[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Paman Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pernah menemuinya dan mendapatinya sedang menopang dagunya dengan tangan. “Keponakanku,” tanyanya, “apa yang mengganggumu? Mengapa engkau tampak murung?” 55.1

[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s uncle once went to see him and found him with his chin cupped in his hand. “Nephew,” he asked, “what’s troubling you? Why so glum?” 55.1

“Paman,” jawab Aḥmad, “kebahagiaan adalah ketika Tuhan memastikan bahwa tidak seorang pun pernah mendengar tentangmu.” [Abū Ḥātim:] Ayahku berkata, “Cukup dengan melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal untuk mengetahui bahwa ia tidak berusaha memamerkan kezuhudannya. Aku pernah melihatnya mengenakan sandal yang tidak seperti sandal yang biasa dikenakan para pembaca Al-Qur’an.292 Ujung sandalnya besar dan melengkung ke belakang, dan talinya menjuntai longgar. Sandal itu tampak seperti sesuatu yang dibelikan untuknya di pasar. Aku juga melihatnya mengenakan kain penutup pinggang dan jubah bergaris berwarna biru langit.”293 55.2

“Uncle,” Aḥmad replied, “happiness is when God makes sure that no one’s ever heard of you.” [Abū Ḥātim:] My father said, “All you had to do was look at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to see that he wasn’t trying to show off how ascetic he was. I saw him wearing sandals that didn’t look like the sandals that the Qurʾan-readers292 wear. The toe-end was big and curled back and the strap hung loose. They looked like something bought for him from the market. I also saw him wearing a breechclout and a striped gown of a skyblue color.”293 55.2

Dengan berpakaian seperti itu Aḥmad berusaha menghindari—setidaknya begitulah menurut saya, meskipun hanya Allah yang mengetahui kebenarannya—penampilan seperti seorang pembaca Al-Qur'an, dengan harapan dapat kehilangan reputasinya sebagai orang yang saleh.

By dressing this way Aḥmad was trying to avoid—or so I think, though God alone knows the truth—looking like a Qurʾan-reader, in the hope of losing his reputation for piety.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad pernah berkata kepadaku, "Katakan kepada ʿAbd al-Wahhāb agar menyembunyikan cahayanya di bawah gantang. Kemasyhuran hanya mendatangkan penderitaan bagiku." 55.3

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad once said to me, “Tell ʿAbd al-Wahhāb to hide his light under a bushel. Fame has brought me nothing but suffering.” 55.3

[Al-Khallāl:] Aku mendengar beliau berkata, "Demi Allah, seandainya aku tahu jalan untuk meninggalkan kota ini, niscaya aku akan meninggalkannya. Dengan begitu, tidak akan ada yang menyebut namaku kepada mereka, dan mereka pun akan melupakanku."294

[Al-Khallāl:] I heard him say, “I swear that if I knew a way to leave this city, I’d leave it. Then no one would mention me to them, and they’d forget about me.”294

[Isḥāq:] Suatu kali saya melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal kembali masuk ke dalam rumahnya setelah salat Subuh. Ia berkata kepada orang-orang, "Berhentilah mengikuti saya!" 55.4

[Isḥāq:] I once saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal going back inside his house after praying the dawn prayer. He was telling people, “Stop following me around!” 55.4

[Ibn Hārūn:] Aku ingat bahwa Aḥmad tidak suka jika orang-orang mengikutinya di jalan. 55.5

[Ibn Hārūn:] I remember that Aḥmad didn’t like it when people followed him down the street. 55.5

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ketika ayahku keluar pada hari Jumat, beliau tidak membiarkan seorang pun mengikutinya. Beliau sering berhenti dan menunggu hingga mereka menyerah dan pergi. 55.6

[ʿAbd Allāh:] When my father went out on Fridays he wouldn’t let anyone follow him. He would often stop and wait until they gave up and went away. 55.6

[Isḥāq:] Aku melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berjalan sendirian seolah-olah dia adalah orang yang tidak penting. 55.7

[Isḥāq:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal walking all by himself as if he were a man of no importance. 55.7