[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Kawun Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya taɓa zuwa wajensa, sai ya same shi yana riƙe da haɓarsa a hannunsa. "Ɗan’uwana," ya tambaya, "me ke damunka? Don me kake cikin baƙin ciki haka?" 55.1

[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s uncle once went to see him and found him with his chin cupped in his hand. “Nephew,” he asked, “what’s troubling you? Why so glum?” 55.1

"Malam," Aḥmad ya amsa, "farin ciki shi ne lokacin da Allah ya tabbatar da cewa babu wanda ya taɓa jin labarinka." [Abū Ḥātim:] Mahaifina ya ce, "Kawai ka kalli Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ka ga cewa bai nuna cewa yana ƙoƙarin nuna zuhudu ba. Na gan shi yana sanye da takalma waɗanda ba su yi kama da takalman da masu karatun Alƙur'ani292 suke sakawa ba. Ƙarshen yatsun takalman yana da girma kuma ya lanƙwashe baya, kuma ƙullin nasa yana rataye a sako. Sun yi kama da wani abu da aka sayo masa daga kasuwa. Na kuma gan shi sanye da wando da riga mai ratsi mai launin shuɗi mai haske."293 55.2

“Uncle,” Aḥmad replied, “happiness is when God makes sure that no one’s ever heard of you.” [Abū Ḥātim:] My father said, “All you had to do was look at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to see that he wasn’t trying to show off how ascetic he was. I saw him wearing sandals that didn’t look like the sandals that the Qurʾan-readers292 wear. The toe-end was big and curled back and the strap hung loose. They looked like something bought for him from the market. I also saw him wearing a breechclout and a striped gown of a skyblue color.”293 55.2

Ta hanyar sanya irin wannan tufafi Aḥmad yana ƙoƙarin guje wa—ko haka nake zato, amma Allah kaɗai ya san gaskiya—kada ya yi kama da mai karatun Alƙur'ani, da fatan zai rasa suna na tsoron Allah.

By dressing this way Aḥmad was trying to avoid—or so I think, though God alone knows the truth—looking like a Qurʾan-reader, in the hope of losing his reputation for piety.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad ya taɓa faɗa mini, “Ka gaya wa ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ya ɓoye haskensa a ƙarƙashin kwando. Shahara ba ta kawo mini komai ba sai wahala.” 55.3

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad once said to me, “Tell ʿAbd al-Wahhāb to hide his light under a bushel. Fame has brought me nothing but suffering.” 55.3

[Al-Khallāl:] Na ji shi yana cewa, "Na rantse da Allah, da na san hanyar barin wannan birni, da na bar shi. Sannan babu wanda zai ambace ni a gare su, kuma za su manta da ni."294

[Al-Khallāl:] I heard him say, “I swear that if I knew a way to leave this city, I’d leave it. Then no one would mention me to them, and they’d forget about me.”294

[Isḥāq:] Na taɓa ganin Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana komawa cikin gidansa bayan ya gama sallar asuba. Yana faɗa wa mutane, "Ku daina bina!" 55.4

[Isḥāq:] I once saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal going back inside his house after praying the dawn prayer. He was telling people, “Stop following me around!” 55.4

Ibn Hārūn: Ina tuna cewa Aḥmad ba ya son mutane su bi shi a kan titi. 55.5

[Ibn Hārūn:] I remember that Aḥmad didn’t like it when people followed him down the street. 55.5

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Sa'ad da mahaifina ya fita a ranar Juma'a, ba ya barin kowa ya bi shi. Sau da yawa yakan tsaya ya jira har sai sun gaji su tafi. 55.6

[ʿAbd Allāh:] When my father went out on Fridays he wouldn’t let anyone follow him. He would often stop and wait until they gave up and went away. 55.6

[Isḥāq:] Na ga Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana tafiya shi kaɗai kamar wanda ba shi da daraja. 55.7

[Isḥāq:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal walking all by himself as if he were a man of no importance. 55.7