49.30

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Whenever Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—God have mercy on him—came out to teach us, he always had a reed pen and a leather-covered inkpot. He was too scrupulous to take any of our ink to correct an S or any such thing.276 49.30

[Ibn Shabīb:] Na taɓa tambayar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal game da Muḥammad ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Naysābūrī, sai ya ce mini, "Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā mutum ne nagari." 49.31

[Ibn Shabīb:] I once asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about Muḥammad ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Naysābūrī, and he said to me, “Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā is a fine man.” 49.31

Na ce: A nan Aḥmad ya soki Muḥammad ibn Muʿawiyah kai tsaye, wanda aka sani da ƙarya, ta hanyar yabon wani mutum. A wani rahoto kuwa ya soke shi kai tsaye, amma a nan da kuma wasu wuraren ya guji yin hakan.

[The author:] I say: Here Aḥmad indirectly condemned Muḥammad ibn Muʿawiyah, a known liar, by praising someone else. In another report he condemns him, but here and elsewhere he avoids doing so.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Na ji mahaifina yana cewa wa Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, "Mutane suna gaya mini cewa kana cewa, 'Na ji Ismāʿīl, ɗan ʿUlayyah, yana ruwaitawa.'" 49.32

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I heard my father say to Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, “People tell me you say, ‘I heard Ismāʿīl, son of ʿUlayyah, report.’” 49.32

"Eh, ina cewa haka." "To, kada ka ce haka. Ka ce 'Isma'il, dan Ibrahim' maimakon haka. Na ji cewa ba ya son a kira shi da sunan mahaifiyarsa." Yahya ya karɓi wannan umarni da farin ciki.

“Yes, I do say that.” “Well, don’t. Say ‘Ismāʿīl, son of Ibrāhīm,’ instead. I’ve heard that he doesn’t like being called after his mother.” Yaḥyā accepted this instruction with good grace.

Yawancin mutane an fi saninsu da sunayen uwayensu.

[The author:] A number of people are commonly known by their mothers’ names.

Waɗannan sun haɗa da Bilāl ɗan Ḥamāmah, Muʿādh ɗan ʿAfrāʾ, Bashīr ɗan al-Khaṣāṣiyah, Ibn Buḥaynah, Yaʿlā ɗan Munyah, da wasu da yawa, dukansu an ambace su a littafina Pollen for the Mind. Ko da yake, taka-tsantsan yana buƙatar mutum ya guji ambaton mutane ta hanyar da ba su so.

These include Bilāl son of Ḥamāmah, Muʿādh son of ʿAfrāʾ, Bashīr son of al- Khaṣāṣiyah, Ibn Buḥaynah, Yaʿlā son of Munyah, and many others, all mentioned in my book Pollen for the Mind. In any event, being scrupulous dictates that one avoid referring to people in a way they dislike.

[Al-Ruhāwī:] Na taɓa haɗuwa da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal a Baghdad, sai ya tambaye ni, “Me ya faru da wannan mutum al-Jawharī da kuke da shi a Ḥarrān? Yana da ilimi.” 49.33

[Al-Ruhāwī:] I once met Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in Baghdad and he asked me, “Whatever happened to that man al-Jawharī you have there in Ḥarrān? He was learned.” 49.33

Na amsa da cewa ban san wani mai koyar da Hadisi a Harran da wannan suna ba.

I replied that I knew of no one by that name teaching Hadith in Ḥarrān.

"Ka san wanda nake nufi: yana cikin abokan Abū Ma'abad Hafs ibn Ghaylān." "Ban san shi ba." "Don Allah!" in ji Aḥmad. "Yana da 'ya'ya da yawa." "Kana nufin 'Mujiyar'?" "Eh!" ya ce. "Ka koya daga gare shi: amintacce ne." [Marubucin:] Sunan mutumin Sulaymān ibn Abī Dāwūd, kuma ana kiransa "Mujiyar." Saboda tsoron Allah da taka tsantsan, babban abin koyi Aḥmad ya guji amfani da laƙabinsa.

“You know who I mean: he was an associate of Abū Maʿbad Ḥafṣ ibn Ghaylān.” “I don’t know him.” “Come on!” said Aḥmad. “He has a number of sons.” “Do you mean ‘the Owl’?” “Yes!” he said. “Learn from him: he’s reliable.” [The author:] The man’s name was Sulaymān ibn Abī Dāwūd and he was called “the Owl.” Out of scrupulosity, our exemplar Aḥmad avoided using his nickname.

[Al-Sijistānī:] Na taɓa tambayar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal game da ingancin sakin aure da wani mashayin giya ya furta. Ya ce, "Ka tambayi wani."277 49.34

[Al-Sijistānī:] I once asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about the validity of a declaration of divorce pronounced by a drunken man. He said, “Ask someone else.”277 49.34

[Al-Ḥarbī:] A lokacin mutuwarsa, Aḥmad ya nemi a biya kaffara a madadinsa saboda wani alkawari daya yi, yana cewa: "Ina ganin na karya shi."278 49.35

[Al-Ḥarbī:] On his deathbed Aḥmad asked that we make expiation for him for one vow he had made, saying “I think I broke it.”278 49.35

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Lokuta da ba zan iya ƙidaya ba, na tambayi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal game da wani abu sai ya ce, "Ban sani ba." 49.36

[Al-Marrūdhī:] More times than I can count, I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about something and he said, “I don’t know.” 49.36

[Al-Yamāmī:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Sau da yawa sai na jira shekara uku kafin in san abin da zan ce game da wata matsalar fiqhu." 49.37

[Al-Yamāmī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “Many times I’ve waited three years before knowing what to think about a problem of law.” 49.37

[Al-Athram:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal sau da yawa yana cewa, idan wani ya tambaye shi wata tambaya, "Ban sani ba." Yakan faɗi haka ko da yake yana sane da abin da aka faɗa game da ita. Idan aka roƙe shi ya ba da amsar da ya fi so, sai ya lura cewa akwai saɓanin ra'ayi. Abin da yake nufi da cewa "Ban sani ba" shi ne bai san wane ra'ayi zai zaɓa ba. Na sha jin sa yana cewa, "Ban sani ba," sannan ya fara ambaton ra'ayoyin malamai. 49.38

[Al-Athram:] I often heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, when someone asked him a question, say that he didn’t know. He would say this even when he was aware of what had been said about it. When asked to give the answer he preferred, he would note that there was a difference of opinion. What he meant when he said “I don’t know” was that he didn’t know which view to choose. I often heard him say, “I don’t know,” and then start citing opinions. 49.38

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Lokacin da nake tare da Aḥmad a fadar Ītākh da ke Samarra, na nuna wani abu da aka liƙa a bango.279 Ya ce min kada in kalle shi. 49.39

[Al-Marrūdhī:] When I was with Aḥmad in Ītākh’s palace in Samarra, I pointed out something that had been put up on the wall.279 He told me not to look at it. 49.39

"Amma na riga na yi," na ce.

“But I already did,” I said.

"To, kada ka yi."

“Well, don’t.”