Perlu dicatat bahwa Aḥmad—semoga Allah meridhainya—terkadang memberikan fatwa hukum bahkan di masa mudanya, dan akan meriwayatkan Hadis jika ditanya, tanpa mempedulikan usianya, sebagaimana kita ketahui dari riwayat berikut. 25.1

It is noteworthy that Aḥmad—God be pleased with him—would sometimes give legal opinions even in his youth and would recite Hadith if asked, without being concerned about his age, as we learn from the following report. 25.1

[Al-Qūmisī:] Pada tahun 198 H [814 M], saya melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal bersandar pada menara di masjid al-Khayf.153 Ketika para ahli hadis datang, ia mulai mengajari mereka hadis dan implikasi hukumnya serta menjawab pertanyaan mereka tentang tata cara haji.

[Al-Qūmisī:] In 198 [814], I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal leaning against the minaret at the mosque of al-Khayf.153 When the Hadith scholars arrived, he began teaching them Hadith and legal implications and answering their questions about the pilgrimage rites.

[Al-Qūmisī:] Pada tahun 198 H [814 M], ketika Ibn ʿUyaynah masih hidup, saya melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal di masjid al-Khayf, sedang memberikan fatwa tentang berbagai macam persoalan. Saya belum pernah melihatnya sebelumnya, maka saya bergabung dengan kelompok di sekelilingnya dan bertanya kepada seseorang siapa dia. 25.2

[Al-Qūmisī:] In 198 [814], when Ibn ʿUyaynah was still alive, I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal at the mosque of al-Khayf, delivering legal opinions on all kinds of subjects. I had never seen him before, so I joined the group around him and asked someone who he was. 25.2

"Kamu bukan orang sini, ya?" "Bukan." "Itu Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal." Aku menunggu sampai kelompok itu bubar, lalu menjabat tangannya dan memberi salam kepadanya. Sejak saat itu kami saling mengenal.

“You’re not from here, are you?” “No.” “That’s Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” I waited until the group had broken up, then took his hand and greeted him. We’ve known each other ever since then.

Perlu dicatat bahwa teladan kita Aḥmad—semoga Allah meridhainya—tidak menampilkan diri untuk mengajarkan Hadis dan memberikan fatwa hukum hingga usianya mencapai empat puluh tahun. 25.3

[The author:] It should nevertheless be noted that our exemplar Aḥmad—God be pleased with him—did not put himself forward to teach Hadith and give legal opinions until he was forty years old. 25.3

[Ibn al-Shāʿir:] Saya pergi menemui Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pada tahun 203 H [818–19 M] dan memintanya untuk mengajarkan kepada saya Hadis, tetapi ia menolak, maka saya pun pergi untuk belajar kepada ʿAbd al-Razzāq. Kemudian, pada tahun 204 H, saya kembali dan mendapati bahwa Aḥmad telah berusia empat puluh tahun dan mulai mengajar, serta orang-orang telah menerimanya sebagai otoritas.154

[Ibn al-Shāʿir:] I went to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in 203 [818–19] and asked him to teach me Hadith, but he refused so I went out to study with ʿAbd al-Razzāq. Then, in ’04, I came back and found that Aḥmad had turned forty and begun teaching, and people had accepted him as an authority.154

[Al-Ṣayrafī:] Saya berada di depan pintu Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, lalu beliau menyebutkan sebuah hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh ʿAbd al-Razzāq. Saya memintanya untuk mendiktekannya kepada saya. 25.4

[Al-Ṣayrafī:] I was at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s door and he mentioned a Hadith transmitted by ʿAbd al-Razzāq. I asked him to dictate it to me. 25.4

“Apa yang akan kau lakukan dengannya, jika berasal dari aku?” tanyanya. “ʿAbd al-Razzāq masih hidup!” “Boleh aku katakan sesuatu?” “Silakan.” “Aku bersumpah bahwa seandainya engkau mengajarkannya kepadaku, lalu aku meninggalkan pintumu dan mendapati ʿAbd al-Razzāq sendiri di depan gang rumahmu, aku tidak akan bertanya kepadanya tentang hal itu.” [Penulis:] Bahkan ketika mengajarkan Hadis, Aḥmad akan menganjurkan orang-orang untuk merujuk kepada para perawi senior yang masih hidup. Misalnya: 25.5

“What would you do with it, coming from me?” he asked. “ʿAbd al-Razzāq is still alive!” “Can I tell you something?” “Go ahead.” “I swear that if you taught it to me and then I left your door and found ʿAbd al- Razzāq himself at the gate of your alley, I wouldn’t ask him about it.” [The author:] Even when he was teaching Hadith, Aḥmad would urge people to consult those senior transmitters who were still alive. For example: 25.5

[Ibn ʿAlī l-Warrāq:] Pada tahun 213 H [828–9 M] kami pergi menemui Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dan saya memintanya untuk mengajari kami Hadis.

[Ibn ʿAlī l-Warrāq:] In ’13 [828–9] we went to see Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and I asked him to teach us Hadith.

"Kamu akan mendengarnya dariku," katanya, "padahal orang-orang seperti Abu ʿĀṣim masih hidup? Pergilah kepadanya!"

“You’d hear it from me,” he said, “when men like Abū ʿĀṣim are still alive? Go to him!”