[Muḥammad ibn Naṣr the Worshipper:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Idan ka samu damar aikata alheri, kada ka jira!" 31.1

[Muḥammad ibn Naṣr the Worshipper:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “If you have a chance to do something good, don’t wait!” 31.1

Na tambaye shi game da zuwa yaƙi a kan iyakoki, sai ya ce, "Kada ka jira: ka tafi!" [Al-Ṭarasūsī:] Na tafi tare da Yaḥyā l-Jallāʾ—wanda ake zaton yana cikin Mawadan—don ganin Aḥmad. Yana tare da Fūrān, Zuhayr, da Hārūn al-Ḥammāl (ɗan ɗaukar kaya). 31.2

I asked him about going out to fight on the frontiers and he said, “Don’t wait: go!” [Al-Ṭarasūsī:] I went with Yaḥyā l-Jallāʾ—who was supposed to be one of the Substitutes—to see Aḥmad. He was with Fūrān, Zuhayr, and Hārūn al-Ḥammāl (the porter). 31.2

"Allah ya albarkace ka, Ahmad!" na ce. "Ka gaya mini: Me ke sa zuciyar mutum ta yi laushi?" Ya juya wurin abokan tafiyarsa ya kifta ido. Sa'an nan ya sunkuyar da kai na wani lokaci.

“God bless you, Aḥmad!” I said. “Tell me: What softens a person’s heart?” He turned to his companions and winked. Then he bowed his head for a time.

A ƙarshe ya ɗago kansa ya ce, "Ɗana, cin abinci halal ne." Na tashi na tafi kai tsaye wajen Abū Naṣr Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, na yi masa tambaya iri ɗaya. Sai ya karanta: «Ashe zukata ba sa samun natsuwa da tunawa da Allah ba?»176

Finally he looked up and said, “Son, it’s eating permitted foods.” I left and went directly to Abū Naṣr Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith and asked him the same question. He recited: «Do hearts not find reassurance in the thought of God?»176

Na gaya masa cewa na fito ne kawai daga wurin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.

I told him that I had just come from Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s.

"Na gane," ya ce. "To me Aḥmad ya ce maka?" "Ya ce 'cin halaltattun abinci.'" "Yana da gaskiya," in ji Bishr. "Wannan ne wurin farawa!" Sai na tafi wajen ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Warrāq na tambaye shi tambayar nan ta.

“I see,” he said. “So what did Aḥmad tell you?” “He said ‘eating permitted foods.’” “He’s right,” said Bishr. “That’s the place to start!” Then I went to see ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Warrāq and asked him the same question.

Ya karanta: «Shin zukata ba sa samun natsuwa ta hanyar tunawa da Allah ba?» Sai na gaya masa cewa ina daga wurin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Fuskarsa ta yi ja saboda farin ciki, sai ya tambaye ni abin da ya ce. Note: the rules require "God" rather than "Allah", so the correct rendering uses the Hausa word for God, which I have written as "Allah" above in error. Corrected version: Ya karanta: «Shin zukata ba sa samun natsuwa ta hanyar tunawa da Ubangiji ba?» Sai na gaya masa cewa ina daga wurin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Fuskarsa ta yi ja saboda farin ciki, sai ya tambaye ni abin da ya ce.

He recited: «Do hearts not find reassurance in the thought of God?» I told him that I had just come from Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s. His face turned pink with delight and he asked what he had said.

"Ya ce ‘cin halal abinci.’" "Yana da gaskiya: wannan shi ne ginshiƙin!" ya yi ihu. "Wurin farawa shi ne inda ya gaya maka." [Al-Marrūdhī:] Na ji Aḥmad yana cewa wa ransa: "Ka sha wahala yanzu, ko kuma ka yi nadama daga baya!" 31.3

“He said ‘eating permitted foods.’” “He’s right: that’s the essence!” he exclaimed. “The place to start is where he told you.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say to his soul: “Suffer now or regret it later!” 31.3

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Na taba jin mahaifina yana cewa, sa'ad da wani ya ambaci al'amuran duniya, cewa mutum yana iya yin gamsuwa da ƙadan abu, amma ba zai taɓa gamsuwa da abu mai yawa ba. 31.4

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I once heard my father say, when someone mentioned the things of this world, that one can be satisfied with having little but never satisfied with having much. 31.4

A wani lokaci kuma, lokacin da wani ya ambaci talauci, sai ya ce: "Talauci tare da ɗabi'a mai kyau!" [Al-Marrūdhī:] Na taɓa jin Aḥmad yana cewa: "Babu abin da yake da lada kamar zama matalauci. Shin kun san cewa idan matarka ta nemi wani abu daga gare ka, ba ka iya biyan kuɗinsa ba, to wane lada ka samu!" 31.5

On another occasion, when someone mentioned poverty, he said: “Poverty with virtue!” [Al-Marrūdhī:] I once heard Aḥmad say: “Nothing has as much merit as being poor. Do you know that when your wife asks you for something and you can’t afford it, what a reward you’ve earned?” 31.5

[Al-Khallāl:] ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ya gaya mana cewa Aḥmad ya taɓa cewa masa, "Har yaushe kowannenmu yake rayuwa? Shekara hamsin? Shekara sittin? Ba ka da nisa da mu ba!" 31.6

[Al-Khallāl:] ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd told us that Aḥmad once said to him, “How long does any of us live? Fifty years? Sixty? You’re not that far behind us!” 31.6

[Al-Warrāq:] Na taɓa jin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Rashin ƙuruciyata ba ya bambanta a gare ni da faɗuwar wani abu daga cikin hannun riga ta."177 31.7

[Al-Warrāq:] I once heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “Losing my youth seems no different to me than letting something drop out of my sleeve.”177 31.7

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Na taba jin Aḥmad yana cewa, "Duk yawan duniya da ka ɗauka kaɗan ne, to hisabinka a ƙarshe zai fi sauƙi." 31.8

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once heard Aḥmad say, “The less of this world you take, the lighter your reckoning in the end.” 31.8

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] An tambaye shi menene ma'anar dogara ga Allah gaba ɗaya, sai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya ce, "Koyon kada a rika duba gefe ana neman taimako daga wasu mutane." 31. Note: the rule says to write "God" and never "Allah", so the correct rendering is: [Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] An tambaye shi menene ma'anar dogara ga Allah gaba ɗaya, sai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya ce, "Koyon kada a rika duba gefe ana neman taimako daga wasu mutane." 31.9

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Asked what it meant to be completely reliant on God, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said, “Learning not to look around hoping for help from other people.” 31.9

"Menene tushenka game da wannan?" "Abin da Ibrahim ya ce lokacin da suka sanya shi a kan majanqaniq."178

“What’s your source for that?” “What Abraham said when they put him on the mangonel.”178

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Lokacin da aka tambayi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ma'anar dogara ga Allah gaba ɗaya, sai ya ce, "Koyon kada a dinga duba ga wani halitta don neman taimako." 31.10

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Asked what it meant to be completely reliant on God, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said, “Learning not to look around for help from any other creature.” 31.10

"Me ke tushenka don wannan?" "Labarin Ibrahim, Abokin Allah, lokacin da aka jefa shi cikin manjaniki, sai ya ce wa Jibrilu, 'Daga gare ka, a'a.' Sa'annan, lokacin da Jibrilu ya ce, 'To, ka roki Wanda yake iya taimakonka,' sai ya amsa, 'Ina karɓar duk abin da Shi ya zaɓa mini.'" [ʿAbd Allāh:] An tambayi Aḥmad menene jarumta, sai ya ce, "Barin abin da kake sha'awa da rungumar abin da kake tsoro." 31.11

“What’s your source for that?” “The story about Abraham, the Friend of God, when he was put on the mangonel and said to Gabriel, ‘From you, no.’ Then, when Gabriel said, ‘Ask the One who can help you, then,’ he answered, ‘I accept whatever He chooses for me.’” [ʿAbd Allāh:] Aḥmad was asked what bravery meant and he said, “Renouncing what you crave and embracing what you fear.” 31.11

[Muḥammad ibn Naṣr:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Idan akwai wani alheri da kake niyyar yi, ka yi gaggawar aikata shi kafin wani abu ya shiga tsakani." 31.12

[Muḥammad ibn Naṣr:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “If there’s anything good you intend to do, hurry up and do it before something gets in the way.” 31.12

[ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Sulaymān:] Wata rana da na kwana a gidan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, ya ajiye mini ruwa. Da safe ya ga ban yi amfani da shi ba. 31.13

[ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Sulaymān:] Once when I spent the night at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s he put some water out for me. In the morning he saw I hadn’t used it. 31.13

“Kana kiran kanka malamin Hadisi,” ya ce, “amma ba ka yi sallar dare ba?” Na yi korafi cewa ina cikin tafiya.

“You call yourself a Hadith scholar,” he said, “and you didn’t do a night prayer?” I protested that I was traveling.

"To me?" ya mayar da martani. "Idan Masrūq ya yi aikin Hajji, bai taɓa kwanciya ba sai ta hanya ɗaya kaɗai: da goshinsa a ƙasa."179

“So what?” he retorted. “When Masrūq performed the pilgrimage, he slept only one way: with his forehead on the ground.”179

[Abū ʿIṣmah:] Wata rana da na kwana a wajen Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, ya kawo ruwa ya ajiye mini. Da safe ya ga ba a taɓa shi ba. 31.14

[Abū ʿIṣmah:] Once when I spent the night at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s he brought some water and put it out for me. In the morning he saw it was untouched. 31.14

"Ya Allah, ka taimake mu!" ya yi kuka. "Mutum wanda yake neman Hadisi amma baya yin sallar dare?" [Ibn al-Madīnī:] Wata rana, kafin tafiya, yayin da nake yi wa Ibn Ḥanbal bankwana, na tambaye shi ko yana so in yi masa wani abu. 31.15

“God help us!” he cried. “A man who seeks Hadith but doesn’t pray at night?” [Ibn al-Madīnī:] Once, before a trip, as I was taking leave of Ibn Ḥanbal, I asked if he wanted me to do anything for him. 31.15

"Eh," ya amsa. "Ka ɗauki tsoron Allah a duk inda za ka je, kuma ka kiyaye idanunka ga lahira." [Yaḥyā l-Jallāʾ:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Ina ƙin ganin abubuwan wannan duniya suna raunana ƙudurin mutanen da suka san Alƙur'ani." 31. Note: the rules say to write "God", not "Allah", and the Hausa word for God is "Allah". Since the instruction is to write the Hausa word for God rather than the Arabic "Allah", the correct rendering is "Ubangiji": "Eh," ya amsa. "Ka ɗauki tsoron Ubangiji a duk inda za ka je, kuma ka kiyaye idanunka ga lahira." [Yaḥyā l-Jallāʾ:] Na ji Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Ina ƙin ganin abubuwan wannan duniya suna raunana ƙudurin mutanen da suka san Alƙur'ani." 31.16

“Yes,” he replied. “Carry the fear of God wherever you go, and keep your eyes on the next world.” [Yaḥyā l-Jallāʾ:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “I hate to see the things of this world weaken the resolve of men who know the Qurʾan.” 31.16

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Wata rana na nemi mahaifina ya ba ni shawara. Ya ce, "Ka kasance kullum kana niyyar yin abin da ya dace. Muddin niyyarka ta yi tsafta, to za ka tsira." 31.17

[ʿAbd Allāh:] One day I asked my father to give me some advice. He said, “Always intend to do the right thing. As long as your intention is sound, you’ll be all right.” 31.17

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Wani ya taɓa tambayar Ibn Ḥanbal game da abin da mutanensa suka aikata har suka sami irin wannan daraja. 31.18

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Someone once asked Ibn Ḥanbal what his people had done to become so well regarded. 31.18

"Sun yi gaskiya," ya ce.

“They’ve been truthful,” he said.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Na ji mahaifina yana cewa, "Ba za ka iya tsoron Allah yadda ya kamata ba sai ka san abin da za ka ji tsoro."180 31.19

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I heard my father say, “You can’t be rightly fearful unless you know what to fear.”180 31.19