[Abū Zurʿah:] Aḥmad berpendapat bahawa seseorang tidak seharusnya menulis riwayat yang dipindahkan oleh Abū Naṣr al-Tammār, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, atau sesiapa sahaja yang tunduk kepada Inkuisisi. 77.1

[Abū Zurʿah:] Aḥmad held that one should not write down reports transmitted by Abū Naṣr al-Tammār, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, or anyone else who capitulated to the Inquisition. 77.1

[Al-Maymūnī:] Saya mendapat maklumat yang boleh dipercayai bahawa beliau, iaitu Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, tidak menghadiri pengebumian Abū Naṣr al-Tammār. Saya rasa sebabnya ialah kerana al-Tammār tunduk kepada Mihnah. 77.2

[Al-Maymūnī:] I have it on good authority that he—meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal —did not attend the funeral of Abū Naṣr al-Tammār. I believe the reason was al- Tammār’s capitulation to the Inquisition. 77.2

[Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir:] Saya mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berkata, “Jika aku hendak meriwayatkan Hadis daripada sesiapa yang pernah mengalah, aku akan meriwayatkan daripada Abū Maʿmar dan Abū Kurayb.” 77.3

[Ḥajjāj ibn al-Shāʿir:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “If I were to transmit Hadith from anyone who gave in, I’d transmit from Abū Maʿmar and Abū Kurayb.” 77.3

[Penulis:] Nama penuh Abū Maʿmar ialah Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm al-Hudhalī, dan beliau akur kerana tekanan. Kemudian beliau menyesal kerana berbuat demikian, mencela dirinya sendiri dan menyatakan rasa iri hati yang kagum terhadap mereka yang menentang. Adapun Abū Kurayb, nama sebenarnya ialah Muḥammad ibn Abū l-ʿAlāʾ. Selepas beliau akur, beliau diberikan elaun dua dinar. Apabila beliau mendapati bahawa mereka memberinya ganjaran kerana menyerah, beliau menolak elaun itu walaupun beliau memerlukannya.

[The author:] Abū Maʿmar’s full name is Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm al-Hudhalī and he capitulated under duress. He later regretted doing so, reproaching himself and expressing envious admiration of those who resisted. As for Abū Kurayb, his real name is Muḥammad ibn Abū l-ʿAlāʾ. After his capitulation he was given a stipend of two dinars. When he discovered that they were rewarding him for giving in, he renounced the stipend even though he needed it.

[Ṣāliḥ:] Al-Ḥizāmī datang menemui kami selepas pergi menemui Ibn Abī Duʾād. Sebaik sahaja ayahku keluar dan melihatnya di situ, dia menutup pintu di mukanya lalu masuk semula ke dalam. 77.4

[Ṣāliḥ:] Al-Ḥizāmī came to see us after having been to see Ibn Abī Duʾād. As soon as my father went out and saw him there, he shut the door in his face and went back inside. 77.4

[Pengarang:] Beliau melakukan perkara yang sama terhadap Abū Khaythamah, yang datang lalu mengetuk pintu. Apabila Aḥmad keluar dan melihatnya di situ, beliau menutup pintu semula dan masuk ke dalam sambil merungut marah seorang diri. Abū Khaythamah, yang dapat mendengar apa yang Aḥmad katakan, tidak pernah datang kembali.

[The author:] He did the same with Abū Khaythamah, who came and knocked on the door. When Aḥmad came out and saw him there he shut the door and went back inside muttering angrily to himself. Abū Khaythamah, who could hear whatever it was that Aḥmad was saying, never came back.

Apabila Aḥmad jatuh sakit, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn datang untuk melawatnya; tetapi Aḥmad memalingkan badannya daripadanya dan enggan berkata sepatah pun. Akhirnya Yaḥyā bangun dan beredar sambil merungut, "Setelah sekian lama bersama, dia pun tidak mahu bercakap dengan saya!" [Al-Marrūdhī:] Apabila Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal jatuh sakit, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn datang menziarahinya. Tetapi Aḥmad, yang telah bersumpah untuk tidak bercakap dengan sesiapa yang pernah berkompromi, tidak menjawab salamnya. Yaḥyā mula memberikan alasan, termasuk Hadis ʿAmmār, dan ayat «kecuali orang yang dipaksa sedangkan hatinya tenteram dengan iman»459. Tindak balas Aḥmad hanyalah memalingkan kepalanya.

When Aḥmad fell ill, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn came to see him; but Aḥmad turned his back on him and refused to say a word. Finally Yaḥyā got up and left, grumbling, “After all that time together he won’t even speak to me!” [Al-Marrūdhī:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal fell ill, Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn came to visit him. But Aḥmad, who had vowed never to speak to anyone who had capitulated, did not return his greeting. Yaḥyā began offering excuses, including the Hadith of ʿAmmār, and the verse «with the exception of one who is forced to do it, while his heart rests securely in faith.»459 Aḥmad’s only response was to turn his head away.

Akhirnya Yaḥyā berkata, "Saya menyerah!" lalu bangkit berdiri sambil bergumam, "Tidak ada gunanya menerangkan apa-apa kepadanya." 77.5

Finally Yaḥyā said, “I give up!” and got to his feet, muttering “It’s no use explaining anything to him.” 77.5

Saya mengikutinya keluar dan mendapatinya sedang duduk di sebelah pintu.

I followed him out and found him sitting by the door.

"Adakah Aḥmad berkata apa-apa selepas saya pergi?" tanyanya.

“Did Aḥmad say anything after I left?” he asked.

Dia berkata, “Tidak percaya aku dia memetik Hadis ʿAmmār! (Hadis ʿAmmār berbunyi seperti berikut: “Ketika aku melintasi mereka, aku mendengar mereka mencela engkau; dan apabila aku menyuruh mereka berhenti, mereka memukulku.”)460 Yang mereka lakukan hanyalah mengugut hendak memukul engkau.”” Akhirnya aku mendengar Yaḥyā berkata, “Teruskanlah, Aḥmad, dan semoga Tuhan mengampunimu! Di atas muka bumi Tuhan yang hijau ini, aku tidak pernah bertemu seseorang yang lebih mengetahui Syariat-Nya daripada engkau.”

“He said, ‘I can’t believe he’s citing the Hadith of ʿAmmār! (The Ḥadīth of ʿAmmār runs as follows: “As I passed them, I heard them cursing you; and when I told them not to, they beat me.”)460 All they did was threaten to beat you.’” Finally I heard Yaḥyā say, “Go on, then, Aḥmad, and may God forgive you! Never on God’s green earth have I met anyone who knew His Law better than you.”

Seseorang mungkin bertanya: jika dapat dibuktikan bahawa individu-individu tertentu telah menyerah di bawah paksaan, yang dibenarkan oleh Syariat, mengapakah Aḥmad memutuskan hubungan dengan mereka? Terdapat tiga kemungkinan jawapan: 77.6

Someone might well ask why, if it can be shown that certain individuals capitulated under duress, which the Law allows, did Aḥmad end his relationship with them? There are three possible responses: 77.6

Orang-orang tersebut diancam tetapi tidak dipukul sebelum mereka menyerah.

1. The persons in question were threatened but not beaten before they capitulated.

Ancaman tidak dikira sebagai paksaan, sebagaimana jelas dari riwayat yang disebutkan tadi mengenai Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn.

Threats do not count as coercion, as is evident from the aforementioned report about Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn.

2. Aḥmad mungkin telah memutuskan hubungannya dengan mereka untuk menegaskan suatu pendirian: untuk menunjukkan kepada orang awam betapa kejinya doktrin yang telah disetujui oleh para pelaku kesalahan itu, dan dengan demikian membantu kebanyakan orang beriman untuk tetap berada di jalan yang benar.

2. Aḥmad may have ended his relationship with them in order to make a point: to show the common people what a heinous doctrine it was that the offenders had assented to and thus help the mass of believers stay on the right path.

3. Apabila memberi persetujuan, kebanyakan pesalah menerima bayaran dan mula bergaul dengan anggota rejim. Dengan berbuat demikian mereka telah melampaui apa yang dibenarkan oleh Syariat, dan kerana itu mereka layak menerima pengasingan serta celaan.

3. Upon giving their assent, most of the offenders accepted payments and began associating with members of the regime. In doing so they went beyond what the Law allows and thus deserved ostracism and condemnation.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Sejak kami memasuki Samarra hingga kami meninggalkannya, Aḥmad tidak makan sebarang makanan yang dimasak mahupun sebarang lemak. Pada suatu ketika beliau berkata, "Golongan itu" — maksudnya Ibn Abī Shaybah, Ibn al-Madīnī, dan ʿAbd al-Aʿlā — "tentu sedang menikmati kesenangan."

[Al-Marrūdhī:] From the time we entered Samarra to the time we left, Aḥmad tasted no cooked food or any fat. At one point he said, “That lot”—meaning Ibn Abī Shaybah, Ibn al-Madīnī, and ʿAbd al-Aʿlā—“have certainly been enjoying themselves.

"Saya tidak tahu mereka begitu melekat kepada dunia ini. Bagaimana mereka sanggup berkeliaran di depan pintu istana seperti itu?" 77.7