[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] Ketika saya melihat rumah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, yang terlintas di fikiran saya hanyalah betapa ia menyerupai rumah Suwayd ibn Ghafalah, yang dikatakan sangat sederhana dan jarang perabotnya. 45.1

[ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī:] When I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house, all I could think of was how much it resembled Suwayd ibn Ghafalah’s, which was said to be very humble and sparsely furnished. 45.1

[Pengarang:] Suwayd ibn Ghafalah ialah salah seorang Tabi'in yang agung. Dia berangkat bagi pihak kaumnya untuk menemui Utusan Tuhan, tetapi Baginda wafat sebelum dia tiba. Dia menjadi sahabat Abu Bakar, Umar, Uthman dan Ali. Dia seorang zahid yang agung terhadap dunia.

[The author:] Suwayd ibn Ghafalah was one of the great Successors. He set out on behalf of his tribe to see the Emissary of God, who died before his arrival. He became a companion of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī. He was a great renouncer of the world.

[ʿImrān ibn Muslim:] Setiap kali Suwayd ibn Ghafalah mendengar bahawa seseorang telah menerima sejumlah wang, atau seseorang telah dilantik ke sesuatu jawatan, beliau berkata, "Sekeping roti kering dan sedikit garam sudah cukup bagi saya." 45.2

[ʿImrān ibn Muslim:] Whenever Suwayd ibn Ghafalah heard it said that So-and-So had received a sum, or So-and-So had been appointed to an office, he remarked, “A crust and a bit of salt are enough for me.” 45.2

[Al-Maymūnī:] Rumah Aḥmad kecil dan sesak. Walaupun dalam cuaca panas, dia tetap tidur di tingkat bawah. Bapa saudaranya memberitahu saya bahawa dia sentiasa menyuruhnya tidur di tingkat atas, tetapi dia tidak mahu.243 Saya juga melihat tempat dia tidur. Yang dimilikinya hanyalah sehelai selimut244 dan sebuah tilam yang kotor.245 45.3

[Al-Maymūnī:] Aḥmad’s house was small and cramped. Even in the heat he would sleep downstairs. His uncle told me that he was always telling him to sleep upstairs but he wouldn’t.243 I saw where he slept, too. All he had was a quilt244 and a dirty mattress.245 45.3

[Ḥasan ibn Sayyār:] Ketika saya masih menjadi perantis, saya pergi bersama tuan saya untuk memplaster sebuah bilik bagi Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Aḥmad menyuruhnya memplaster dengan tangan, bukan dengan sudip.

[Ḥasan ibn Sayyār:] When I was an apprentice, I went with my master to plaster a room for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Aḥmad told him to plaster it by hand, not with a trowel.

Kami juga memasang jubin di lantai. Apabila kami selesai, dia kelihatan gembira dan berkata, "Itu sudah bagus dan bersih. Seorang lelaki boleh solat di atasnya." 45.4

We also tiled the floor. When we were finished, he looked pleased and said, “That’s good and clean. A man can pray on that.” 45.4

Tiada tikar atau alas lantai di dalam bilik itu.

There were no mats or floor coverings in the room.

Dia memberi saya segenggam kurma.

He gave me a handful of dates.

[Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥārith:] Saya pernah masuk ke rumah Aḥmad. Di ruang terbuka di dalamnya, saya melihat sehelai tikar yang sudah lusuh dan sebiji bantal kulit, dengan kitab-kitab dan kertas-kertasnya bertaburan di sekelilingnya. Ada juga sebuah kendi tanah liat. 45.5

[Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥārith:] I once went into Aḥmad’s house. In the open space inside, I saw a threadbare mat and a leather cushion, with his books and papers scattered all around it. There was also a clay water jug. 45.5

[Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd:] Aḥmad mempunyai sebuah pintu melengkung di dalam rumahnya. Saya perasan dia telah menggantungkan kain bulu (kain tenunan daripada bulu haiwan) di pintu masuk tersebut.246 45.6

[Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd:] Aḥmad had an arched doorway inside his house. I noticed he had hung a hair-cloth across the entrance.246 45.6

[Abū Dāwūd:] Saya perasan bahawa pintu rumah Aḥmad digantungi kain yang berjalin rapat dan lusuh. Berhampiran situ saya ternampak sesuatu seperti rak yang biasa digunakan oleh para musafir, dengan beberapa tempayan di atasnya. 45.7

[Abū Dāwūd:] I noticed that the door of Aḥmad’s house had a matted, threadbare cloth hanging across it. Nearby I saw something like the stands that travelers use, with several jars on it. 45.7

[Muḥammad ibn Mūsā:] Aḥmad telah membuat sebuah pintu gerbang yang besar daripada batu bata. Ketika saya melihatnya beberapa lama kemudian, beliau telah membentangkan tirai daripada kain bulu di atasnya. 45.8

[Muḥammad ibn Mūsā:] Aḥmad had a big doorway made of brick. When I saw it some time later, he had stretched a curtain of hair-cloth across it. 45.8

[Al-Zuhrī:] Aḥmad pernah berkata, sambil membawa saya masuk ke dalam rumahnya, "Lihat pintu gerbang ini? Saya berhutang untuk membinanya."247 45.9

[Al-Zuhrī:] Aḥmad once said, as he led me into his house, “See this doorway of mine? I went into debt to build it.”247 45.9

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan:] Lebih daripada sekali saya dapati Aḥmad duduk bersila di atas sehelai kain felt kecil miliknya, di hadapan sebuah tungku arang tiga kaki yang diperbuat daripada tanah liat, dengan bara api di dalamnya. 45.10

[Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan:] More than once I found Aḥmad sitting cross-legged on a small piece of felt cloth he owned, in front of a three-legged coal-pan248 made of clay, with embers in it. 45.10