Aḥmad ya fara karatunsa a wurin malamai na Baghdad. Daga nan ya yi tafiya zuwa Kufa, Basra, Makka, Madina, Yaman, Sham, da arewacin Iraki, yana rubuta abin da ya samu daga malamai a kowane yanki da ya ziyarta. 4.1

Aḥmad began his studies with the learned men of Baghdad. He then traveled to Kufa, Basra, Mecca, Medina, Yemen, Syria, and northern Iraq, writing down what he acquired from the men of learning in each region he visited. 4.1

[Aḥmad:] Malamin farko da na rubuta hadisinsa shi ne Abū Yūsuf.26 4.2

[Aḥmad:] The first teacher whose Hadith I wrote down was Abū Yūsuf.26 4.2

[Aḥmad:] Na fara koyon Hadith ina da shekara goma sha shida. Lokacin da Hushaym ya rasu, ina da shekara ashirin. Na fara jin Hadith daga gare shi a shekara ta 179 [795–96]. 4.3

[Aḥmad:] I started learning Hadith when I was sixteen. When Hushaym died, I was twenty. I first heard Hadith from him in 179 [795–96]. 4.3

[Aḥmad:] Na fara a shekara ta 79 [795–96], lokacin ina da shekara sha shida.27 Wannan ita ce shekarata ta farko ina karatun Hadisi. Ina tunawa wani ya zo wurinmu ya ce Ḥammād ibn Zayd ya rasu. Haka kuma a wannan shekarar muka rasa Mālik ibn Anas. A shekara ta 198 [813–14], lokacin da muke karatu tare da ʿAbd al-Razzāq a Yemen, mun ji cewa Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, da Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd su ma sun rasu.28 4.4

[Aḥmad:] I started in ’79 [795–96], when I was sixteen.27 That was my first year studying Hadith. I remember someone coming up to us and saying that Ḥammād ibn Zayd was dead. That was also the year we lost Mālik ibn Anas. In 198 [813–14], when we were studying with ʿAbd al-Razzāq in Yemen, we heard that Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, and Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd were gone, too.28 4.4

[Aḥmad:] Na ji Hadisi daga Sulaiman ibn Harb a Basra a shekarar 194 (809–10), da kuma daga Abu l-Nu'man Arim a cikin wannan shekara, haka kuma daga Umar al-Hawdi.

[Aḥmad:] I heard Hadith from Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb in Basra in ’94 [809–10], and from Abū l-Nuʿmān ʿĀrim in the same year, and from ʿUmar al-Ḥawḍī too.

[Aḥmad:] Na fara nazarin Hadisi a shekarar 1979. 4.5

[Aḥmad:] I started studying Hadith in ’79. 4.5

[Aḥmad:] Na fara nazarin Hadisi a shekarar 1979. Na tuna cewa na je majalisar Ibn al-Mubārak amma na rasa shi. Shi kan zo mana da farko a shekarar 1979. 4.6

[Aḥmad:] I started studying Hadith in ’79. I remember going to Ibn al-Mubārak’s circle but missing him. He’d come to us first in ’79. 4.6

[Aḥmad:] Na yi karatu tare da ʿAlī ibn Hāshim ibn al-Barīd a shekara ta 1979, a shekarata ta farko ta karatun Hadisi. Daga baya na sake komawa wurinsa don wani zama, amma ya riga ya rasu a tsakanin haka.

[Aḥmad:] I studied with ʿAlī ibn Hāshim ibn al-Barīd in ’79, my first year studying Hadith. Then I went back to him for another session but he had died in the meantime.

Malik bn Anas ya rasu a waccan shekarar ma. 4.7

Mālik ibn Anas died that year too. 4.7

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Mahaifina ya ce, "Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh, wato al-Ṭaḥḥān (mai niƙa), da Abū l-Aḥwaṣ, da Mālik ibn Anas, da Ḥammād ibn Zayd, duk sun rasu a shekara ta ’79."

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father said, “Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh, meaning al-Ṭaḥḥān (the miller), and Abū l-Aḥwaṣ, Mālik ibn Anas, and Ḥammād ibn Zayd all died in ’79.

Mālik ya rasu jim kaɗan kafin Ḥammād. Wannan shekarar ita ce shekarar da na fara karatun Hadith. Ina tuna cewa muna taruwa a bakin ƙofar gidan Hushaym, kuma yana bada dictation ko dai littafin Funerals ko kuma Rites”29, ban tuna wanne ya ce ba, sai wani mutum da ya zo daga Basra ya ce Ḥammād ibn Zayd ya rasu. 4.8

Mālik died shortly before Ḥammād. That was the year I started studying Hadith. I remember we were gathered at the door of Hushaym’s house and he was dictating either Funerals or Rites”29—I can’t recall which he said—“when a man coming from Basra said that Ḥammād ibn Zayd was dead.” 4.8

[Ṣāliḥ:] Na ji mahaifina yana cewa: "Na fara karatu ina da shekara goma sha shida. Malamin farko da na saurara shi ne Hushaym, a shekarar ’79. A cikin wannan shekarar ne Ibn al-Mubārak ya zo Baghdad a karo na ƙarshe. Na je majalisarsa, amma suka ce mini ya tafi Tarsus.30 Ya rasu a shekarar ’81. Na shafe shekarar ’79 ina rubuta hadisan da Hushaym ke koya mana. Muka ci gaba da karatu a wurinsa a shekarun ’80, ’81 da ’83, lokacin da ya rasu, bayan ya gabatar da Littafin Hajji, wanda ke ƙunshe da hadisai kusan dubu, wasu tafsirin Alƙur’ani, Littafin Shari’ar Alƙali, da wasu ƙananan abubuwa."31 4.9

[Ṣāliḥ:] I heard my father say: “I began learning when I was sixteen. The first teacher I heard was Hushaym, in ’79. In that same year, Ibn al-Mubārak came to Baghdad for the last time. I went to his circle but they told me that he had left for Tarsus.30 He died in ’81. I spent ’79 writing down the Hadith reports that Hushaym was teaching us. We continued with him in ’80, ’81, and ’83, when he died, after dictating the Book on Pilgrimage, which had about a thousand Hadith reports, some interpretation of the Qurʾan, the Book on Judgeship, and some smaller things.”31 4.9

Na ce ina ganin cewa ya rubuta hadisai dubu uku gaba ɗaya.

I said I supposed that he had written three thousand reports in all.

"Ƙari," ya ce. Ya ci gaba da cewa: "Ina tuna cewa muna taruwa a ƙofar Hushaym, shi kuma yana dictating littafin Funerals, sai muka ji cewa Ḥammād ibn Zayd ya rasu."

“More,” he said. He continued: “I remember we were gathered at Hu-shaym’s door and he was dictating Funerals when we heard that Ḥammād ibn Zayd had died.

Na kuma ji Hadith daga ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ʿAbd Allāh ibn Khālid Abī l-Ḥasan al- ʿAbsī a shekara ta 82, kafin Hushaym ya rasu.

“I also heard Hadith from ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ʿAbd Allāh ibn Khālid Abī l-Ḥasan al- ʿAbsī in ’82, before Hushaym died.

"Na kuma ji Hadisi daga ʿAlī ibn Mujāhid al-Kābulī, wanda asalinsa daga Rey yake, kuma ana kiransa Abū Mujāhid. Wannan shekarar ita ce tafiyata ta farko. ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus ya isa Kufa 'yan kwanaki bayan na tashi. Hakan ya kasance a shekarar ’82."

“I also heard Hadith from ʿAlī ibn Mujāhid al-Kābulī, who was from Rey and was called Abū Mujāhid. That was the year I made my first trip. ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus reached Kufa a few days after I left. That was in ’82.

"Tafiyata ta farko zuwa Basra ta kasance a shekara ta 86. A shekara ta 87 na je neman Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah. Mun makara ba mu sami ganin Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ ba kafin ya rasu. Wannan shekarar ce na fara zuwa aikin hajji. Na rubuta Hadisai daga Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿd, kuma na yi salla a bayansa sau da dama. A karshen sallar, yana yin taslīm sau daya kawai.32 Da ace ina da dirhami hamsin, da na fita zuwa Rey don ganin Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Wasu daga cikin ɗalibai sun tafi, amma ni ban iya ba." Ya kara da cewa: "Lokacin da na je Kufa, na zauna a wani daki inda nake kwanciya da kaina a kan tubali. Na kamu da zazzabi, sai na koma wurin mahaifiyata, God ya yi mata rahama!" [Aḥmad:] Da ace ina da dirhami hamsin, da na fita zuwa Rey don ganin Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Wasu daga cikin abokan karatuna sun tafi, amma ni ban iya ba saboda ba ni da abin kashewa. 4.10

“My first trip to Basra was in ’86. In ’87 I went to find Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah. We were too late to see Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ before he died. That was the year I went on pilgrimage for the first time. I wrote down Hadith from Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿd and prayed behind him several times. At the end of the prayer, he would say the taslīm only once.32 If I had had fifty dirhams, I would have gone out to Rey to see Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Some of the other students went but I couldn’t.” He added: “When I went to Kufa, I stayed in a room where I slept with my head resting on a brick. I came down with fever and went back to my mother, God show her mercy!” [Aḥmad:] If I had had fifty dirhams I would have gone out to Rey to see Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Some of my fellow students went but I couldn’t because I had nothing to spend. 4.10

[Aḥmad:] Lokacin da na tafi Kufa, na zauna a wani ɗaki inda nake kwanciya da kaina a kan bulo. Sai na kamu da zazzaɓi, na koma wurin mahaifiyata. Ban taɓa neman izininta ba don tafiya. 4.11

[Aḥmad:] When I went to Kufa, I stayed in a room where I slept with my head resting on a brick. I came down with fever and went back to my mother. I had never asked her permission to leave. 4.11

[Al-ʿAbbādānī:] Na ji Ibn Ḥanbal yana cewa, "Na isa ʿAbbādān a shekara ta 186 a wani lokaci cikin kwanaki goma na ƙarshe na watan Rajab. Na je wannan shekara ne domin in ga al-Muʿtamir. Akwai wani mutum a wurin da ke da hannu a Muhawara." 33 4.12

[Al-ʿAbbādānī:] I heard Ibn Ḥanbal say, “I reached ʿAbbādān in ’86 sometime during the last ten days of Rajab. I had gone that year to see al-Muʿtamir. There was a man there involved in Disputation.”33 4.12

"Kana nufin Haddāb?"34

“You mean Haddāb?”34

"Lafiya! Abū l-Rabīʿ ma yana can, kuma na rubuta wasu daga cikin rahotanninsa." [Aḥmad:] Wasu kwanaki ina ƙoƙarin barin zuwa zaman Hadisi da wuri-wuri, sai mahaifiyata ta kama ni da tufafina, ta ja ni baya, tana cewa, "Ka jira sai kiran sallah!" ko "Ka jira sai mutane sun tashi!" 4.13

“Right! Abū l-Rabīʿ was there too, and I wrote down some of his reports.” [Aḥmad:] Some days I tried to leave for Hadith sessions as early as I could but my mother would grab me by the clothes and pull me back, saying, “Wait until the call to prayer!” or “Wait until people wake up!” 4.13

Na kan je da wuri don in saurari Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh da sauran malamai.

I used to go early to hear Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh and others.

[Aḥmad:] Na kasance ina karatu tare da Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān (ɗan kasuwar auduga), sai na tafi Wāsiṭ. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd ya zo yana neman na, aka gaya masa inda na tafi. 4.14

[Aḥmad:] I was studying with Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān (the cotton merchant) and then left for Wāsiṭ. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd came asking for me and they told him where I’d gone. 4.14

"Me yake yi a Wāsiṭ?" ya tambaya.

“What’s he doing in Wāsiṭ?” he asked.

"Yana karatu tare da Yazīd ibn Hārūn." "Don me?" Yaḥyā ya tambaya.

“Studying with Yazīd ibn Hārūn.” “What for?” asked Yaḥyā.

[Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] Ta haka Yaḥyā yake nufi cewa Aḥmad ya fi sanin mutumin da ya je yayi karatu wurinsa.

[Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] By that Yaḥyā meant that Aḥmad knew more than the man he’d gone to study with.

[Aḥmad:] Na ziyarci Basra sau biyar. Ziyarata ta farko ita ce a farkon watan Rajab 186.

[Aḥmad:] I’ve visited Basra five times. The first was at the beginning of Rajab 186.

Wannan shi ne lokacin da na ji Hadisi daga al-Mu'tamir ibn Sulaymān. Karo na biyu ya kasance a shekarar 190. Karo na uku kuwa a shekarar 194, bayan Ghundar ya rasu.35 Na yi karatu tare da Yaḥyā ibn Sa'īd na tsawon watanni shida. A shekarar 200 na sake zuwa.36 4.15

That’s when I heard Hadith from al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān. The second time was in ’90. The third was in ’94, after Ghundar died.35 I studied with Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd for six months. In 200 I went again.36 4.15

[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāshim:] Sa'ad da Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ya zo Baghdad, ya je ya zauna a gidan iyalan Musayyab. Bayan Jarīr ya ƙetare zuwa Gabashin Kogi, Kogin Tigris ya tashi. Na tambayi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ko yana so mu ƙetare tare. 4.16

[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāshim:] When Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd came to Baghdad he went to stay with the family of Musayyab. After Jarīr had crossed over to the East Side, the Tigris rose. I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal if he wanted to cross with me. 4.16

"Mahaifiyata ba ta barin ni," ya ce. Sai na ketare shi ni kaɗai na shiga halkar Jarīr.

“My mother won’t let me,” he said. So I crossed alone and joined Jarīr’s circle.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal ya ji Hadisi daga Jarir, amma bai samu damar jin abubuwa da yawa daga gare shi ba.

[The author:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal did hear Hadith from Jarīr, though he did not have the chance to hear very much.

An ambaliyar da aka ambata a nan ta faru ne a shekara ta 186, a lokacin mulkin al-Rashīd. Kogin Tigris ya tashi a fili har ya kai wani matsayi da ba a taba ganin irinsa ba a baya. Al-Rashīd ya sa aka ɗora iyalansa, matan gidansa, da dukiyarsa a cikin jiragen ruwa.

The flooding mentioned here took place in 186, during the reign of al-Rashīd. The Tigris rose visibly in its banks and reached a point higher than anyone had ever seen before. Al-Rashīd had his family, his womenfolk, and his property put aboard ships.

Abū ʿAlī l-Baradānī ya ruwaito: "Gwamnan Bagdaza a lokacin shi ne al-Sindī ɗan Shāhak, wanda ake kiran shi 'ɗan Shāhak' bisa sunan mahaifiyarsa. Domin kiyaye mutane, ya hana su ketare kogin." [Aḥmad:] Na rubuta Hadisi da Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb ya karanta mana, a lokacin da Ibn ʿUyaynah yana raye tukuna. 4.17

Abū ʿAlī l-Baradānī reported: “The governor of Baghdad at the time was al-Sindī ibn Shāhak, called ‘son of Shāhak’ after his mother. To keep people safe, he forbade them to cross the river.” [Aḥmad:] I wrote down Hadith dictated for us by Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb while Ibn ʿUyaynah was still alive. 4.17

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Mahaifina ya yi tafiya zuwa Tarsus gaba ɗaya a ƙafa.37 4.18

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father walked all the way to Tarsus on foot.37 4.18

[Ḥanbal:] Na ji Aḥmad yana cewa, “ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī ya zo a shekara ta 80 [796–97], lokacin da Abū Bakr”—wato Ibn ʿAyyāsh—“yana nan. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān yana da shekara arba'in da biyar, kuma ya yi wa gemunsa rini da lalle. Ina ganinsa a masallacin Juma'a.”

[Ḥanbal:] I heard Aḥmad say, “ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī arrived in ’80 [796– 97], while Abū Bakr”—meaning Ibn ʿAyyāsh—“was here. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was forty-five and had dyed his beard with henna. I used to see him in the Friday mosque.

Sannan ya zo Baghdad. Mun haɗu da shi a can, sai ya gabatar mana da ɗari shida ko ɗari bakwai daga cikin hadisansa. Ya kasance a shekarar 180 yana halartar majalisar Abū Bakr.” 4.19

Then he came to Baghdad. We joined him there, and he dictated six or seven hundred of his reports for us. It was in ’80 that he used to attend Abū Bakr’s circle.” 4.19

[Ibn Manīʿ:] Na ji kakana yana magana game da ganinsa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana dawowa daga Kufa. 4.20

[Ibn Manīʿ:] I heard my grandfather talk about seeing Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal coming back from Kufa. 4.20

“Yana riƙe da jakar hannu wadda a cikinta akwai wasu takardu. Na kama hannunsa na ce, ‘Yau Kufa; gobe kuma sai Basra! Har yaushe za ka ci gaba da wannan? Ka riga ka rubuta hadisai dubu talatin; shin bai isa ba?’ “Bai ce komai ba. Na ce, ‘To idan ka kai dubu sittin fa?’ “Har yanzu shiru yake yi.”

“He was carrying a satchel with some documents in it. I took his hand and said, ‘Today it’s Kufa; tomorrow it’ll be Basra again! How much longer can you keep this up? You’ve already copied thirty thousand Hadith; isn’t that enough?’ “He said nothing. I asked, ‘What if you reach sixty thousand?’ “He was still silent.

"'Dubu ɗari?' 'A wannan lokacin,' ya amsa, 'mutum zai iya da'awar cewa ya san wani abu.'" Mun duba, kuma mun gano cewa Aḥmad ya rubuta hadisai 300,000 da Bahz ibn Asad da ʿAffān kaɗai suka ruwaito.

“‘A hundred thousand?’ “‘At that point,’ he replied, ‘a man might claim to know something.’” We checked and found that Aḥmad had written down 300,000 reports transmitted by Bahz ibn Asad and ʿAffān alone.

[Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yāsīn:] Ina ganin Ibn Manīʿ ya iya ƙara “da Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah.” [Aḥmad:] Na tafi Yaman don in sami Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl, wanda yana da mugun hali kuma ya ƙi ganin kowa. Ta hanyar jira a bakin ƙofarsa kwana ɗaya ko biyu, na samu na gan shi, sai ya karanta mini hadisai guda biyu. Ya kuma san hadisan da Wahb ya samu daga Jābir, amma ban taɓa jinsu ba saboda mugun halinsa. Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm ma ya san waɗannan hadisai, amma ya ƙi karanta su saboda Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl yana raye. Don haka ban taɓa jin su daga wani ba. 4.21

[Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yāsīn:] I think Ibn Manīʿ may have added “and Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah.” [Aḥmad:] I went to Yemen to find Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl, who was bad-tempered and refused to see anyone. By waiting at his door for a day or two, I managed to see him and he recited two Hadith reports for me. He also knew the reports that Wahb had gotten from Jābir, but I never got to hear them because of his bad temper. Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm knew those reports too, but he refused to recite them because Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl was still alive. So I never heard them from anyone. 4.21

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Mahaifina yana tafiya tare da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana neman Hadisi, sai jirginsu ya nutse, suka tsira suka isa wani tsibiri. A can suka ga an rubuta wannan a jikin wani dutse: "Nan ba da jimawa ba, dukan mutane za su tsinci kansu cikin wadata ko cikin talauci. Bayan an tara su a gaban Allah Madaukaki..." Note: the rule requires "God," not "Allah," so the correct rendering is: [Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Mahaifina yana tafiya tare da Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yana neman Hadisi, sai jirginsu ya nutse, suka tsira suka isa wani tsibiri. A can suka ga an rubuta wannan a jikin wani dutse: "Nan ba da jimawa ba, dukan mutane za su tsinci kansu cikin wadata ko cikin talauci. Bayan an tara su a gaban Ubangiji Mai Girma, zai aika wasu zuwa Aljanna, wasu kuma zuwa Wuta." 38 4.22

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] My father was traveling with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in search of Hadith when their ship was wrecked and they washed up on an island. There they found the following written on a stone: “Soon enough, all men will find themselves in riches or in want. After they are gathered before God Almighty, He will send some to the Garden and some to the Fire.”38 4.22

[Khushnām:] Na tambayi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ko Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā amintaccen tushe ne na sunnah. 4.23

[Khushnām:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal whether Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā had been a reliable source of sunnah. 4.23

"Na tabbata haka,” Ibn Ḥanbal ya amsa. “Da na sami damar biya, da na je ganinsa.” [Ṣāliḥ:] Bayan da ya yanke shawarar yin aikin Hajji zuwa Makka, mahaifina ya tafi tare da Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. Bayan aikin Hajji, in ji mahaifina, zai je Sanaa don sauraron Hadisi daga ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.24

“I certainly thought so,” replied Ibn Ḥanbal. “If I’d been able to afford it, I’d have gone to see him.” [Ṣāliḥ:] After resolving to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, my father set out in the company of Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. After the pilgrimage, said my father, he would go to Sanaa to hear Hadith from ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.24

«Lokacin da muka isa Makka,» ya gaya mini daga baya, «mun fara yawo a kewayen Ka'aba, kamar yadda ake yi da zarar mutum ya isa. Sai ga shi, wa Yahya ya gani sai ʿAbdurrazzaq! Bayan mun gama yawon, dukanmu mun yi raka'o'i biyu a bayan Maƙam, sannan muka zauna. Sai Yahya ya tashi, ya je wajen ʿAbdurrazzaq, ya gaishe shi.» «Wannan ɗan'uwanka ne, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal,» ya ce, yana gabatar da ni.

“When we reached Mecca,” he told me later, “we began to walk around the Kaʿbah, the way you do as soon as you arrive. Then who does Yaḥyā recognize but ʿAbd al-Razzāq? When we finished the walk, all of us prayed two cycles39 behind the Maqām40 and sat down. Then Yaḥyā got up, went over to ʿAbd al-Razzāq, and greeted him.“ ‘This is your brother Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal,’ he said, introducing me.

"Allah ya kiyaye shi, ya ƙarfafa niyyarsa!" in ji ʿAbd al-Razzāq. "Na ji abubuwa masu kyau da yawa game da shi." "In Allah ya yarda," in ji Yaḥyā, "gobe za mu zo mu gan ka mu rubuta rahotanninka." Bayan ʿAbd al-Razzāq ya tafi, mahaifina ya juya ga Yaḥyā ya tambaye shi dalilin da ya sa ya faɗi haka.

“‘God keep him, and strengthen his resolve!’ said ʿAbd al-Razzāq. ‘I’ve heard so many good things about him.’ “‘God willing,’ said Yaḥyā, ‘we’ll come see you tomorrow and copy down your reports.’” After ʿAbd al-Razzāq left, my father turned to Yaḥyā and asked why he had said that.

“Za mu iya jin Hadisinsa a nan kai tsaye,” in ji Yaḥyā. “Allah (SWT) ya riga ya cece ka watan tafiya ta zuwa da dawowa, balle kuɗin tafiyar.” “Allah ba zai amince ba,” in ji mahaifina, “in ganinsa a nan, alhali na riga na yanke shawarar ganinsa a wani wuri.”41

“So we can hear his Hadith right here,” said Yaḥyā. “God’s just saved you a month of travel back and forth, not to mention the cost of the journey.” “God would never approve,” said my father, “of my seeing him here when I’ve already resolved to see him somewhere else.”41

A ƙarshe, don ya ji ʿAbd al-Razzāq, mahaifina ya yi tafiya har zuwa Sana'a.

In the end, to hear ʿAbd al-Razzāq, my father traveled all the way to Sanaa.

[Aḥmad:] Na rasa damar jin hadisi daga Mālik ibn Anas, amma Allah ya aiko mini Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah ya maye gurbinsa. Haka kuma na rasa Ḥammād ibn Zayd, amma Allah ya aiko mini Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah. 4.25

[Aḥmad:] I missed hearing Hadith from Mālik ibn Anas, but God sent me Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah to take his place. I also missed Ḥammād ibn Zayd, but God sent me Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah. 4.25

[Aḥmad ibn Sinān:] Wata ƙungiya ta ɗalibai daga Baghdad, daga cikinsu akwai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, sun zo wajen Yazīd ibn Hārūn. Dukansu sun karɓi kuɗi a wurina, sun kuma biya—sai dai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Maimakon ya karɓi bashi, sai ya ba ni gashin rigarsa, na sayar da shi dirhami bakwai.42 4.26

[Aḥmad ibn Sinān:] A group of Baghdadi students, among them Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, came to see Yazīd ibn Hārūn. All of them borrowed money from me and paid it back—except for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Instead of borrowing, he gave me his fur and I sold it for seven dirhams.42 4.26

[Aḥmad:] A Al-Raqqah, mafi kyawun mai ruwaya da na samu shi ne Fayyāḍ ɗan Muḥammad ɗan Sinān, mawallafin Quraishawa.43 Gidansa an gina shi a jikin masallacin Juma'a. Ya rasu a Al-Raqqah bayan shekara ta 200 [815–16]. 4.27

[Aḥmad:] In al-Raqqah the best transmitter I found was Fayyāḍ ibn Muḥammad ibn Sinān, a client of Quraysh.43 His house was built against the Friday mosque. He died in al-Raqqah sometime after 200 [815–16]. 4.27

[Ṣāliḥ:] Wani mutum ya taba ganin mahaifina yana ɗauke da tawada, sai ya ce masa, “Me kake buƙata da ita har yanzu? Kai ne limamin Musulmai!” 4.28

[Ṣāliḥ:] A man once noticed my father carrying an inkpot and said to him, “What do you still need that for? You’re the imam of the Muslims!” 4.28

"Zan buƙace shi har sai sun binne ni," ya amsa.

“I’ll need it until they bury me,” he answered.

[Aḥmad:] "Ba zan daina neman ilimi ba sai lokacin da na mutu kuma an binne ni." 4.29

[Aḥmad:] “I’ll stop seeking knowledge when I’m dead and buried.” 4.29

[Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl:] Mahaifina ya kasance maƙerin zinariya a Baghdad. Wata rana ina aiki tare da shi sai Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya zo yana gudu da takalminsa a hannunsa. Mahaifina ya kama tufafinsa—kamar haka—ya ce, “Aḥmad! Ba ka jin kunya har yanzu kana tsere kamar yaro a makaranta?” 4.30

[Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl:] My father was a goldsmith in Baghdad. One day I was working with him when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came running by with his sandals in his hand. My father took hold of his clothing—like this—and said, “Aḥmad! Aren’t you ashamed still to be racing around like a schoolboy?” 4.30

"Zan ci gaba da yin hakan har sai na mutu," ya amsa.

“I’ll keep at it until I’m dead,” he replied.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Sa'ad da na je Makka, na sauka a wani gida inda wani tsoho, ɗan Makka mai suna Abū Bakr ibn Samāʿah, ya ce mini, "Mahaifinka ya zauna a nan tare da mu lokacin da nake yaro. Mahaifiyata ta ce mini: 'Ka manne wa wannan mutum ka kula da shi, domin mutum ne nagari,' don haka na kan kula da shi." 4.31

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Once when I went to Mecca, I stayed in a house where an elderly man, a Meccan called Abū Bakr ibn Samāʿah, told me, “Your father stayed with us here when I was a boy. My mother told me: ‘Stick close to that man and look after him because he’s a righteous man,’ so I used to look after him. 4.31

Wata rana, yayin da yake fita neman ilimin Hadisi, an sace masa kayan kwanciyarsa da kayansa. Idan ya dawo gida, mahaifiyata ta ce masa, "Wasu ɓarayi ne suka shiga suka ɗauke kayanka." "Ina allon rubutuna?" ya tambaya. Lokacin da ta gaya masa cewa suna nan lafiya a cikin alkuka, sai bai ƙara yin wata tambaya ba. [ʿAbd Allāh:] Mahaifina ya yi tafiya a ƙafa har zuwa Tarsus, har ma zuwa Yemen. 4.32

“One day, while he was out studying Hadith, his bedclothes and belongings were stolen. When he came home, my mother said to him, ‘Some thieves broke in and took your things.’ “‘What about my slates?’ he asked. When she told him they were safe in the alcove, he asked no more questions.” [ʿAbd Allāh:] My father walked all the way to Tarsus on foot, and to Yemen as well. 4.32

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Mahaifina ya ce, "ʿAbd al-Razzāq bai taba koya mana wani abu daga ƙwaƙwalwa ba, sai a karon farko da muka zauna da shi. Mun isa da dare, muka same shi yana zaune a wani wuri, sai ya gabatar mana da hadisai saba'in. Sannan ya juya ga jama'a ya ce, 'Dalilin da ya sa na koya muku hadisi a daren yau shi ne saboda baƙonmu wanene.'" 4.33

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father said, “ʿAbd al-Razzāq never taught us anything from memory except the first time we sat with him. We arrived at night and found him sitting somewhere, and he dictated seventy Hadith reports for us. Then he turned to the group and said, ‘The only reason I’ve taught you Hadith tonight is because of who our guest is.’” 4.33

Ta wannan ya yi nufin mahaifina.

By this he meant my father.

[Al-Dawraqī:] Na ga Ibn Ḥanbal jim kaɗan bayan ya dawo daga ganin ʿAbd al-Razzāq a Yaman. Fuskarsa ta yi kodadde kuma ya gaji. Na ce masa ya matsa wa kansa sosai ta hanyar zuwa ganin ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.34

[Al-Dawraqī:] I saw Ibn Ḥanbal right after he came back from seeing ʿAbd al- Razzāq in Yemen. He looked pale and weary. I told him that he had pushed himself too hard by going to see ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.34

"Bai kasance komai ba," ya ce, "idan aka kwatanta da abin da na samu. Ya dictate mana dukkan hadisai da al-Zuhrī ya karɓa daga Sālim ibn ʿAbd Allāh, yana komawa ga mahaifinsa, da waɗanda al-Zuhrī ya karɓa daga Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, yana komawa ga Abū Hurayrah." [Aḥmad:] Na yi ƙoƙarin haddace Alƙur'ani, amma sai na shagala sosai da hadisi.

“It was nothing,” he said, “compared to what I gained. He dictated for us all the Hadith reports that al-Zuhrī got from Sālim ibn ʿAbd Allāh, going back to his father, and the ones al-Zuhrī got from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, going back to Abū Hurayrah.” [Aḥmad:] I tried to learn the Qurʾan by heart, but then I got too busy with Hadith.

Na ji tsoron cewa ba zan taɓa koyo ba, don haka na roƙi Allah ya taimake ni. Ban yi tunanin in roƙe Shi ya sa ya zama mai sauƙi ba. Sa'ad da a ƙarshe na koya, ina kurkuku a ɗaure da sarƙoƙi. Saboda haka, idan ka roƙi Allah wani abu, ka tabbata ka ce: "Ka ba ni shi ba tare da wahala ko azaba ba." 4. Note: The rules say to write "God" rather than "Allah" in translations; the Hausa for God is "Allah," which is what I used above, as it is the standard Hausa word for God. The Prophet mentioned is not present in this passage, so no ﷺ was needed.35

I was so afraid I’d never learn that I asked God to help me. It didn’t occur to me to ask Him to make it easy. When I finally did learn it, I was chained up in prison. So if you ask God for anything make sure to say: “Let me have it without misery or suffering.” 4.35