Teladan kita Aḥmad lahir di Baghdad, sebagaimana telah kami sebutkan, dan tumbuh besar di sana.

Our exemplar Aḥmad was born in Baghdad, as we have mentioned, and grew up there.

Setelah belajar kepada para guru dan ulama hadis di kota itu, ia pun berangkat untuk menuntut ilmu di tempat-tempat lain juga. 3.1

After studying with the teachers and Hadith scholars of the city, he set out to seek learning elsewhere as well. 3.1

Rumah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal memiliki Tigris Bermata Satu15 tepat di belakangnya. 3.2

[Ibn Kurdī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house had the One-Eyed Tigris15 directly behind it. 3.2

Abū ʿAfīf: Aḥmad bersama kami di sekolah Al-Qur'an ketika ia masih anak kecil.

[Abū ʿAfīf:] Aḥmad was with us in Qurʾan school when he was just a little boy.

Bahkan saat itu pun dia menonjol. Pada waktu itu, khalifah tinggal di al-Raqqah, dan para pejabat istana yang menyertainya di sana mulai menulis surat kepada keluarga mereka di Baghdad.

Even then he stood out. At that time, the caliph was living in al-Raqqah and the courtiers who joined him there began writing letters to their families in Baghdad.

Ketika mereka hendak membalas sebuah surat, kaum wanita mereka akan meminta guru kami untuk mengirim Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ke rumah-rumah mereka. Sang guru pun mengutusnya keluar, dan ia pun berangkat sambil memandang ke tanah dengan saksama. Para wanita itu sering mendiktekan kata-kata cabul, tetapi ia tidak mau menuliskannya. 3.3

When they wanted to reply to a letter, their womenfolk would ask our schoolmaster to send Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to their homes. The teacher would send him out and off he’d go, looking carefully at the ground. The women often dictated obscene words but he wouldn’t write them down. 3.3

[Abū Sirāj:] Ketika kami berada di sekolah Al-Qur'an bersama Aḥmad, para wanita akan mengirim pesan kepada guru sekolah yang berbunyi, "Kirimkan Ibnu Ḥanbal untuk menulis bagi kami agar kami dapat membalas surat-surat yang telah kami terima." Setiap kali ia masuk ke tempat para wanita itu berada, ia menundukkan kepalanya agar tidak memandang mereka.

[Abū Sirāj:] When we were in Qurʾan school with Aḥmad, women would send messages to the schoolmaster saying, “Send Ibn Ḥanbal to write for us so we can reply to the letters we’ve received.” Whenever he went in to where the women were, he would keep his head down so as not to look at them.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Abū Sirāj juga berkata bahwa ayahnya, yang namanya ia sebutkan, takjub melihat betapa baiknya akhlak Aḥmad: "Suatu hari ayahku berkata kepada kami, 'Aku mengeluarkan uang untuk menyewa guru privat bagi anak-anakku dengan harapan mereka belajar berperilaku baik, tetapi tampaknya tidak ada gunanya. Lihatlah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: dia yatim, tetapi lihat betapa baik perangainya!'16 Ia terus takjub selama beberapa waktu." 3.4

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Abū Sirāj also said that his father, whose name he gave, was impressed by how well Aḥmad conducted himself: “One day my father said to us, ‘I spend money to hire tutors for my children hoping they’ll learn to behave properly, but it doesn’t seem to do any good. Then take Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: he’s an orphan, but look how well he’s turned out!’16 He went on marveling for some time.” 3.4

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad menceritakan kepadaku, "Ketika aku masih kecil, aku pergi ke sekolah Al-Qur'an, lalu ketika aku berusia empat belas tahun aku mulai menjalankan tugas."17 3.5

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad told me, “When I was a boy, I would go to the Qurʾan school, and then when I was fourteen I took up duties.”17 3.5

[Abū l-Munabbih:] Kami pertama kali mendengar tentang Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ketika pamannya menerima surat dari pihak berwenang. Pamannya menulis balasan dan memberikannya kepada Aḥmad, yang seharusnya menyerahkannya kepada seorang kurir yang sedang menunggu. Namun alih-alih menyerahkannya, Aḥmad menyimpannya di dalam ceruk yang ada di rumah mereka. Ketika kurir itu meminta suratnya, sang paman menjawab bahwa ia telah mengirimkannya. Lalu ia bertanya kepada Aḥmad, “Di mana surat yang aku suruh kau berikan kepada orang di depan pintu?” 3.6

[Abū l-Munabbih:] The first we heard of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was when his uncle received a letter from the authorities. He wrote a reply which he gave to Aḥmad, who was supposed to pass it on to a courier who was waiting for it. But instead of handing it over, Aḥmad put it inside an alcove18 they had in the house. When the courier asked for it, the uncle replied that he had already sent it out. He then asked Aḥmad, “Where’s the letter I asked you to give the man at the door?” 3.6

“Dia mengenakan jubah lengan panjang,”19 jawabnya. “Surat Anda akan Anda temukan di ceruk dinding.”20

“He was wearing a long-sleeved gown,”19 he replied. “You’ll find your letter in the alcove.”20

[Al-ʿAbbās:] Dāwūd ibn Bisṭām menceritakan kepadaku: "Pada suatu ketika, ketika laporan dari Baghdad tertunda, aku mengirim pesan kepada paman Aḥmad, mengatakan bahwa aku berharap dapat menuliskan semua surat untuk diteruskan kepada khalifah, tetapi laporan miliknya belum juga datang. Ia membalas bahwa ia telah mengutus keponakannya untuk mengantarkannya. Lalu ia memanggil Aḥmad, yang saat itu masih seorang anak laki-laki. 3."7

[Al-ʿAbbās:] Dāwūd ibn Bisṭām told me: “Once when the briefing from Baghdad was delayed, I sent word to Aḥmad’s uncle telling him I was hoping to write up all the dispatches to forward to the caliph but his still hadn’t arrived. He replied that he had sent his nephew to deliver it. Then he sent for Aḥmad, who was only a boy at the time. 3.7

"Bukankah aku sudah menyuruhmu untuk menyampaikan laporanku?" tanyanya.

“‘Didn’t I tell you to deliver my report?’ he asked.

"Ya," jawab Aḥmad.

“‘Yes,’ replied Aḥmad.

“‘Lalu mengapa tidak?’ ‘Dulu saya memang membawa laporan-laporan itu, tetapi tidak lagi.21 Saya membuangnya ke air.’” Ibnu Bisṭām kemudian membacakan «Sesungguhnya kami adalah milik Allah dan kepada-Nya kami kembali!»22 seraya menambahkan: “Jika seorang anak memiliki kehati-hatian seperti itu, lalu di mana posisi kita?”23

“‘Why didn’t you, then?’ “‘I used to carry those reports but not any more.21 I threw it into the water.’” Ibn Bisṭām then recited «We are of God, and to Him we return!»22 adding: “When a boy has such scruples, where does that leave us?”23

[Yūnus al-Muʾaddib:] Aku melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ketika Hushaym masih hidup, dan bahkan saat itu ia sudah sangat dihormati. 3.8

[Yūnus al-Muʾaddib:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal while Hushaym was still alive, and even then he was already well respected. 3.8

Al-Marrūdhī: Aku mendengar Aḥmad berkata, "Ketika Hushaym meninggal, aku berusia dua puluh tahun."24

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “When Hushaym died I was twenty years old.”24

[Seorang sesama pencari hadis:] Aḥmad selalu menonjol. Suatu hari, saya menunggunya di rumah Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah. Pada waktu itu, Aḥmad belum genap tiga puluh tahun. Namun ketika ia masuk, semua orang berusaha memberinya tempat, sambil berseru, "Kemarilah, duduk di sini!" 3.9

[A fellow Hadith-seeker:] Aḥmad always stood out. One day, I was waiting for him at Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah’s. At the time, Aḥmad was not yet thirty. But when he came in, everyone tried to clear a space for him, calling out, “Come sit over here!” 3.9