[Ibn al-Ashʿath:] Saya rasa saya tidak pernah mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal menyebut-nyebut urusan dunia. 44.1

[Ibn al-Ashʿath:] I don’t think I ever heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal mention the things of this world. 44.1

[ʿUmar ibn Sulaymān:] Saya melaksanakan shalat malam Ramadhan bersama Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, yang diimami oleh Ibnu ʿUmayr. Ketika ia melaksanakan shalat malam tambahannya, ia menggenggam kedua tangannya di dada. Ia dan orang-orang lain di masjid berdoa dengan sangat pelan sehingga saya tidak dapat mendengar apa pun yang mereka ucapkan. Masjid itu tidak memiliki lampu gantung,229 tikar, atau dupa230—hanya ada sebuah lampu yang diletakkan di anak tangga. 44.2

[ʿUmar ibn Sulaymān:] I performed the Ramadan nighttime prayers with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, led by Ibn ʿUmayr. When he performed his additional night prayer, he clasped his hands to his chest. He and the others at the mosque prayed so softly that I couldn’t hear anything they said. The mosque had no hanging lamps,229 mats, or incense230—only a lamp placed on the step. 44.2

[Al-Samarqandī:] Saya pernah bertanya kepada Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān tentang Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. 44.3

[Al-Samarqandī:] I once asked Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān about Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. 44.3

“Apakah dia seorang teladan?” “Benar, demi Allah, dia memang seorang teladan! Dia hidup dalam kemiskinan selama tujuh puluh tahun!” [Ṣāliḥ:] Suatu kali aku berkata kepada ayahku, “Aku mendengar bahwa Aḥmad al-Dawraqī mendapatkan seribu dinar.” 44.4

“Is he an exemplar?” “Indeed he was, by God: he suffered poverty for seventy years!” [Ṣāliḥ:] I once said to my father, “I heard that Aḥmad al-Dawraqī got a thousand dinars.” 44.4

Dia menjawab: «Rezeki dari Tuhanmu lebih baik dan lebih kekal.»231

He replied: «The provision of your Lord is better and more lasting.»231

Saya juga menyebutkan Ibnu Abi Syaibah, ʿAbd al-Aʿlā al-Narsī, dan para perawi hadis lainnya yang telah dibawa ke Samarra.

I also mentioned Ibn Abī Shaybah, ʿAbd al-Aʿlā l-Narsī, and the other Hadith-men who had been taken to Samarra.

“Tidak lama,” katanya, “sebelum mereka semua saling berebut untuk pergi ke sana, tetapi tidak satu pun dari mereka yang mendapat banyak manfaat darinya.” Di lain kesempatan, ketika seseorang digambarkan sebagai orang yang sukses, ayahku berkata, “Anakku, sukses berarti berhasil pada akhirnya tanpa berutang budi kepada siapa pun.” [Ibn Abī l-Qudūr:] Ketika harga-harga sedang tinggi, Aḥmad biasa datang kepadaku membawa kain tenunan yang ia sembunyikan di tubuhnya dan memintaku untuk menjualkannya untuknya. Kadang aku mendapatkan satu setengah dirham untuknya dan kadang dua dirham. Suatu hari ia tidak datang menemuiku. Keesokan harinya, aku berkata, “Aḥmad, kemarin engkau ke mana?” 44.5

“It didn’t take long,” he said, “before all of them started climbing over each other to go there, but none of them got much out of it.” On another occasion, when someone was described as successful, my father said, “Son, success means being successful in the end without owing anything to anybody.” [Ibn Abī l-Qudūr:] When prices were high, Aḥmad would come to me with woven cloth which he would hide on his person and have me sell for him. Sometimes I would get a dirham and a half for it and sometimes two dirhams. One day he didn’t come to see me. The next day, I said, “Aḥmad, where were you yesterday?” 44.5

"Ummu Shalih sedang sakit." Ia memberiku sehelai kain tenun, yang kujual seharga empat dirham. Ketika aku membawanya kepadanya, ia tidak menyukainya.

“Umm Ṣāliḥ was sick.” He gave me some woven cloth, which I sold for four dirhams. When I brought it to him, he didn’t like it.

"Kamu tidak menambahkan uangmu sendiri, bukan?" tanyanya.

“You didn’t add any of your own money, did you?” he asked.

“Tidak,” jawabku. “Kainnya tenunan yang halus.” [Ṣāliḥ:] Ayahku berkata, “Ketika harga-harga sedang mahal, ibumu biasa menenun kain yang halus. Ia akan menjual empat setengah mithqāl232 seharga sekitar dua dirham, dan dengan itulah kita makan.” 44.6

“No,” I replied. “It was finely woven.” [Ṣāliḥ:] My father said, “When prices were high, your mother would weave fine cloth. She’d sell four and a half mithqāls232 for about two dirhams, and that’s how we’d eat.” 44.6

Ayah saya suatu kali masuk ke rumah saya setelah kami memasang langit-langit baru. Beliau memanggil saya dan mendiktekan laporan berikut: "Kami mendengar Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb meriwayatkan bahwa dia mendengar Ḥammād ibn Salamah meriwayatkan, dengan mengutip Yūnus, dengan mengutip al-Ḥasan, bahwa al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays kembali dari suatu perjalanan dan mendapati bahwa mereka telah memasang atap baru di rumahnya serta mengecat sebagian papannya dengan warna merah dan hijau.233 Mereka menyuruhnya untuk melihatnya, dan dia berkata, 'Maaf, saya tidak memperhatikannya. Bagaimanapun, saya tidak bisa masuk sampai kalian mengubahnya.'" "Ketika saya membeli seorang budak perempuan, istri saya mengeluhkan hal itu kepadanya. Dia berkata, 'Saya selalu berusaha menjauhkan mereka dari urusan dunia ini. Tetapi saya belum pernah mendengar hal yang sama tentang kamu.'" "Istri saya berkata, 'Adakah orang selain kamu yang tidak suka memiliki uang?'" "'Kalau begitu, urus dia sendiri,' jawabnya."234

My father once came into my house after we had put in a new ceiling. He called me over and dictated the following report: “We heard Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb report that he heard Ḥammād ibn Salamah report, citing Yūnus, citing al-Ḥasan, that al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays returned from a journey to find that they had put a new roof on his house and painted some of the planks red and green.233 They told him to look at it, and he said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t notice. Anyway, I can’t come in until you change it.’ “When I bought a slave woman, my wife complained to him about it. He said, ‘I’ve always tried to keep them away from the things of this world. But I haven’t heard the same about you.’ “My wife said, ‘Is there anyone besides you who hates having money?’ “‘Deal with her yourself, then,’ he replied.234

“Kami sering membeli barang-barang dan menyembunyikannya agar dia tidak mengetahuinya dan menegur kami.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] Ketika kami berada di Samarra, Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā l-Miṣrī dan sejumlah ahli hadis lainnya datang menemui Aḥmad. 44.7

“We often bought things and hid them so he wouldn’t find out about them and rebuke us.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] When we were in Samarra, Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā l-Miṣrī and a number of other Hadith-men came to see Aḥmad. 44.7

“Mengapa engkau tampak begitu murung?” tanya al-Miṣrī. “Islam adalah agama yang benar, tanpa kekerasan dan paksaan, dan di dalamnya ada ruang bagi semua orang.” Aḥmad, yang sedang berbaring, hanya menatap mereka. Setelah mereka pergi, ia berkata, “Apakah kau melihat mereka? Aku tidak ingin ada seorang pun dari mereka datang lagi ke sini.”235

“Why do you look so upset?” asked al-Miṣrī. “Islam is the one true faith, without harshness or constraint, and there’s room in it for everyone.” Aḥmad, who was lying down, simply stared at them. After they had left, he said, “Did you see them? I don’t want any of them in here again.”235

[Al-Naysābūrī:] Aḥmad pernah berkata kepadaku, "Suatu pagi, datanglah lebih awal, dan kita akan membandingkan salinan kitab Az-Zuhd kita." 44.8

[Al-Naysābūrī:] Aḥmad once said to me, “Some morning, come by early and we’ll compare our copies of Renunciation.” 44.8

Jadi saya pergi menemuinya pagi-pagi sekali. Saya meminta ibu dari anaknya236 untuk membawakan saya sehelai tikar dan sebuah bantal, lalu saya menaruhnya di ruang depan. Kemudian Aḥmad keluar dengan kitab dan tempat tintanya. Ketika ia melihat tikar dan bantal itu, ia berkata, "Ini apa?" "Untuk Anda duduki," jawab saya.

So I went to see him early one morning. I asked his son’s mother236 to bring me a mat and a pillow, and I put them out in the anteroom. Then Aḥmad came out with the book and his inkpot. When he saw the mat and the pillow, he said, “What’s this?” “For you to sit on,” I said.

"Bawa pergi," katanya. "Kita tidak bisa mempelajari zuhud tanpa berzuhud."Maka aku pun membawa barang-barang itu pergi, dan Aḥmad duduk di atas tanah.

“Take it away,” he said. “We can’t study renunciation without renouncing.” So I took the things away and Aḥmad sat down on the ground.

[Al-Sarī ibn Muḥammad:] Suatu hari cucu Aḥmad datang untuk membantunya berwudhu.237 Melihat kakeknya meletakkan kain basah di kepalanya, ia bertanya apakah kakeknya demam. 44.9

[Al-Sarī ibn Muḥammad:] One day Aḥmad’s grandson came over to help him with his ablutions.237 Seeing that his grandfather had taken a wet rag and put it on his head, he asked him if he had a fever. 44.9

"Apa yang bisa membuatku demam?" jawabnya.238

“What would I get a fever from?” he replied.238

[Ibn Jabalah:] Saya berada di depan pintu rumah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal yang sedikit terbuka, lalu saya mendengar ibu dari anaknya berkata kepadanya, "Aku menderita bersamamu, sementara di rumah Ṣālīḥ mereka punya banyak makanan," dan seterusnya. 44.10

[Ibn Jabalah:] I was at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s front door, which was ajar, and I heard his son’s mother239 telling him, “Here I am suffering with you, but over at Ṣālīḥ’s house they’ve got plenty to eat,” and so on and so forth. 44.10

"Jangan berkata buruk," terus ia katakan kepadanya.

“Speak no ill,” he kept telling her.

Ketika dia keluar, anak kecilnya ikut keluar bersamanya dan mulai menangis.

When he came out, his little boy came out with him and began crying.

"Apa yang kamu inginkan?" tanyanya kepadanya.

“What do you want?” he asked him.

"Kismis!" seru anak laki-laki itu.

“Raisins!” cried the boy.

"Pergilah katakan kepada pedagang sayur itu," kata Aḥmad, "agar memberimu sebiji ḥabbah."240

“Go tell the grocer,” said Aḥmad, “to give you a ḥabbah’s worth.”240

[Hāniʾ:] Ketika Aḥmad kembali dari Samarra, dia menyuruh saya pergi ke pemandian umum dan meminta pengelolanya untuk mengosongkan tempat itu untuknya. Maka saya pergi dan bertanya, dan pengelola itu setuju. Saya kembali dan memberitahu Aḥmad, yang berkata, “Sudah lima puluh tahun aku tidak masuk pemandian umum.241 Sebaiknya sekarang pun aku tidak pergi. Katakan kepadanya untuk membukanya kembali.” Maka saya pun melakukannya. 44.11

[Hāniʾ:] When he returned from Samarra, Aḥmad told me to go to the bathhouse and ask the man who ran it to clear the place for him. So I went and asked, and the man agreed. I went back and told Aḥmad, who said, “It’s been fifty years since I’ve entered a bathhouse.241 I might as well not go now, either. Tell him to open it up again.” So I did. 44.11

[Ṣāliḥ:] Ayahku biasa mencukur bulu tubuhnya sendiri di rumah. Suatu hari musim dingin dia berkata, "Setelah matahari terbenam aku ingin pergi ke pemandian, maka pergilah beritahu pemiliknya." 44.12

[Ṣāliḥ:] My father used to depilate himself at home. One winter day he said, “After sunset I want to go to the bathhouse, so go tell the owner.” 44.12

Tetapi setelah matahari terbenam, dia berkata, "Beritahukan kepadanya bahwa aku telah berubah pikiran," dan dia mencukur bulu tubuhnya di rumah.

But after sunset, he said, “Let him know I’ve changed my mind,” and depilated himself at home.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Suatu hari ketika saya sedang duduk bersama ayah saya, beliau memandang kedua kaki saya yang halus dan tidak retak di telapaknya. 44.13

[ʿAbd Allāh:] One day when I was sitting with my father he looked at my feet, which were smooth and had no cracks on the soles. 44.13

"Lihat kaki itu!" katanya. "Kenapa kamu tidak berjalan tanpa alas kaki saja agar kakimu lebih kuat?" [Al-Marrūdhī:] Aku mendengar Aḥmad berkata kepada Shujāʿ ibn Makhlad al-ʿAṭṭār, "Apa bedanya apa yang aku makan atau apa yang aku pakai? Semuanya akan segera berakhir juga." 44.14

“Look at those feet!” he said. “Why don’t you walk barefoot and toughen them up?”[ Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say to Shujāʿ ibn Makhlad al-ʿAṭṭār, “What difference does it make what I eat or what I wear? It will all be over soon enough.” 44.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aku mendengar Aḥmad berkata, “Hari-hari paling bahagiaku adalah ketika aku bangun tidur dan tidak ada apa-apa di rumah.” 44.15

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “My happiest days are when I wake up with nothing in the house.” 44.15