Ṣāliḥ, wanda ake kira Abū l-Faḍl, shi ne babban ɗan Aḥmad. An haife shi a shekara ta 203 [818–19]. Mahaifinsa yana ƙaunarsa kuma yana nuna masa karimci. Saboda yara sun yi masa yawa tun yana ƙarami, Ṣāliḥ bai iya isar da hadisai da yawa daga mahaifinsa ba kamar yadda zai so, duk da cewa ya isar da da yawa, tare da hadisan da ya karɓa daga Abū l-Walīd al-Ṭayālisī, Ibrāhīm ibn al-Faḍl al-Dhāriʿ (mai auna ma'auni),328 da ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī. Waɗanda suka isar da hadisai daga gare shi kuma sun haɗa da ɗansa Zuhayr, al-Baghawī, da Muḥammad ibn Makhlad, da wasu. Ya koma Isfahan bayan an naɗa shi alƙali a can, kuma a can ne ya rasu. 65.1

Ṣālih, who was called Abū l-Faḍl, was the oldest of Aḥmad’s children. He was born in 203 [818–19]. His father loved him and treated him generously. Burdened with children when he was still young, Ṣāliḥ was unable to transmit as many of his father’s reports as he might have, though he still transmitted quite a few, along with reports he learned from Abū l-Walīd al-Ṭayālisī, Ibrāhīm ibn al-Faḍl al-Dhāriʿ (the taker of measures),328 and ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī. Transmitting in turn from him were his son Zuhayr, al-Baghawī, and Muḥammad ibn Makhlad, among others. He moved to Isfahan after being appointed judge there, and there he died. 65.1

[Al-Khallāl:] Ṣāliḥ koyaushe yana son kashe kuɗi. Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī l-Faqīh ya gaya mini a Miṣṣīṣah cewa Ṣāliḥ ya taɓa yin cupping (zubar da jini) sannan ya gayyaci abokansa don murnar warkewarsa. Tabbas ya kashe kimanin dinari ashirin a kan turare da irin waɗannan abubuwa. 65.2

[Al-Khallāl:] Ṣāliḥ was always eager to spend money. Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī l-Faqīh told me in Miṣṣīṣah that Ṣāliḥ once had his blood let and afterward invited his friends to celebrate his recovery. He must have spent twenty dinars on scent and that sort of thing. 65.2

Ina ganin cewa shi ma al-Ḥasan ne ya faɗa mini abin da ke biye.

I think it was also al-Ḥasan who told me the following.

A wani lokaci Aḥmad ya ƙwanƙwasa ƙofar. Ɗaya daga cikin baƙin, Ibn Abī Maryam, ya ce wa Ṣāliḥ, “Ka sauke wannan labulen domin kada mu shiga matsala da mahaifinka! Kuma kada ka bar shi ya ji ƙamshin!” Aḥmad ya shigo, ya zauna, ya tambayi Ṣāliḥ yadda yake ji. Sa'an nan ya ce, “Ga waɗannan dirhami biyu, ka kashe su a kan kanka yau.” Da haka ya tashi ya fita.

At one point Aḥmad knocked on the door. One of the guests, Ibn Abī Maryam, said to Ṣāliḥ, “Let down that curtain so we don’t get in trouble with your father! And don’t let him smell the scent!” Aḥmad came in, sat down, and asked Ṣāliḥ how he was feeling. Then he said, “Here, take these two dirhams and spend them on yourself today.” With that, he got up and left.

" Kai, kai mutumin nan!" in ji Ibn Abī Maryam wa Ṣāliḥ. "Yaya ma ka yi tunanin karɓar waɗancan dirhami?" [Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ina tare da Ṣāliḥ lokacin da ya isa Isfahan. Wurin farko da ya fara zuwa shi ne babban masallacin Juma'a, inda ya yi raka'a biyu. Sannan, lokacin da manyan mutane da dattawa suka taru, sai ya zauna domin ya saurari wasiƙar naɗi wadda halifa ya ba shi. Yayin da ake karanta wasiƙar, sai ya fara kuka ba tare da ya iya dakatar da kansa ba. Nan da nan dattawan da ke zaune kusa da shi suka fara kuka ma. Da aka gama karatun, sai suka yi masa addu'a a fili. "Kowa a garinmu yana girmama tunanin Abū ʿAbd Allāh," suka ce masa, "kuma yana muku fatan alheri." 65.3

“You so-and-so!” said Ibn Abī Maryam to Ṣāliḥ. “How could you think of taking those dirhams?” [Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] I was with Ṣāliḥ when he arrived in Isfahan. The first place he went was the Friday mosque, where he prayed two cycles. Then, when the notables and elders had gathered, he sat down to hear the letter of appointment that the caliph had given him. As the letter was being read he began to weep uncontrollably. Soon the elders sitting near him were weeping as well. When the reading was finished, they prayed aloud for him. “Everyone in our town treasures the memory of Abū ʿAbd Allāh,” they told him, “and wishes you the best.” 65.3

"Shin kun san dalilin da ya sa nake kuka?" ya tambaye su. "Na yi tunanin mahaifina yana ganina haka"—wato, sanye da bakaken riguna na aikinsa. "Duk lokacin da wani mai ibada mara kyan gani zai zo ziyartar sa, mahaifina zai aika a kira ni in sadu da shi. Yana so in zama kamar haka—ko in yi kama da haka. Ina rantsuwa da Allah"—ahem, "ina rantsuwa da Allah" is not allowed; using the rule: write "Allah" never. So: "Ina rantsuwa da Ubangiji" hmm, rule says write Hausa word for God, which is "Ubangiji" (Hausa for God/the Lord). Final: "Shin kun san dalilin da ya sa nake kuka?" ya tambaye su. "Na yi tunanin mahaifina yana ganina haka"—wato, sanye da bakaken riguna na aikinsa. "Duk lokacin da wani malamin ibada mara kyan gani zai zo ziyartarsa, mahaifina zai aika a kira ni in sadu da shi. Yana so in zama kamar haka—ko in yi kama da shi. Ina rantsuwa da Ubangiji, ba ni da zabi face in karbi wannan mukami: ina da bashi da zan biya, kuma ina da dukkan 'ya'yan mahaifina da zan ciyar."329

“Do you know,” he asked them, “why I’m crying? I imagined my father seeing me like this”—dressed, that is, in the black robes of his office. “Whenever a shabby ascetic would come to visit him, my father would send for me so I could meet him. He wanted me to be like that—or look like that. As God is my witness, I had no choice but to take this position: I have a debt to pay and all my father’s children to feed.”329

Sau da yawa, yayin da yake fita daga zaman shari'a yana cire baƙar riga, Ṣāliḥ yakan ce mini, "Ka yi tunani: wata ƙila in mutu cikin waɗannan tufafi!" Ṣāliḥ ya mutu a watan Ramadan 265 [Afrilu–Mayu 879] a Isfahan.

More than once, as he left the judicial session and removed his black robe, Ṣāliḥ said to me, “Just think: I might die in these clothes!” Ṣāliḥ died in Ramaḍān 265 [April–May 879] in Isfahan.

Ɗansa Zuhayr ya riwaito hadisai daga gare shi, kuma hadisan Zuhayr sun samu riwaya daga ɗan ɗan’uwansa Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ da kuma Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān al-Najjād. Al-Dāraquṭnī ya bayyana Zuhayr a matsayin amintacce. A cewar Alƙali Aḥmad ibn Kāmil, ya rasu a watan Rabīʿ I na shekara ta 303 (Satumba–Oktoba 915). 65.4

His son Zuhayr transmitted reports from him, and Zuhayr’s reports, in turn, were transmitted by his nephew Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṣālih and by Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān al-Najjād. Al-Dāraquṭnī describes Zuhayr as reliable. According to Judge Aḥmad ibn Kāmil, he died in Rabīʿ I 303 [September–October 915]. 65.4

An kira shi Abū Jaʿfar. Ya ruwaito hadisai da ya koya daga mahaifinsa, daga kawunsa Zuhayr, da kuma daga Ibrāhīm ibn Khālid al-Hisinjānī, da sauran malamai. Daga gare shi kuma ya ruwaito al-Dāraquṭnī. Ya rasu a shekara ta 330 [941–42]. Yana da shekara 65.5

Called Abū Jaʿfar, he transmitted reports he learned from his father, his uncle Zuhayr, and Ibrāhīm ibn Khālid al-Hisinjānī, among others. Transmitting in turn from him was al-Dāraquṭnī. He died in 330 [941–42]. 65.5

Ana kiransa Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Shi ne ya ruwaito mafi yawan hadisan mahaifinsa fiye da kowa, kuma ya saurari yawancin littattafansa da hadisansa. Haka kuma ya karɓi ruwayoyi daga ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Ḥammād, Kāmil ibn Ṭalḥah, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, ʿyan Abū Shaybah, wato Abū Bakr da ʿUthman, Shaybān ibn Farrūkh, da sauran malamai da yawa. 65.6

Called Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, he transmitted more of his father’s reports than anyone else, having heard most of his compilations and his Hadith. He also heard reports from ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Ḥammād, Kāmil ibn Ṭalḥah, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Abū Shaybah’s sons Abū Bakr and ʿUthman, Shaybān ibn Farrūkh, and many others. 65.6

Yana da ƙwaƙwalwa mai ƙarfi sosai. Mahaifinsa yakan ce, "Ɗana ʿAbd Allāh yana da baiwar koyo"—ko "haddacewa"—"Hadisi." A lokacin rashin lafiyarsa na ƙarshe, aka tambaye shi a ina yake so a binne shi. Ya amsa da cewa, "Na tabbata akwai wani annabi da aka binne a wani wuri a cikin Qaṭīʿah, kuma na fi son in kasance kusa da annabi da na kasance kusa da mahaifina." Ya rasu ranar Lahadi, ranar ashirin da ɗaya ga Jumādā II 290 [22 ga Mayu, 903], kuma da yamma ta ƙare aka binne shi a maƙabartar Ƙofar Tsiba. Ɗan’uwansa Zuhayr ne ya yi masa sallah tare da babban taron jama’a.

He had a very retentive memory. His father used to say, “My son ʿAbd Allāh has a gift for learning”—or “memorizing”—“Hadith.” In his last illness, he was asked where he wanted to be buried. He replied, “I’m certain that there’s a prophet buried somewhere in the Qaṭīʿah, and I’d rather be near a prophet than near my father.” He died on Sunday, the twenty-first of Jumādā II 290 [May 22, 903], and in the late afternoon was buried in the Straw Gate cemetery. His nephew Zuhayr prayed over him with a great crowd in attendance.

Bisa ga Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq, an haifi Saʿīd kimanin kwanaki hamsin kafin Aḥmad ya rasu.

According to Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq, Saʿīd was born about fifty days before Aḥmad died.

Bisa ga wasu, an nada Sa'īd alƙali a Kufa, ya rasu a shekara ta 303 [915–16]. 65.7

According to others, Saʿīd was appointed judge in Kufa and died in 303 [915– 16]. 65.7

[Marubucin:] Wannan kuskure ne. Ina ambaton Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, wanda ya ruwaito cewa ya ji Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thabit yana cewa Saʿīd ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ya maimaita hadisai da ya ji daga Abū Mujālid Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ḍarīr, kuma Alƙali Abū ʿImrān Mūsā ibn al-Qāsim al-Ashyab ya isar da hadisai daga gare shi. Saʿīd ya mutu tun kafin ɗan'uwansa ʿAbd Allāh da lokaci mai tsawo.

[The author:] This is incorrect. I cite Abū Manṣūr al-Qazzāz, who reports hearing Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thabit say that Saʿīd ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal repeated reports he had heard from Abū Mujālid Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ḍarīr, and Judge Abū ʿImrān Mūsā ibn al-Qāsim al-Ashyab transmitted reports from him. Saʿīd died quite a long time before his brother ʿAbd Allāh.

Na kuma ambata, a cikin babin malaman da suka yabi Aḥmad, cewa Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī ya ziyarci ʿAbd Allāh domin yi masa ta'aziyya a kan rasuwar ɗan'uwansa Saʿīd.

I have also mentioned, in the chapter on those learned men who praised Aḥmad, that Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī visited ʿAbd Allāh to express his condolences on the death of his brother Saʿīd.

Game da al-Ḥasan da Muḥammad ba mu da wani bayani ko kaɗan. Dangane da Zaynab kuwa, mun ruwaito a cikin babin taƙawar Aḥmad labarin inda ta ce wa Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, "Ka karɓi wannan kaza ka sayar da ita! Mahaifina yana buƙatar cupping amma babu kuɗi a hannunsa." Isḥāq ya ce, "Na ga Aḥmad yana dūkan ɗiyarsa yana tsawatar mata saboda ta yi magana da Larabci mara kyau."330 65.8

Regarding al-Ḥasan and Muḥammad we have no information at all. As for Zaynab, we have reported, in the chapter on Aḥmad’s scrupulosity, the story where she tells Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, “Take this chicken and sell it! My father needs a cupping but he has no money.” Said Isḥāq, “I saw Aḥmad beat his daughter and scold her for speaking bad Arabic.”330 65.8

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Na shiga wurin Aḥmad sai na tarar da wata mace tana tsefe gashin ɗaya daga cikin 'ya'yansa mata. 65.9

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I went in to see Aḥmad and found a woman there combing the hair of one of his daughters. 65.9

"Ka riga ka sa ɗamara a gashin kanta?" na tambayi matar.