[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] Ketika saya melihat rumah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, yang terpikir oleh saya hanyalah betapa mirip rumah itu dengan rumah Suwayd ibn Ghafalah, yang konon sangat sederhana dan minim perabot. 45.1

[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] When I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house, all I could think of was how much it resembled Suwayd ibn Ghafalah’s, which was said to be very humble and sparsely furnished. 45.1

[Penulis:] Suwayd ibn Ghafalah adalah salah seorang Tabi'in yang agung. Ia berangkat atas nama kaumnya untuk menemui Utusan Allah ﷺ, namun Nabi ﷺ wafat sebelum ia tiba. Ia menjadi sahabat Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, dan ʿAlī. Ia adalah seorang zahid yang agung.

[The author:] Suwayd ibn Ghafalah was one of the great Successors. He set out on behalf of his tribe to see the Emissary of God, who died before his arrival. He became a companion of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī. He was a great renouncer of the world.

[ʿImrān ibn Muslim:] Setiap kali Suwayd ibn Ghafalah mendengar bahwa si Fulan menerima sejumlah uang, atau si Fulan diangkat menduduki suatu jabatan, ia berkata, "Sepotong roti dan sedikit garam sudah cukup bagiku." 45.2

[ʿImrān ibn Muslim:] Whenever Suwayd ibn Ghafalah heard it said that So-and-So had received a sum, or So-and-So had been appointed to an office, he remarked, “A crust and a bit of salt are enough for me.” 45.2

[Al-Maymūnī:] Rumah Aḥmad kecil dan sempit. Bahkan saat cuaca panas ia tetap tidur di lantai bawah. Pamannya memberitahu saya bahwa ia selalu menyuruhnya tidur di lantai atas, tetapi ia tidak mau.243 Saya juga melihat tempat ia tidur. Yang ia miliki hanyalah selimut244 dan kasur kotor.245 45.3

[Al-Maymūnī:] Aḥmad’s house was small and cramped. Even in the heat he would sleep downstairs. His uncle told me that he was always telling him to sleep upstairs but he wouldn’t.243 I saw where he slept, too. All he had was a quilt244 and a dirty mattress.245 45.3

[Ḥasan ibn Sayyār:] Ketika saya masih menjadi murid magang, saya pergi bersama guru saya untuk memplester sebuah ruangan milik Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Aḥmad menyuruhnya memplester dengan tangan, bukan dengan sendok semen.

[Ḥasan ibn Sayyār:] When I was an apprentice, I went with my master to plaster a room for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Aḥmad told him to plaster it by hand, not with a trowel.

Kami juga memasang ubin di lantai. Setelah selesai, dia tampak senang dan berkata, "Itu bagus dan bersih. Seseorang bisa shalat di atasnya." 45.4

We also tiled the floor. When we were finished, he looked pleased and said, “That’s good and clean. A man can pray on that.” 45.4

Tidak ada tikar atau alas lantai di dalam ruangan itu.

There were no mats or floor coverings in the room.

Dia memberiku segenggam kurma.

He gave me a handful of dates.

[Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥārith:] Suatu ketika saya masuk ke rumah Aḥmad. Di ruang terbuka di dalamnya, saya melihat tikar yang sudah usang dan bantal kulit, dengan kitab-kitab serta kertas-kertasnya berserakan di sekelilingnya. Ada pula sebuah kendi tanah liat. 45.5

[Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥārith:] I once went into Aḥmad’s house. In the open space inside, I saw a threadbare mat and a leather cushion, with his books and papers scattered all around it. There was also a clay water jug. 45.5

Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd: Aḥmad memiliki sebuah ambang pintu melengkung di dalam rumahnya. Saya melihat ia telah menggantungkan kain dari bulu kuda di pintu masuk tersebut.246 45.6

[Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd:] Aḥmad had an arched doorway inside his house. I noticed he had hung a hair-cloth across the entrance.246 45.6

[Abū Dāwūd:] Aku melihat bahwa pintu rumah Aḥmad digantungi kain yang kusam dan usang. Di dekatnya aku melihat sesuatu seperti rak yang biasa digunakan para musafir, dengan beberapa guci di atasnya. 45.7

[Abū Dāwūd:] I noticed that the door of Aḥmad’s house had a matted, threadbare cloth hanging across it. Nearby I saw something like the stands that travelers use, with several jars on it. 45.7

[Muḥammad ibn Mūsā:] Aḥmad memiliki pintu besar yang dibuat dari batu bata. Ketika saya melihatnya beberapa waktu kemudian, ia telah membentangkan tirai dari kain bulu kasar di atasnya. 45.8

[Muḥammad ibn Mūsā:] Aḥmad had a big doorway made of brick. When I saw it some time later, he had stretched a curtain of hair-cloth across it. 45.8

[Al-Zuhrī:] Aḥmad pernah berkata, sambil menuntun saya masuk ke rumahnya, "Lihat pintu ini? Saya berhutang untuk membangunnya."247 45.9

[Al-Zuhrī:] Aḥmad once said, as he led me into his house, “See this doorway of mine? I went into debt to build it.”247 45.9

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan:] Lebih dari sekali aku mendapati Aḥmad duduk bersila di atas selembar kain nemad kecil miliknya, di depan anglo tanah liat berkaki tiga yang berisi bara api. 45.10

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan:] More than once I found Aḥmad sitting cross-legged on a small piece of felt cloth he owned, in front of a three-legged coal-pan248 made of clay, with embers in it. 45.10