Al-Marrūdhī: Aḥmad mencintai orang-orang miskin. Saya tidak pernah melihat orang miskin dilayan sebaik mereka ketika duduk di dalam majlisnya. 51.1

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad loved the poor. I never saw poor men treated as well as they were when sitting in his company. 51.1

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad pernah menyebut seorang lelaki yang miskin dan sakit, lalu beliau berkata kepadaku, "Pergilah dan tanyakan kepadanya apa yang dia mahu kita lakukan untuk dirinya." 51.2

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad once mentioned someone who was poor and ill, and told me, “Go and ask him what he wants us to do for him.” 51.2

Kemudian dia menyerahkan kepadaku sedikit wangian dan berkata, "Sapukan ini ke atasnya." [Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pernah berkata, "Tiada yang sebegitu banyak mendatangkan kebaikan selain kemiskinan—tiada! Apabila tiada wang di sini, aku bergembira." 51.3

Then he handed me some scent and said, “Put this on him.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once said, “Nothing does as much good as poverty—nothing! When there’s no money here I rejoice.” 51.3

Saya pernah menyebut seseorang yang sabar menanggung kemiskinan walaupun hidup dengan pakaian compang-camping.

I once mentioned someone who bore poverty steadfastly despite living in rags.

Setelah itu, dia akan bertanya kepadaku tentangnya, dengan berkata, "Pergilah dan lihat bagaimana keadaannya! Segala puji bagi Tuhan: tidak ada yang seperti menanggung kemiskinan, sama sekali tidak ada yang seperti itu. Apakah kamu memahami maksudnya?" Pada suatu kali dia berkata, "Sebagian orang diberi hal-hal duniawi untuk menguji mereka. Jauh lebih baik apabila dunia membiarkanmu sendiri!" Pernah aku menyebutkan bagaimana al-Fuḍayl dan Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī hidup dalam kemelaratan namun tetap bersabar tanpa mengeluh. "Semoga Tuhan merahmati mereka," katanya, sementara matanya berkaca-kaca. "Mereka biasa berkata bahwa ketika orang-orang saleh disebut-sebut, rahmat Tuhan pun turun." Suatu hari dia berkata, "Ketika tidak ada uang di sini, aku merasa senang." Belum selesai dia mengucapkannya, anak kecilnya datang meminta sesuatu. "Ayahmu tidak memiliki satu keping uang pun," jawabnya, "ataupun barang lain."

After that he would ask me about him, saying, “Go and see how he’s doing! God be praised: there’s nothing like bearing poverty—nothing like it at all. Do you understand what it means?” Once he said, “Some people have the things of this world given to them in order to test them. It’s much better when the world leaves you alone!” I once mentioned how al-Fuḍayl and Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī had lived in destitution but bore up without complaint. “God have mercy on them,” he said, as his eyes filled with tears. “They used to say that when the righteous are recalled, God’s grace descends.” One day he said, “When there’s no money here, I’m glad.” No sooner had he said it than his little son came to ask him for something. “Your father doesn’t have a single coin,” he replied, “or anything else.”