[Al-Dūrī:] Ketika Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal menulis surat pengantar untukku kepada beberapa perawi hadis di Basra, ia menyebutku sekadar sebagai "seseorang yang mencari hadis." 49.1

[Al-Dūrī:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal wrote me a letter of introduction to some Hadith transmitters in Basra, he called me simply “someone seeking Hadith.” 49.1

[Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm:] Saya mendengar bahwa ketika Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dikunjungi oleh sekelompok rekan sesama ahli hadis, beliau membelikan mereka makanan dengan hanya menggunakan uang yang ada padanya saat itu.264 Saya juga mendengar bahwa ketika al-Mutawakkil membawanya ke Samarra, beliau menolak menyentuh apa pun yang dimasak di istana, dan membuat satu kaylajah—seperempat tepung gandum265—cukup untuk lima belas hari sambil menunggu uang sampai kepadanya dari Baghdad. 49.2

[Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm:] I heard that when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was visited by a group of his fellow Hadith-men, he bought them something to eat using only the money he had on hand.264 I also heard that when al-Mutawakkil brought him to Samarra he refused to touch anything prepared at the palace, and made a kaylajah—a fourth of barley meal265—last for fifteen days while he waited for money to reach him from Baghdad. 49.2

[Isḥāq ibn Mūsā l-Anṣārī:] Al-Ma'mūn memberiku sejumlah uang dan memerintahkanku untuk membagikannya kepada para ahli hadis, "karena sebagian dari mereka miskin." 49.3

[Isḥāq ibn Mūsā l-Anṣārī:] Al-Maʾmūn gave me some money and ordered me to distribute it to the Hadith-men, “since some of them are poor.” 49.3

Setiap dari mereka menerima sejumlah uang, kecuali Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, yang menolak untuk menyentuhnya.

Every one of them accepted some money—except for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who refused to touch it.

[Furqān:] Kami berada di tempat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dua malam sebelum beliau wafat. Bersama kami ada seorang budak hitam muda yang dibeli pamannya, Abū Yūsuf, dengan uang yang diberikan kepadanya oleh al-Mutawakkil. Budak itu ingin mengipasi Aḥmad, tetapi beliau melarangnya. 49.4

[Fūrān:] We were at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s two nights before he died. With us was a young black slave whom his uncle Abū Yūsuf had bought with the money given him by al-Mutawakkil. The slave wanted to fan Aḥmad but he told him not to. 49.4

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ketika aku sakit, ayahku datang menjengukku. 49.5

[ʿAbd Allāh:] When I was ill, my father came to check on me. 49.5

"Ayah," kataku, "kita masih punya sebagian uang yang diberikan al-Mutawakkil kepada kita. Bagaimana kalau aku menggunakannya untuk berhaji?" "Sebaiknya kamu lakukan," katanya.

“Dad,” I said, “we still have some of the money al-Mutawakkil gave us. What if I used it to make the pilgrimage?” “You should,” he said.

"Tapi jika Anda tidak keberatan membelanjakannya," tanyaku, "mengapa Anda tidak mengambilnya?" "Aku tidak menganggapnya haram, nak," jawabnya. "Tetapi aku lebih memilih untuk menahan diri." [Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal menceritakan kepadaku, "Setiap tahun aku meninjau rumah tempat aku tinggal dan membayar zakat atasnya, mengikuti apa yang dikatakan ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb tentang Tanah Hitam di Irak."266 49.6

“But if you don’t mind spending it,” I asked, “why don’t you take it?” “I don’t consider it forbidden, son,” he answered. “But I’d rather abstain.” [Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me, “Every year I survey the house I live in and pay the alms-tax on it, following what ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said about the Black Land in Iraq.”266 49.6

[Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Shādhakūnī pernah berkata kepadaku, "Pernahkah kamu melihat ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī berusaha meniru Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal? Itu baru akan terjadi kalau matahari terbit dari barat! Mereka bagaikan langit dan bumi.267 Suatu kali di Mekah, aku menyaksikan sendiri betapa teliti dan wara'nya Aḥmad. Ia pernah menggadaikan sebuah timba tembaga kepada penjual buah dan kacang agar ia bisa membeli sesuatu untuk dimakan. Ketika ia sudah punya cukup uang untuk menebus timba itu, ia pergi menemui penjual tersebut, yang lalu menyodorkan dua timba sambil berkata, 'Ambillah yang mana milikmu.'" 49.7

[Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Shādhakūnī once told me, “Have you seen ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī trying to emulate Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal? That’ll be the day! They’re like chalk and cheese.267 Once in Mecca I saw firsthand how scrupulous Aḥmad is. He had pawned a copper pail to a fruit-and-nut vendor so he could buy something to eat. When he had enough money to redeem the pail, he went to the vendor, who held out two of them and said, ‘Take whichever one is yours.’ 49.7

“‘Saya tidak bisa memastikannya,’ kata Aḥmad. ‘Simpan saja, dan simpan uangnya juga.’ Maka ia meninggalkan embernya.”

“‘I can’t tell,’ said Aḥmad. ‘Keep it, and keep the money.’ “So he left his pail.

“‘Satu adalah miliknya, demi Allah,’ kata si penjual. ‘Aku hanya sedang mengujinya!’” [Al-Ṭūsī:] Setiap kali melihat seorang Nasrani, Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal akan memejamkan matanya.

“‘One was his, I swear,’ said the vendor. ‘I was just testing him!’” [Al-Ṭūsī:] Whenever he saw a Christian, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal would close his eyes.

Ketika ditanya mengapa, ia berkata, "Aku tidak sanggup menatap siapa pun yang berdusta tentang Tuhan." 49.8

Asked why, he said, “I can’t look at anyone who lies about God.” 49.8

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Meskipun ayah saya mengetahui begitu banyak hadis, hanya kurang dari seratus riwayat yang pernah saya lihat beliau lafalkan tanpa membuka kitab. 49.9

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Even with all the Hadith my father knew, there were fewer than a hundred reports I ever saw him recite without using a book. 49.9

[Al-Madīnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal memiliki hafalan yang lebih baik daripada kita semua, tetapi saya pernah mendengar bahwa ia hanya meriwayatkan hadis dari kitab-kitab, dan itu adalah teladan yang seharusnya kita semua ikuti. 49.10

[Al-Madīnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal has a better memory than any of us, but I’ve heard that he only recites Hadith out of books—an example all of us should follow. 49.10

[Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Marwazī:] Kami dahulu duduk bersama Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dan mengulang-ulang riwayat-riwayat hadis hingga kami benar-benar menguasainya dan dapat membacakannya dengan benar.

[Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Marwazī:] We used to sit with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and go over Hadith reports until we knew them well and could recite them correctly.

Setiap kali kami ingin menulis sesuatu, dia berkata, "Buku itu lebih mengingatnya daripada kami." Lalu dia melompat untuk mengambil bukunya. 49.11

Whenever we wanted to write something down, he would say, “The book remembers it better than we do.” Then he would jump up to get the book. 49.11

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Suatu ketika saya mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berkata, "Saya terpaksa meminjam enam puluh lima dirham untuk dibelanjakan bagi pintu masuk ini, tetapi yang saya terima dari bangunan itu hanya seperempat dari sewanya." 49.12

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “I had to borrow sixty-five dirhams to spend on this entranceway, but all I get on the building is a quarter of the rent.” 49.12

"Mengapa engkau tidak membiarkan ʿAbd Allāh yang membayarnya?" tanyaku.

“Why didn’t you let ʿAbd Allāh pay for it?” I said.

"Saya tidak ingin dia mengotori uang saya."268

“I don’t want him to taint my money.”268

[Al-Tustari:] Aku mendengar bahwa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pernah tidak makan selama tiga hari, lalu ia mengirim pesan kepada seorang temannya untuk meminjam sedikit tepung. Setelah menyadari bahwa ia sedang kelaparan, keluarganya segera memasak sesuatu untuknya. Ketika hidangan itu diletakkan di hadapannya, ia bertanya bagaimana mereka bisa membuatnya begitu cepat. 49.13

[Al-Tustari:] I heard that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once went three days without eating and sent a message to a friend asking to borrow some flour. Realizing that he was starving, his family quickly baked something for him. When they put the dish in front of him, he asked how they had managed to bake so fast. 49.13

"Oven di rumah Ṣāliḥ sudah hangat," kata mereka kepadanya.

“The oven in Ṣāliḥ’s house was already warm,” they told him.

"Singkirkan ini!" katanya, dan ia menolak untuk menyentuhnya. Kemudian ia memerintahkan mereka untuk menutup pintu yang menghubungkan rumahnya dengan rumah Ṣāliḥ.269

“Take this away!” he said, and refused to touch it. Then he ordered them to seal up the door that joined his house to Ṣāliḥ’s.269

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Selama sakit terakhir Aḥmad, saya mendengar dia berkata kepada istrinya, "Siapa yang menyuruhmu memasak sesuatu di sana?"—yakni di rumah putranya, Ṣāliḥ. Istrinya pernah memasak sesuatu di sana sebelumnya, dan dia menolak menyentuhnya seraya berkata, "Siapa yang akan memakan itu?" 49.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] During Aḥmad’s final illness, I heard him say to his wife, “Who told you to bake anything there?”—meaning at his son Ṣāliḥ’s house. She had baked something there once before and he had refused to touch it, saying, “Who’s going to eat that?” 49.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Suatu ketika saya bersama Aḥmad di suatu tempat, lalu ia membacakan, «Dan kamu telah diam di tempat-tempat orang-orang yang menzalimi diri mereka sendiri,»270 kemudian menambahkan, “Sungguh, kita memang telah melakukannya,” atau “Di situlah kita berada.” 49.15

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I was once with Aḥmad somewhere and he recited, «You lived in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves,»270 adding, “We certainly have,” or “That’s where we are.” 49.15

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Aḥmad pernah menyuruhku pergi dengan tiga atau empat keping uang untuk membeli rempah-rempah untuk periuk masakan. Kemudian ia memberiku satu keping lagi dan berkata, "Belilah rempah-rempah dengan yang ini juga, tetapi jangan mencampurkannya dengan yang lain." 49.16

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Aḥmad once sent me with three or four coins to buy spices for the cooking pot. Then gave me another coin and said, “Buy spices with this one too, but don’t mix them with the others.” 49.16

Tetapi rempah-rempahnya memang tercampur. Ketika saya membawanya kembali dan memberitahukannya, dia berkata, "Kembalikan apa yang telah engkau beli dan ambil kembali uangnya." Saya pun melakukannya, lalu dia mencampurkannya dengan uang yang dia bayarkan kepada pembantu perempuan itu, karena dia tidak dapat memisahkan mana koin yang tercemar.

But the spices did get mixed up. When I brought them back and told him, he said, “Return what you bought and get the money back.” I did, and he tossed it in with the money he paid the servant girl, since he couldn’t sort out which coins were tainted.

[Ibn Hāniʾ:] Aḥmad pernah memberiku sekeping uang dan berkata, "Ambillah ini dan belikan aku kacang-kacangan yang direndam dalam air." 49.17

[Ibn Hāniʾ:] Aḥmad once gave me a coin and said, “Take this and buy me some beans in water.” 49.17

Ḥusn, ibu dari anaknya, memberiku koin lagi dan berkata, "Ambil ini dan belikan juga kacang untukku." Aḥmad menambahkan, "Dan belikan kacang dalam minyak untuk anak-anak." Akhirnya aku mendapat kembalian satu atau dua ḥabbah dari koin yang kukeluarkan untuk kacang dalam minyak, jadi aku meminta penjual kacang itu memberiku minyak tambahan. Aku mengambil minyak itu dan menuangkannya ke atas kacang yang kubeli untuk Aḥmad. Ketika aku membawa makanan itu kembali dan meletakkannya di depannya, dia melihat bekas minyak itu dan bertanya, "Apa ini?" Aku menjawab, "Ada satu ḥabbah sisa dari koin anak-anak, jadi aku membelanjakannya untuk minyak untukmu." "Bawa pergi, dasar bodoh," katanya. "Siapa yang menyuruhmu melakukan itu? Kapan kamu akan belajar?" Dia tidak memakan sedikit pun darinya.

Ḥusn, his son’s mother, gave me another coin and said, “Take this and buy some beans for me too.” Aḥmad added, “And buy some beans in oil for the boys.” I ended up with one or two ḥabbahs in change from the coin I had spent on the beans in oil, so I told the bean vendor to give me some more oil. I took the oil and poured it over the beans I had bought for Aḥmad. When I brought the food back and put it in front of him, he noticed the trace of oil and asked, “What’s this?” I said, “There was a ḥabbah left over from the boys’ coin so I spent it on oil for you.” “Take it away, you idiot,” he said. “Who told you to do that? When are you going to learn?” He didn’t eat any of it.

[Al-Simsār:] Saya mendengar Aḥmad berkata kepada Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī, “Pergilah kepada Umm ʿAlī”—yakni putrinya—“dan ambillah apa pun yang ia berikan kepadamu.” 49.18

[Al-Simsār:] I heard Aḥmad say to Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī, “Go to Umm ʿAlī”—meaning his daughter—“and take whatever she gives you.” 49.18

Isḥāq masuk ke dalam lalu keluar kembali sambil membawa seekor ayam. Kemudian dia dan saya pergi bersama-sama.

Isḥāq went in and came back out carrying a chicken. Then he and I left together.

"Apa yang dikatakan Umm ʿAlī?" tanyaku kepadanya.

“What did Umm ʿAlī say?” I asked him.

"Dia mengatakan bahwa ayahnya membutuhkan bekam, tetapi tidak punya uang, lalu meminta dia memberikan ayam itu kepadaku dan menyuruhku menjualnya." Ketika kami membawa ayam itu ke pasar, Isḥāq ditawar satu dirham dan dua dāniq untuknya, tetapi dia berubah pikiran tentang penjualan itu dan mengambil kembali ayam tersebut.

“She said her father needs a cupping but has no money, and asked her to give me the chicken and have me sell it.” When we got the chicken to market, Isḥāq was offered a dirham and two dāniqs for it, but changed his mind about the sale and took it back.

Di jembatan, kami bertemu dengan ʿAbd Allāh, putra Aḥmad, yang sedang duduk di toko Ibn Bukhtān. Ia memanggil Isḥāq dan bertanya, "Mengapa kalian membawa ayam? Dan ayam siapa itu?" Aku memberitahunya bahwa Umm ʿAlī telah memberikannya kepada kami untuk dijual.

At the bridge, we ran across Aḥmad’s son ʿAbd Allāh, who was sitting at Ibn Bukhtān’s shop. He called Isḥāq over and asked, “Why are carrying a chicken? And whose is it?” I told him that Umm ʿAlī had given it to us to sell.

"Berapa kamu dapat untuk itu?" "Kami ditawari satu dirham dan dua dāniq." "Berikan itu kepadaku seharga satu setengah." Isḥāq mengambil uangnya dan memberikan ayam itu kepadanya. Ketika kami kembali, Umm ʿAlī bertanya kepadanya berapa yang telah ia dapatkan.

“How much did you get for it?” “We were offered a dirham and two dāniqs.” “Give it to me for one and a half.” Isḥāq took the money and gave him the chicken. When we got back, Umm ʿAlī asked him how much he’d gotten.

"Satu setengah dirham." "Hanya itu?" "Tawaran yang saya dapat di pasar hanya satu dirham dan dua daniq." Kemudian Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal bertanya, "Siapa yang membelinya?" "Putra Anda, ʿAbd Allāh." Ketika mendengar itu, Aḥmad merebut kembali uang itu dari Umm ʿAlī. "Pergi," bentaknya kepadaku, "dan kembalikan!" Isḥāq pun berlari kembali menemui ʿAbd Allāh.

“One and a half dirhams.” “That’s all?” “The offer I got at the market was only a dirham and two dāniqs.” Then Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal asked, “Who bought it?” “Your son ʿAbd Allāh.” When he heard that, Aḥmad grabbed the money back from Umm ʿAlī. “Go,” he shouted at me, “and return it!” Isḥāq went running back to ʿAbd Allāh.

“Ambil kembali uangmu!” katanya. “Ayahmu membentakku karena itu.” “Mengapa kamu memberitahunya bahwa itu aku?” tanya ʿAbd Allāh, tetapi ia mengambil kembali uangnya.

“Take your money back!” he said. “Your father shouted at me over it.” “Why did you tell him it was me?” asked ʿAbd Allāh, but took the money back.

Isḥāq melanjutkan kisahnya:

Isḥāq continued the story:

[Isḥāq:] Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal menyuruhku kembali ke pasar dan menjauhkan putranya dari pasar itu. Maka aku menjual ayam itu kepada seseorang yang tidak kukenal seharga satu dirham dan sepertiga, lalu aku kembali kepada Aḥmad.

[Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me to go back to the market and keep his son out of it. So I sold the chicken to someone I didn’t know for a dirham and a third, and then went back to Aḥmad.

"Sebaiknya kau tidak menjualnya kepada ʿAbd Allāh," katanya.

“You’d better not have sold it to ʿAbd Allāh,” he said.

"Tidak," jawabku. "Saya menjualnya kepada orang asing." [Al-Simsār:] Ibu ʿAbd Allāh memiliki rumah di sebelah rumah kami di gang itu. Rumah tersebut termasuk bagian dari warisan Aḥmad, sehingga ia memungut sewa satu dirham darinya. Pada suatu waktu ibu itu membutuhkan uang, lalu ʿAbd Allāh memberinya. Setelah itu, Aḥmad berhenti mengambil satu dirham darinya dengan alasan bahwa uang itu sekarang sudah tercemar.271 49.19

“No,” I replied. “I sold it to a stranger.” [Al-Simsār:] ʿAbd Allāh’s mother had a house next to ours in the lane. The house had been part of Aḥmad’s inheritance, and so he collected a dirham in rent on it. At one point she needed money and ʿAbd Allāh gave it to her. After that, Aḥmad stopped taking the dirham from her, saying that it was now tainted.271 49.19

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ṣāliḥ meriwayatkan bahwa ketika ayahnya sakit, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān sang tabib menasihatinya untuk memanggang labu dan meminum sarinya. 49.20

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ṣāliḥ reported that when his father got sick, ʿAbd al- Raḥmān the healer advised him to roast a gourd and drink the juice. 49.20

"Dia menyuruhku untuk tidak memasaknya di rumahku atau di rumah ʿAbd Allāh," kata Ṣāliḥ.

“He told me not to cook it in my house or in ʿAbd Allāh’s,” said Ṣāliḥ.

Saya mendengar Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī berkata bahwa ia mengambilnya, memasaknya, lalu membawanya kembali kepadanya.

I heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say that he took it and cooked it and brought it back to him.

[Ibn ʿAyyāsh:] Aḥmad menyuruhku membelikan untuknya mentega cair seharga satu koin.

[Ibn ʿAyyāsh:] Aḥmad sent me to buy him a single coin’s worth of clarified butter.

Saya membawakannya kepadanya dalam keadaan terbungkus daun hijau.272 Beliau mengambil mentega itu, mengembalikan daun tersebut kepadaku, dan bersabda, "Kembalikanlah."4921

I brought it to him wrapped in a green leaf.272 He took the butter, gave me back the leaf, and said, “Return it.” 49.21

[Al-Ṣaḥnāʾī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal memberiku satu koin untuk membeli kacang dengan roti dalam kuah. Aku kembali dengan kacang yang banyak, dan dia bertanya mengapa. 49.22

[Al-Ṣaḥnāʾī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal gave me a single coin to buy some beans on bread in broth. I came back with a lot of beans and he asked why. 49.22

"Ada dua penjual kacang yang saling berusaha menjatuhkan harga satu sama lain." "Kembalikanlah," katanya. "Berikan kembali makanan itu kepada penjual dan biarkan dia menyimpan uangnya." Maka aku melakukan apa yang dia minta.

“There were two bean vendors trying to undersell each other.” “Take it back,” he said. “Give the vendor the food back and let him keep the money.” I did as he asked.

[Al-Mukharrimī:] Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah datang menginap di tempat kami, dan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal datang menjenguknya. Aḥmad tidur tepat di sini. Ia menyimpan sebagian roti untuk dirinya di lengan bajunya dan minum air dari saluran air, lalu ia menunggu di luar hingga Rawḥ muncul.

[Al-Mukharrimī:] Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah came to stay with us and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came to see him. Aḥmad slept right here. He kept some bread for himself in his sleeve and drank water from the watercourse, and he waited outside for Rawḥ to appear.

Kemudian Yaḥyā ibn Aktham datang bersama rombongannya. Ia duduk di hadapan Aḥmad dan mulai mengajukan pertanyaan kepadanya. Aḥmad hanya terus menundukkan pandangan. Ketika Yaḥyā menyadari bahwa Aḥmad tidak akan menjawab, ia pun bangkit dan pergi.273 49.23

Then Yaḥyā ibn Aktham showed up with an entourage. He sat in front of Aḥmad and started asking him questions. Aḥmad just kept looking down. When Yaḥyā realized he wasn’t going to respond, he got up and left.273 49.23

[Ja'far ibn Muḥammad:] Seseorang dari rumah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal datang memberitahukan bahwa putranya sedang sakit dan menginginkan mentega. Aḥmad memberikan sekeping koin kepada salah seorang yang hadir dan memintanya membeli sedikit mentega. Orang itu kembali dengan membawa mentega yang dibungkus dengan daun sawi putih. Begitu melihatnya, Aḥmad bertanya, "Dari mana daun-daun itu berasal?" 49.24

[Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad:] Someone from Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house came to tell him that his son was ill and wanted butter. Aḥmad gave a coin to one of the men present and told him to buy some butter. The man brought back some butter wrapped in leaves of chard. As soon as he saw them, Aḥmad asked, “Where did those leaves come from?” 49.24

“Dari pedagang sayur.” “Apakah kamu sudah meminta izinnya untuk mengambilnya?” “Tidak.” “Kembalikan semuanya!” [Ṣāliḥ:] Ketika aku punya bayi, salah seorang temanku memberiku hadiah. Beberapa bulan kemudian, teman yang sama itu memutuskan untuk pergi ke Basra. Ia bertanya kepadaku apakah ayahku mau menulis surat pengantar kepada para tetua di sana. Ketika aku bertanya kepada ayahku, ia berkata, “Aku akan menulis untuknya, kecuali ia telah memberimu hadiah.” 49.25

“From the grocer.” “Did you ask his permission to take them?” “No.” “Take it all back!” [Ṣāliḥ:] When I had a baby, one of my friends gave me a gift. Months later, the same friend decided to go to Basra. He asked me whether my father would write a letter of introduction to the elders there. When I asked my father he said, “I would write for him except that he gave you a gift.” 49.25

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Dahulu ada seorang lelaki tua di sini yang menceritakan kepada kami, "Aku melihat Aḥmad menderita kudis, lalu aku membawakan obat untuknya dan menyuruhnya mengoleskannya pada ruam itu. Ia menerimanya, tetapi kemudian mengembalikannya. Aku bertanya kepadanya mengapa, dan ia berkata, 'Engkau mempelajari Hadis bersamaku.'"274 49.26

[ʿAbd Allāh:] There was once an old man here who told us, “I noticed that Aḥmad was suffering from scabies, so I brought him some medicine and told him to put it on the rash. He took it but then gave it back. I asked him why, and he said, ‘You study Hadith with me.’”274 49.26

[Al-Harawī:] Kami berada di depan pintu Hushaym ketika seseorang datang membawa surat pengantar. Ketika mereka membukakan pintu untuk mempersilakannya masuk, kami pun ikut masuk, kecuali Aḥmad, yang tetap tinggal di luar. Waktu itu ia masih seorang pemuda, belum genap dua puluh tahun. 49.27

[Al-Harawī:] We were at Hushaym’s door when someone showed up with a letter of introduction. When they opened the door to let him in, we went in too, except for Aḥmad, who stayed back. He was a young man at the time—not even twenty. 49.27

"Aḥmad, masuklah!" kata kami.

“Aḥmad, come on in!” we said.

"Tidak ada yang memberiku izin," jawabnya.

“No one gave me permission,” he replied.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad melakukan perbaikan atap rumah yang ia sewakan kepada para penenun. Perbaikan itu dilakukan sedemikian rupa sehingga pipa pembuangan air hujan mengalirkan airnya ke jalan. Keesokan paginya ia berkata, "Panggil tukang kayu dan katakan kepadanya untuk memutar pipa itu agar mengalirkan air ke arah rumah." 49.28

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad had some repairs done on the roof of the house he rented out to the weavers. The repairs were done in such a way that the drainpipe emptied into the street. The next morning he said, “Call the carpenter and tell him to turn the pipe so it drains to the house.” 49.28

Saya menelepon tukang kayu dan dia memindahkan pipanya.275

I called the carpenter and he moved the pipe.275

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Saya menghadiri majelis hadis Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal selama dua tahun.

[Al-Ḥarbī:] I attended Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal’s Hadith sessions for two years.

Setiap kali ia keluar untuk meriwayatkan hadis, ia membawa pena dari buluh dan tinta dalam wadah yang dilapisi kulit merah. Jika ia menemukan kesalahan atau kekurangan dalam catatannya, ia memperbaikinya dengan pena dan tinta miliknya sendiri; ia terlalu berhati-hati untuk memakai milik kami. Kami bertanya apakah ia hafal riwayat-riwayat tertentu, dan ia menjawab, "Tidak, aku membutuhkan catatanku." 49.29

Whenever he came out to recite Hadith, he would bring out a reed pen and an inkpot covered in red leather. If he found an error or an omission in his transcript, he would correct it using his own pen and ink; he was too scrupulous to take any of ours. We would ask if he knew certain reports by heart, and he’d say, “No, I need the transcript.” 49.29

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Setiap kali Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—semoga Tuhan merahmatinya—keluar untuk mengajar kami, beliau selalu membawa pena dari buluh dan tempat tinta berlapis kulit. Beliau sangat berhati-hati sehingga tidak mau memakai tinta kami untuk memperbaiki huruf S atau semacamnya.276 49.30

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Whenever Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—God have mercy on him—came out to teach us, he always had a reed pen and a leather-covered inkpot. He was too scrupulous to take any of our ink to correct an S or any such thing.276 49.30

[Ibn Shabīb:] Suatu ketika saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang Muḥammad ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Naysābūrī, lalu beliau berkata kepada saya, "Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā adalah orang yang baik." 49.31

[Ibn Shabīb:] I once asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about Muḥammad ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Naysābūrī, and he said to me, “Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā is a fine man.” 49.31

[Penulis:] Saya berkata: Di sini Aḥmad secara tidak langsung mencela Muḥammad ibn Muʿawiyah, seorang pendusta yang dikenal, dengan memuji orang lain. Dalam riwayat lain ia mencelanya, tetapi di sini dan di tempat lain ia menghindari hal itu.

[The author:] I say: Here Aḥmad indirectly condemned Muḥammad ibn Muʿawiyah, a known liar, by praising someone else. In another report he condemns him, but here and elsewhere he avoids doing so.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Saya mendengar ayah saya berkata kepada Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, "Orang-orang memberitahu saya bahwa Anda mengatakan, 'Saya mendengar Ismāʿīl, putra ʿUlayyah, meriwayatkan.'" 49.32

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I heard my father say to Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, “People tell me you say, ‘I heard Ismāʿīl, son of ʿUlayyah, report.’” 49.32

"Ya, memang saya mengatakannya begitu." "Sudahlah, jangan begitu. Katakan saja 'Ismā'īl bin Ibrāhīm'. Saya pernah mendengar bahwa beliau tidak suka dipanggil dengan menyebut ibunya." Yaḥyā menerima instruksi ini dengan lapang dada.

“Yes, I do say that.” “Well, don’t. Say ‘Ismāʿīl, son of Ibrāhīm,’ instead. I’ve heard that he doesn’t like being called after his mother.” Yaḥyā accepted this instruction with good grace.

[Penulis:] Sejumlah orang dikenal secara umum dengan nama ibu mereka.

[The author:] A number of people are commonly known by their mothers’ names.

Di antaranya adalah Bilāl bin Ḥamāmah, Muʿādh bin ʿAfrāʾ, Bashīr bin al-Khaṣāṣiyah, Ibnu Buḥaynah, Yaʿlā bin Munyah, dan banyak lainnya, yang semuanya disebutkan dalam buku saya Pollen for the Mind. Bagaimanapun juga, bersikap teliti menuntut agar seseorang menghindari penyebutan orang lain dengan cara yang tidak mereka sukai.

These include Bilāl son of Ḥamāmah, Muʿādh son of ʿAfrāʾ, Bashīr son of al- Khaṣāṣiyah, Ibn Buḥaynah, Yaʿlā son of Munyah, and many others, all mentioned in my book Pollen for the Mind. In any event, being scrupulous dictates that one avoid referring to people in a way they dislike.

[Al-Ruhāwī:] Suatu kali saya bertemu Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal di Baghdad dan dia bertanya kepada saya, "Bagaimana kabar orang bernama al-Jawharī yang kamu punya di Ḥarrān itu? Dia seorang yang berilmu." 49.33

[Al-Ruhāwī:] I once met Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in Baghdad and he asked me, “Whatever happened to that man al-Jawharī you have there in Ḥarrān? He was learned.” 49.33

Saya menjawab bahwa saya tidak mengenal seorang pun dengan nama itu yang mengajarkan Hadits di Ḥarrān.

I replied that I knew of no one by that name teaching Hadith in Ḥarrān.

“Kamu tahu siapa yang saya maksud: dia adalah rekan dari Abū Maʿbad Ḥafṣ ibn Ghaylān.” “Saya tidak mengenalnya.” “Ayolah!” kata Aḥmad. “Dia punya sejumlah putra.” “Maksudmu ‘si Burung Hantu’?” “Ya!” katanya. “Belajarlah darinya: dia orang yang terpercaya.” [Penulis:] Nama orang itu adalah Sulaymān ibn Abī Dāwūd dan ia dijuluki “si Burung Hantu.” Karena sikap hati-hati yang berlebihan, teladan kita Aḥmad menghindari penggunaan julukannya.

“You know who I mean: he was an associate of Abū Maʿbad Ḥafṣ ibn Ghaylān.” “I don’t know him.” “Come on!” said Aḥmad. “He has a number of sons.” “Do you mean ‘the Owl’?” “Yes!” he said. “Learn from him: he’s reliable.” [The author:] The man’s name was Sulaymān ibn Abī Dāwūd and he was called “the Owl.” Out of scrupulosity, our exemplar Aḥmad avoided using his nickname.

[Al-Sijistānī:] Pernah saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang keabsahan talak yang diucapkan oleh orang yang sedang mabuk. Beliau berkata, “Tanyalah kepada orang lain.”277 49.34

[Al-Sijistānī:] I once asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about the validity of a declaration of divorce pronounced by a drunken man. He said, “Ask someone else.”277 49.34

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Ketika Aḥmad sedang sakaratul maut, ia meminta kami untuk membayarkan kaffarah baginya atas satu nazar yang pernah ia ucapkan, seraya berkata, "Aku rasa aku telah melanggarnya."278 49.35

[Al-Ḥarbī:] On his deathbed Aḥmad asked that we make expiation for him for one vow he had made, saying “I think I broke it.”278 49.35

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Lebih sering dari yang bisa saya hitung, saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang sesuatu dan beliau berkata, “Saya tidak tahu.” 49.36

[Al-Marrūdhī:] More times than I can count, I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about something and he said, “I don’t know.” 49.36

[Al-Yamāmī:] Saya mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berkata, "Sering kali saya menunggu tiga tahun sebelum mengetahui apa yang harus saya yakini tentang suatu masalah hukum." 49.37

[Al-Yamāmī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “Many times I’ve waited three years before knowing what to think about a problem of law.” 49.37

[Al-Athram:] Saya sering mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, ketika seseorang bertanya kepadanya, berkata bahwa ia tidak tahu. Ia mengatakan hal ini bahkan ketika ia mengetahui apa yang telah dikatakan tentang masalah itu. Ketika diminta untuk memberikan jawaban yang ia pilih, ia menyebutkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan pendapat. Yang ia maksud ketika berkata "saya tidak tahu" adalah bahwa ia tidak tahu pendapat mana yang harus dipilih. Saya sering mendengar ia berkata, "Saya tidak tahu," lalu mulai menyebutkan pendapat-pendapat para ulama. 49.38

[Al-Athram:] I often heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, when someone asked him a question, say that he didn’t know. He would say this even when he was aware of what had been said about it. When asked to give the answer he preferred, he would note that there was a difference of opinion. What he meant when he said “I don’t know” was that he didn’t know which view to choose. I often heard him say, “I don’t know,” and then start citing opinions. 49.38

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Ketika saya bersama Aḥmad di istana Ītākh di Samarra, saya menunjuk ke sesuatu yang telah dipasang di dinding.279 Beliau memerintahkan saya untuk tidak melihatnya. 49.39

[Al-Marrūdhī:] When I was with Aḥmad in Ītākh’s palace in Samarra, I pointed out something that had been put up on the wall.279 He told me not to look at it. 49.39

"Tapi saya sudah melakukannya," kata saya.

“But I already did,” I said.

"Ya sudah, jangan."

“Well, don’t.”