[Aḥmad:] Iman terdiri daripada apa yang diucapkan dan apa yang dilakukan. Ia boleh bertambah dan boleh berkurang.

[Aḥmad:] Belief consists of what you say and what you do. It can increase or decrease.

Ia adalah satu-satunya sumber ketakwaan, dan ketidaktaatan kepada Tuhan mengurangkannya. 20.1

It is the only source of piety, and disobedience to God lessens it. 20.1

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Apabila ditanya tentang orang-orang yang mengatakan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal menjawab, "Sesiapa yang berkata begitu ialah seorang yang kufur nikmat."119 20.2

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] When asked about people who say that the Qurʾan is created, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal replied, “Anyone who says that is an Ingrate.”119 20.2

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Apabila ditanya tentang sesiapa yang berkata bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal menjawab, "Dia adalah seorang kafir," dengan menggunakan bentuk isim fa'il.120 20.3

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Asked about anyone who says that the Qurʾan is created, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal replied, “He’s an unbeliever,” using the participle.120 20.3

[Salamah ibn Shabīb:] Saya mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berkata bahawa sesiapa yang mengatakan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk adalah seorang yang kufur nikmat. 20.4

[Salamah ibn Shabīb:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say that whoever says that the Qurʾan is created is an Ingrate. 20.4

[Al-Sarrāj:] Saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang seseorang yang berkata bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk. 20.5

[Al-Sarrāj:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about someone who says that the Qurʾan is created. 20.5

"Dia seorang yang tidak bersyukur." "Bagaimana pula dengan orang yang berkata bahawa teks Al-Qur'an yang dibaca dengan suara itu adalah sesuatu yang diciptakan?" "Dia seorang pengikut Jahm."121

“He’s an Ingrate.” “What about someone who says that the text of the Qurʾan spoken aloud is a created thing?” “He’s a follower of Jahm.”121

[Al-Kawsaj:] Saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang pendapatnya mengenai orang yang mengatakan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk. 20.6

[Al-Kawsaj:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal what he thought of someone who called the Qurʾan created. 20.6

"Dia telah melakukan KE-TIDAK-PERCAYA-AN," jawabnya, sambil menekankan setiap suku kata.

“He’s committed UN-BE-LIEF ,” he answered, stressing each syllable.

[Al-ʿUkbarī:] Saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal sama ada benar bahawa Al-Qur'an ialah firman Tuhan, tidak dicipta, dan bahawa ia datang daripada-Nya dan kembali kepada-Nya. 20.7

[Al-ʿUkbarī:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal whether it was true that the Qurʾan is the speech of God, uncreated, and that it came from Him and goes back to Him. 20.7

Beliau menjawab: "Daripada-Nya datangnya ilmu tentangnya, dan kepada-Nya lah tertakluk hukum mengenainya."122

He answered: “From Him came the knowledge of it, and to Him belongs the judgment concerning it.”122

[Ṣāliḥ:] Saya mendapati bahawa Abū Ṭālib telah memetik bapa saya sebagai berkata, "Teks al-Qur'an, apabila dibaca dengan suara, adalah tidak diciptakan." Saya memberitahu bapa saya tentang perkara ini, lalu dia bertanya bagaimana saya mengetahuinya. Saya menjawab bahawa saya mendengarnya daripada Si Fulan. 20.8

[Ṣāliḥ:] I found out that Abū Ṭālib had been quoting my father as saying “The text of the Qurʾan, spoken aloud, is uncreated.” I told my father about this, and he asked how I knew. I told him I had heard it from So-and-So. 20.8

"Panggil Abu Talib," katanya.

“Send for Abū Ṭālib,” he said.

Saya memanggilnya dan dia datang, bersama Fūrān.123

I sent for him and he came, along with Fūrān.123

"Pernahkah saya berkata kepadamu bahawa lafaz Al-Qur'an yang dibacakan dengan suara itu tidak diciptakan?" kata ayah saya, sambil menggigil kerana marah.

“Did I ever say to you that the text of the Qurʾan spoken aloud is uncreated?” said my father, shaking with anger.

“Saya membaca «Katakanlah: Dia-lah Allah, Yang Maha Esa»124 dengan suara nyaring, dan kamu berkata, ‘Itu tidak diciptakan.’” “Tetapi mengapa kamu memetik saya sebagai berkata ‘Teks Al-Qur’an yang dibaca dengan suara nyaring adalah tidak diciptakan’? Bukan itu sahaja: saya dengar kamu menulisnya dan menghantarkannya kepada orang ramai. Jika kamu telah menulisnya, padamkanlah sekuat mungkin, dan tulislah kepada orang-orang yang kamu tulis kepada mereka dan beritahu mereka bahawa saya tidak pernah mengatakan itu.” Fūrān mula memohon maaf, dan akhirnya pergi dengan wajah ketakutan. Abū Ṭālib kembali untuk memberitahu bahawa dia telah memadamkan kata-kata itu daripada catatannya dan menulis surat yang menjelaskan bahawa dia telah salah memetik bapa saya.

“I read «Say, He is God, the one»124 out loud and you said, ‘That’s not created.’” “But why did you quote me as saying ‘The text of the Qurʾan spoken aloud is uncreated’? Not only that: I hear you wrote this down and sent it to people. If you wrote it down, rub it out as hard as you can, and write to the people you wrote to and tell them I never said that.” Fūrān began apologizing, and finally left looking terrified. Abū Ṭālib came back to say that he had rubbed the words out of his notes and written a letter explaining that he had misquoted my father.

[Aḥmad:] Kami meriwayatkan hadis-hadis ini sebagaimana kami menemukannya. 20.9

[Aḥmad:] We transmit these reports as we find them. 20.9

[Aḥmad:] Seorang mukmin yang tergolong dalam Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah hendaklah menyerahkan kepada Tuhan (Allah) perkara yang tidak dia fahami. Apabila dia mendengar riwayat hadith seperti "Penghuni Syurga akan melihat Tuhan mereka," dia hendaklah beriman dengannya tanpa cuba menjelaskannya.

[Aḥmad:] A believer who belongs to the people of sunnah and community should defer what he doesn’t understand to God. If he hears a Hadith report like “The people in the Garden will see their Lord,”126 he should believe it without trying to explain it.

Semua ulama di mana sahaja bersepakat dalam perkara ini. 20.10

All men of learning everywhere are agreed on this. 20.10

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ayah saya pernah menulis yang berikut kepada ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān: “Saya tidak terlibat dalam Perdebatan, dan saya tidak berpendapat seseorang harus membicarakan apa pun daripada itu kecuali jika ia terdapat dalam Kitab Suci atau Hadis Nabi ﷺ. Membicarakan selain itu tidaklah baik.” 20.11

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father once wrote the following to ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān: “I don’t engage in Disputation, and I don’t think one should talk about any of that unless it appears in Scripture or the Hadith of the Prophet, God bless and keep him. Talking about anything else is no good.” 20.11

[Aḥmad:] Jangan duduk bersama Ahli Perbahasan, sekalipun mereka sedang mempertahankan sunnah.128 20.12

[Aḥmad:] Don’t sit with Disputationists, even if they’re defending the sunnah.128 20.12

[Aḥmad:] Golongan yang berpegang kepada ucapan makhluk lebih buruk daripada para pengikut Jahm. 20.13

[Aḥmad:] The Proponents of Created Utterance are worse than the followers of Jahm. 20.13

Ibn al-Layth menambah: "Saya pernah mendengar seseorang bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang al-Waqifah, dan beliau berkata: 'Pada pandangan saya, al-Waqifah, pengikut Jahm, dan golongan Pendukung Ucapan Makhluk adalah sama buruknya.'" 20.14

Ibn al-Layth added: “I once heard someone ask Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about the Stoppers, and he said: ‘As far as I’m concerned, the Stoppers, the followers of Jahm, and the Proponents of Created Utterance are all equally bad.’” 20.14

[Aḥmad:] Jika kamu solat dan lelaki di sebelahmu ternyata seorang pengikut Jahm, ulangi solatmu. 20.15

[Aḥmad:] If you do the ritual prayer and the man next to you turns out to be a follower of Jahm, do it over. 20.15

[Salamah ibn Shabīb:] Saya pergi menemui Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal untuk bertanya kepadanya apa pendapatnya tentang orang yang berkata, "Al-Qur'an ialah kalam Tuhan." 130 20.16

[Salamah ibn Shabīb:] I went to see Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to ask him what he thought of someone who says, “The Qurʾan is the speech of God.”130 20.16

"Jika dia tidak mengatakan, 'Al-Qur'an adalah kalam Tuhan, yang tidak diciptakan,' maka dia adalah seorang yang kufur." Dia melanjutkan: "Jangan ragu tentangnya. Jika dia tidak mengatakan, 'Al-Qur'an adalah kalam Tuhan, yang tidak diciptakan,' maka dia sedang mengatakan bahwa ia diciptakan. Dan sesiapa yang mengatakan bahwa ia diciptakan telah berbuat dosa terhadap Tuhan, Yang Maha Perkasa dan Maha Mulia." Saya bertanya kepadanya apakah kaum Stoppers itu termasuk orang-orang kufur.

“If he doesn’t say, ‘The Qurʾan is the speech of God, uncreated,’ then he’s an Ingrate.” He went on: “Have no doubt about it. If he doesn’t say, ‘The Qurʾan is the speech of God, uncreated,’ then he’s saying it’s created. And anyone who says it’s created has sinned against God, mighty and glorious.” I asked him if the Stoppers were Ingrates.

"Memang begitu." [Aḥmad:] Sesiapa yang mengatakan bahawa teks al-Qur'an yang dibaca dengan lantang adalah sesuatu yang dicipta131 adalah pengikut Jahm. 20.17

“They are.” [Aḥmad:] Anyone who says that the text of the Qurʾan spoken aloud is a created thing131 is a follower of Jahm. 20.17

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Saya memberitahu ayah saya bahawa al-Karābīsī berkata bahawa teks Al-Qur'an yang dibaca dengan suara adalah sesuatu yang diciptakan. 20.18

[Al-Muṭṭawwiʿī:] Saya pernah mendengar seseorang bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang kelebihan para Sahabat Nabi ﷺ, lalu beliau menjawab, "Mereka hendaklah disusun kedudukannya mengikut Hadis Ibn ʿUmar.137 Adapun berkenaan dengan khilafah, susunannya ialah sebagaimana yang disebut dalam Hadis Safīnah: pertama Abū Bakr, kemudian ʿUmar, kemudian ʿUthmān, kemudian ʿAlī." 20.24

[Al-Muṭṭawwiʿī:] I once heard someone ask Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about the relative merits of the Prophet’s Companions, and he answered, “They should be ranked according to the Hadith of Ibn ʿUmar.137 As far as the caliphate is concerned, the order is the one given in the Hadith of Safīnah: first Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar, then ʿUthmān, then ʿAlī.” 20.24

“Adakah riwayat itu diriwayatkan oleh Hashraj?” “Tidak, oleh Ḥammād ibn Salamah.” [Pengarang:] Persoalan ini timbul kerana kedua-dua Ḥammād ibn Salamah dan Hashraj ibn Nubātah meriwayatkan Hadith Safīnah, tetapi Hashraj diragui kebolehpercayaannya, manakala Ḥammād ibn Salamah adalah seorang yang menjadi teladan.

“Was that report transmitted by Ḥashraj?” “No, by Ḥammād ibn Salamah.” [The author:] This question arose because both Ḥammād ibn Salamah and Ḥashraj ibn Nubātah transmitted the Hadith of Safīnah, but Ḥashraj is of dubious reliability while Ḥammād ibn Salamah is an exemplar.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Saya bertanya kepada ayah saya tentang kesaksian bahawa Abū Bakr dan ʿUmar berada di dalam Syurga. Beliau berkata, “Ia benar. Saya mengikuti Hadith Saʿīd ibn Zayd, yang bermaksud, ‘Aku bersaksi bahawa Nabi berada di dalam Syurga, begitu juga sembilan orang sahabatnya.’ Dan Nabi ﷺ bersabda, ‘Penghuni Syurga berbaris dalam seratus dua puluh saf, daripadanya lapan puluh diisi oleh umatku.’ Jika para sahabatnya tidak termasuk, maka siapakah yang akan termasuk?” 20.25

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I asked my father about the testimony that Abū Bakr and ʿUmar are in the Garden. He said, “It’s true. I follow the Hadith of Saʿīd ibn Zayd, which says, ‘I testify that the Prophet is in the Garden, and so are his nine Companions.’ And the Prophet, God bless and keep him, said, ‘The people in the Garden stand in a hundred and twenty rows, of which eighty are filled by members of my community.’ If his Companions aren’t included, then who would be?” 20.25

[Al-Maymūnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berkata kepadaku, "Abū l-Ḥasan, jika engkau mendengar seseorang mengatakan sesuatu yang buruk tentang para Sahabat Nabi ﷺ, maka engkau patut meragukan keislamannya." 20.26

[Al-Maymūnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said to me, “Abū l-Ḥasan, if you hear anyone saying anything bad about the Companions of the Prophet, God bless and keep him, then you should doubt his Islam.” 20.26

[Ṣāliḥ:] Seseorang bertanya kepada ayah saya—dengan saya hadir—sama ada orang yang berkata bahawa ʿAlī lebih baik daripada ʿUthmān itu melakukan sesuatu yang baharu dan buruk. 20.30

[Ṣāliḥ:] Someone asked my father—with me present—whether someone who says that ʿAlī was better than ʿUthmān is doing something new and bad. 20.30

"Sesiapa yang berbuat begitu patut dikecam," kata ayah saya. "Para Sahabat Rasulullah ﷺ mendahulukan ʿUthmān—semoga Allah meredainya—di atas yang lain." [ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān al-Ḥimṣī:] Apabila Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dibawa dari Samarra ke sempadan Byzantine, mereka berhenti di sini di Homs. Saya menemuinya dan bertanya kepadanya tentang pendiriannya terhadap ʿAlī dan ʿUthmān. 20.31

“Anyone who does that deserves to be denounced,” said my father. “The Companions of the Emissary put ʿUthmān—God be pleased with him—first.” [ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān al-Ḥimṣī:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was transported from Samarra to the Byzantine frontier, they stopped here in Homs. I found him and asked him his position on ʿAlī and ʿUthmān. 20.31

"Pertama ʿUthmān, kemudian ʿAlī," katanya. "Dengarlah, wahai Abū Ḥafṣ," sambungnya. "Sesiapa yang mendahulukan ʿAlī daripada ʿUthmān, maka dia sedang mencemuh Majlis Syura."139

“First ʿUthmān, then ʿAlī,” he said. “Listen, Abū Ḥafṣ,” he continued. “Anyone who puts ʿAlī before ʿUthmān is scoffing at the Council.”139

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf:] Saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang meletakkan sebahagian Sahabat melebihi yang lain. Beliau berkata, "Sesiapa yang meletakkan ʿAlī mendahului Abū Bakr, maka dia telah mempersoalkan pertimbangan Utusan Tuhan ﷺ. Sesiapa yang meletakkan ʿAlī mendahului ʿUmar, maka dia telah mempersoalkan pertimbangan Utusan Tuhan ﷺ dan Abū Bakr sekaligus. Sesiapa yang meletakkan ʿAlī mendahului ʿUthmān, maka dia telah mempersoalkan pertimbangan Utusan Tuhan ﷺ, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, dan golongan Muhajirin, dan saya tidak dapat membayangkan bahawa orang yang berbuat demikian akan mendapat manfaat daripada apa-apa amal kebajikan yang dilakukannya."" 20.32

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about putting some Companions before others. He said, “Anyone who puts ʿAlī ahead of Abū Bakr is questioning the judgment of God’s Emissary. Anyone who puts ʿAlī ahead of ʿUmar has questioned the judgment of God’s Emissary and Abū Bakr both. Anyone who puts ʿAlī ahead of ʿUthmān has questioned the judgment of God’s Emissary, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and the Emigrants, and I can’t imagine that someone who does that will benefit from any good works he does.” 20.32

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Pada suatu hari, saya sedang duduk bersama ayah saya ketika beberapa orang dari al-Karkh datang. Mereka berbicara cukup lama tentang kekhalifahan Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, dan ʿUthmān. Kemudian mereka beralih kepada kekhalifahan ʿAlī dan terus membicarakannya panjang lebar.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] One day I was sitting with my father when some people from al-Karkh came in. They spoke for a good long while about the caliphates of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān. Then they turned to the caliphate of ʿAlī and went on and on about it.

Selepas beberapa ketika, ayah saya mengangkat pandangannya kepada mereka dan berkata, "Kalian telah banyak bercakap tentang ʿAlī dan khilafah, tetapi bukanlah memegang jawatan itu yang menjadikan ʿAlī hebat. Sebaliknya, ʿAlī sebagai khalifahlah yang menjadikan jawatan itu hebat." 20.33

After a while my father looked up at them and said, “You’ve said a lot about ʿAlī and the caliphate, but it wasn’t holding the office that made ʿAlī great. It was having ʿAlī as caliph that made the office great.” 20.33

Al-Sayyārī menambahkan, "Aku menceritakan kisah ini kepada seorang Syiah, dan dia berkata, 'Engkau baru sahaja menghilangkan separuh kebencian yang aku simpan terhadap Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.'" [ʿAbd Allāh:] Setelah mendengar ayahku membacakan Hadis Safīnah,141 aku bertanya kepadanya, "Ayah, apakah pendapatmu tentang mengutamakan sebahagian Sahabat daripada yang lain?" 20.34

Al-Sayyārī added, “I told this story to a Shiʿi, and he said, ‘You’ve just taken away half the resentment I had against Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.’” [ʿAbd Allāh:] After hearing my father recite the Hadith of Safīnah,141 I asked him, “Dad, what do you say about putting some Companions before others?” 20.34

“Mengenai pewarisan kepemimpinan, ia adalah Abū Bakr, kemudian ʿUmar, kemudian ʿUthmān.” “Bagaimana pula dengan ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib?” “Anakku, ʿAlī adalah sebahagian daripada ahli keluarga Nabi ﷺ. Tiada siapa yang dapat dibandingkan dengan mereka.” [Aḥmad:] Tiada seorang pun daripada para Sahabat yang mempunyai sebanyak kelebihan yang sabit seperti ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. 20.35

“As far as the succession goes, it’s Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar, then ʿUthmān.” “What about ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib?” “Son, ʿAlī was a member of the Prophet’s household. No one compares with them.” [Aḥmad:] None of the Companions has as many well-attested virtues as ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. 20.35

[Aḥmad:] Sesiapa yang menafikan bahawa ʿAlī adalah seorang teladan, keadaannya lebih sesat dalam mencari jalan daripada keldai keluarga. 20.36

[Aḥmad:] Anyone who denies that ʿAlī was an exemplar is even worse at finding his way than the family donkey. 20.36

[Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī:] Ketika kami berada di Samarra, salah seorang utusan khalifah bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal apa pandangannya tentang perselisihan antara ʿAlī dan Muʿāwiyah. 20.38

[Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī:] When we were in Samarra, one of the caliph’s messengers asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal what he thought about the dispute between ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah. 20.38

"Saya tidak mempunyai apa-apa selain kata-kata baik tentang mereka." Saya juga pernah mendengar Ibn Ḥanbal berkata, setelah seseorang menyebut tentang para Sahabat Utusan Allah ﷺ: "Semoga God merahmati mereka semua! Muʿāwiyah, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, dan al-Mughīrah semuanya disebut dalam Kitab God, di mana tertulis, {Tanda mereka ada pada wajah mereka, bekas sujud mereka.}"142

“I have nothing but good to say about them.” I also heard Ibn Ḥanbal say, after someone mentioned the Companions of God’s Emissary: “God have mercy on them all! Muʿāwiyah, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, Abū Mūsā l- Ashʿarī, and al-Mughīrah are all described in the Book of God, where it says, «Their marks are on their faces, the traces of their prostrations.»”142

[Ibrāhīm ibn Āzir:] Saya pernah berada di rumah Ibn Ḥanbal apabila seorang lelaki bertanya kepadanya tentang apa yang telah berlaku antara ʿAlī dan Muʿāwiyah. Ibn Ḥanbal mengabaikannya. Kemudian, apabila diberitahu bahawa lelaki itu berasal dari keluarga Hāshim, dia menoleh kepadanya dan membacakan:

[Ibrāhīm ibn Āzir:] I was once at Ibn Ḥanbal’s when a man asked him about what had happened between ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah. Ibn Ḥanbal ignored him. Then, when he was told that the man was from the house of Hāshim, he turned to him and recited:

«Itulah suatu umat yang telah berlalu; bagi mereka apa yang telah mereka usahakan, dan bagi kamu apa yang telah kamu usahakan. Kamu tidak akan diminta pertanggungjawaban atas apa yang telah mereka kerjakan.»143 20.39

“«Those were a people that have passed away; theirs is what they did and yours what you have done. You shall not be answerable for their deeds.»”143 20.39

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Saya bertanya kepada ayah saya apa itu Rafidhi. 20.40

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I asked my father what a Rejectionist is. 20.40

"Sesiapa yang mencela dan menghina Abū Bakr dan ʿUmar." Saya juga bertanya kepadanya tentang mencela mana-mana sahabat Rasulullah ﷺ.

“Anyone who curses and reviles Abū Bakr and ʿUmar.” I also asked him about cursing any of the Companions of the Emissary of God.

"Saya tidak akan menyebutnya seorang Muslim." 145

“I wouldn’t call him a Muslim.” 145