Kami meriwayatkan dari ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Karūkhī, yang meriwayatkan dari ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, yang meriwayatkan dari Abū Yaʿqūb al-Ḥāfiẓ, yang meriwayatkan dari Abū Bakr ibn Abī l-Faḍl al-Muʿaddal,² yang mempelajarinya dari Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ṣarrām; dan³ kami meriwayatkan dari ʿAbd al-Malik, yang meriwayatkan dari ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, yang meriwayatkan dari Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Mihrawī,⁴ yang mempelajarinya dari Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb, notaris-saksi dari Būshanj, yang mempelajarinya dari Muḥammad ibn al-Ṭayyib ibn al-ʿAbbās, yang [bersama al-Ṣarrām] meriwayatkan dari Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq al-Ghasīlī bahwa ia berkata: 1.1

We cite ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī l-Qāsim al-Karūkhī, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, who cites Abū Yaʿqūb al-Ḥāfiẓ, who cites Abū Bakr ibn Abī l- Faḍl al-Muʿaddal,2 who learned it from Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ṣarrām; and3 we cite ʿAbd al-Malik, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Mihrawī,4 who learned it from Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb, the notary-witness of Būshanj, who learned it from Muḥammad ibn al- Ṭayyib ibn al-ʿAbbās, who [along with al-Ṣarrām] cites Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq al-Ghasīlī as saying: 1.1

[Al-Ghasīlī:] Aku mendengar Ṣāliḥ, putra Aḥmad, mengatakan bahwa ayahnya—yakni Aḥmad—lahir pada bulan Rabīʿ I tahun 164 H [November–Desember 780 M], ketika ia dibawa dalam kandungan ibunya setelah meninggalkan Marv.

[Al-Ghasīlī:] I heard Aḥmad’s son Ṣāliḥ say that he—meaning his father—was born in Rabīʿ I 164 [November–December 780], having left Marv5 carried in his mother’s womb.

[Aḥmad:] Saya lahir pada bulan Rabiʿul Awal tahun 164. 1.2

[Aḥmad:] I was born in Rabīʿ I 164. 1.2

[Aḥmad:] Saya lahir pada tahun 164. 1.3

[Aḥmad:] I was born in the year 164. 1.3

[Al-ʿIjlī:] Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin Ḥanbal, yang dikenal dengan julukan Abū ʿAbd Allāh (ayah dari ʿAbd Allāh), adalah seorang yang berasal murni dari suku Sadūs.6 Keluarganya semula menetap di Basra dan kemudian di Khurasan,7 tetapi Aḥmad lahir dan dibesarkan di Baghdad. Ia dapat dipercaya dan diandalkan sebagai periwayat hadis, dan mahir dalam menggunakannya sebagai sumber hukum. Ia mencari riwayat-riwayat tentang kaum Muslimin generasi awal dan hidup sesuai dengan teladan mereka. Ia adalah orang yang baik dan terhormat. 1.4

[Al-ʿIjlī:] Aḥmad son of Muḥammad son of Ḥanbal, called Abū ʿAbd Allāh (the father of ʿAbd Allāh), was a full-blooded member of the clan of Sadūs.6 The family had settled first in Basra and later in Khurasan,7 but Aḥmad was born and raised in Baghdad. He was trustworthy and reliable as a transmitter of Hadith reports, and was skilled in using them as a source of law. He sought out reports about the early Muslims and lived according to their example. He was a good and honorable man. 1.4

[Aḥmad:] Ibuku sedang hamil mengandungku ketika ia datang dari Khurasan.8 Aku lahir pada tahun 164. 1.5

[Aḥmad:] My mother was pregnant with me when she came from Khurasan.8 I was born in 164. 1.5

Keluarga Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berasal dari Basrah, tetapi daerah tempat mereka menetap adalah Marw. 1.6

[Abū Zurʿah:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s family came from Basra but their district of settlement was Marv. 1.6

[Ṣāliḥ:] Saya mendengar ayah saya berkata bahwa beliau dilahirkan pada tahun 164 H, di awal tahun, pada bulan Rabī‘ul Awwal. Beliau dibawa dari Marv ketika masih dalam kandungan ibunya. Ayahnya wafat ketika beliau berusia tiga puluh tahun, dan tugas merawatnya jatuh kepada ibunya.

[Ṣāliḥ:] I heard my father say that he was born in 164, toward the beginning of the year, in Rabīʿ I. He was brought from Marv in his mother’s womb. His father died when he was thirty and the task of caring for him fell upon his mother.

[Penulis:] Dengan ini Ṣāliḥ bermaksud bahwa ayah Aḥmad wafat pada usia tiga puluh tahun, ketika Aḥmad masih kecil. Hal itu jelas dari riwayat berikut:

[The author:] By this Ṣāliḥ means that Aḥmad’s father died at the age of thirty, when Aḥmad was a child. So much is clear from the following report:

[Aḥmad:] Aku dibawa dari Khurasan ketika masih berupa janin, lalu aku dilahirkan di sini, di Baghdad. Aku tidak pernah mengenal ayahku maupun kakekku.

[Aḥmad:] I was brought from Khurasan as an unborn child, and I was born here in Baghdad. I never knew my father or my grandfather.

[Ibn Ḥātim:] Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal berasal dari Marv. Ia meninggalkan Marv ketika masih berada dalam kandungan ibunya. Kakeknya, Ḥanbal ibn Hilāl, adalah gubernur Sarakhs9 dan keturunan dari orang-orang yang berjuang bersama kaum Abbasiyah selama revolusi.10 1.7

[Ibn Ḥātim:] Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal was from Marv. He left Marv as a child in his mother’s womb. His grandfather, Ḥanbal ibn Hilāl, was governor of Sarakhs9 and a descendant of the men who fought for the Abbasids during the revolution.10 1.7

[Aḥmad:] Al-Ḥasan bin Yaḥyā, yang berasal dari Marv, meriwayatkan kepadaku bahwa ia mendengar Aws bin ʿAbdullāh bin Buraydah meriwayatkan bahwa saudaranya Sahl bin ʿAbdullāh bin Buraydah meriwayatkan, dengan mengutip ayahnya, yang meriwayatkannya dengan mengutip kakeknya, Buraydah:

[Aḥmad:] Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā, who was from Marv, reported to me that he heard Aws ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Buraydah report that his brother Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Buraydah reported, citing his father, who reported it citing the grandfather, Buraydah:

"Saya mendengar Rasul, semoga Allah melimpahkan berkah dan keselamatan kepadanya, bersabda: 'Setelah aku wafat, akan dikirim banyak pasukan ekspedisi. Ikutlah pasukan yang dikirim ke Khurasan dan menetaplah di kota Marv. Kota itu dibangun oleh Dhū l-Qarnayn, yang memohon kepada Tuhan agar memberkahinya, dan tidak ada bahaya yang menimpa penduduknya.'"11 1.8

“I heard the Emissary, God bless and keep him, say, ‘After I die many expeditions will be sent forth. Join the one sent to Khurasan and settle in the city of Marv. It was built by Dhū l-Qarnayn, who asked God to bless it, and no harm befalls its inhabitants.’”11 1.8