[Al-Dūrī:] Ketika Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal menulis surat pengenalan untuk saya kepada beberapa perawi hadis di Basrah, beliau hanya menyebut saya sebagai “seorang yang mencari hadis.” 49.1

[Al-Dūrī:] When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal wrote me a letter of introduction to some Hadith transmitters in Basra, he called me simply “someone seeking Hadith.” 49.1

[Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm:] Saya mendengar bahawa apabila Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dikunjungi oleh sekumpulan rakan sejawatnya daripada golongan ahli hadith, beliau membeli makanan untuk mereka hanya dengan wang yang ada padanya ketika itu.264 Saya juga mendengar bahawa apabila al-Mutawakkil membawanya ke Samarra, beliau enggan menyentuh apa-apa yang disediakan di istana, dan menjadikan satu kaylajah—iaitu seperempat tepung barli265—cukup untuk lima belas hari sementara beliau menunggu wang sampai kepadanya dari Baghdad. 49.2

[Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm:] I heard that when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was visited by a group of his fellow Hadith-men, he bought them something to eat using only the money he had on hand.264 I also heard that when al-Mutawakkil brought him to Samarra he refused to touch anything prepared at the palace, and made a kaylajah—a fourth of barley meal265—last for fifteen days while he waited for money to reach him from Baghdad. 49.2

[Isḥāq ibn Mūsā l-Anṣārī:] Al-Ma’mūn memberi saya sejumlah wang dan memerintahkan saya untuk mengagihkannya kepada para ahli hadis, “kerana sebahagian daripada mereka miskin.” 49.3

[Isḥāq ibn Mūsā l-Anṣārī:] Al-Maʾmūn gave me some money and ordered me to distribute it to the Hadith-men, “since some of them are poor.” 49.3

Setiap daripada mereka menerima sejumlah wang, kecuali Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, yang enggan menyentuhnya.

Every one of them accepted some money—except for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who refused to touch it.

[Fūrān:] Kami berada di rumah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dua malam sebelum dia meninggal dunia. Bersama kami ada seorang hamba muda berkulit hitam yang dibeli oleh bapa saudaranya, Abū Yūsuf, dengan wang yang diberikan kepadanya oleh al-Mutawakkil. Hamba itu ingin mengipasi Aḥmad, tetapi dia melarangnya. 49.4

[Fūrān:] We were at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s two nights before he died. With us was a young black slave whom his uncle Abū Yūsuf had bought with the money given him by al-Mutawakkil. The slave wanted to fan Aḥmad but he told him not to. 49.4

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ketika saya sakit, ayah saya datang menjenguk saya. 49.5

[ʿAbd Allāh:] When I was ill, my father came to check on me. 49.5

“Ayah,” kata saya, “kita masih ada sebahagian wang yang diberikan oleh al-Mutawakkil kepada kita. Bagaimana jika saya menggunakannya untuk menunaikan haji?” “Kamu patut melakukannya,” jawabnya.

“Dad,” I said, “we still have some of the money al-Mutawakkil gave us. What if I used it to make the pilgrimage?” “You should,” he said.

"Tetapi jika kamu tidak keberatan membelanjakannya," tanya saya, "mengapa kamu tidak mengambilnya?" "Saya tidak menganggapnya haram, nak," jawabnya. "Tetapi saya lebih suka menahan diri." [Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal memberitahu saya, "Setiap tahun saya menilai rumah yang saya diami dan membayar zakat ke atasnya, mengikut apa yang dikatakan ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb mengenai Tanah Hitam di Iraq."266 49.6

“But if you don’t mind spending it,” I asked, “why don’t you take it?” “I don’t consider it forbidden, son,” he answered. “But I’d rather abstain.” [Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me, “Every year I survey the house I live in and pay the alms-tax on it, following what ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said about the Black Land in Iraq.”266 49.6

[Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Shādhakūnī pernah berkata kepadaku, “Pernahkah engkau melihat ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī cuba meniru Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal? Itu tidak akan berlaku! Mereka umpama langit dan bumi.267 Pada suatu ketika di Mekah, aku menyaksikan sendiri betapa telitinya Aḥmad. Dia telah menggadaikan sebuah timba tembaga kepada seorang penjual buah dan kacang supaya dia dapat membeli sesuatu untuk dimakan. Apabila dia mempunyai cukup wang untuk menebus timba itu, dia pergi kepada penjual tersebut, yang lalu menghulurkan dua timba sambil berkata, ‘Ambillah yang mana milikmu.’ 49.7

[Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Shādhakūnī once told me, “Have you seen ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī trying to emulate Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal? That’ll be the day! They’re like chalk and cheese.267 Once in Mecca I saw firsthand how scrupulous Aḥmad is. He had pawned a copper pail to a fruit-and-nut vendor so he could buy something to eat. When he had enough money to redeem the pail, he went to the vendor, who held out two of them and said, ‘Take whichever one is yours.’ 49.7

“‘Saya tidak tahu,’ kata Aḥmad. ‘Simpanlah ia, dan simpanlah wang itu.’ Maka dia meninggalkan timbanya.”

“‘I can’t tell,’ said Aḥmad. ‘Keep it, and keep the money.’ “So he left his pail.

“Demi Allah, salah satunya adalah miliknya,” kata penjual itu. “Aku hanya sedang mengujinya!” [Al-Ṭūsī:] Setiap kali beliau melihat seorang Nasrani, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal akan memejamkan matanya.

“‘One was his, I swear,’ said the vendor. ‘I was just testing him!’” [Al-Ṭūsī:] Whenever he saw a Christian, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal would close his eyes.

Ditanya mengapa, dia berkata, "Saya tidak dapat memandang sesiapa yang berdusta tentang Tuhan." 49.8

Asked why, he said, “I can’t look at anyone who lies about God.” 49.8

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Walaupun ayah saya mengetahui begitu banyak hadis, saya hanya pernah melihat dia membacakan kurang daripada seratus riwayat tanpa merujuk kepada kitab. 49.9

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Even with all the Hadith my father knew, there were fewer than a hundred reports I ever saw him recite without using a book. 49.9

[Al-Madīnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal mempunyai ingatan yang lebih baik daripada kita semua, tetapi saya telah mendengar bahawa beliau hanya membacakan Hadis daripada kitab-kitab, dan itulah teladan yang patut kita semua ikuti. 49.10

[Al-Madīnī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal has a better memory than any of us, but I’ve heard that he only recites Hadith out of books—an example all of us should follow. 49.10

[Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Marwazī:] Kami dahulu biasa duduk bersama Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal dan mengulang kaji riwayat-riwayat Hadis sehingga kami benar-benar menguasainya dan dapat membacakannya dengan betul.

[Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Marwazī:] We used to sit with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and go over Hadith reports until we knew them well and could recite them correctly.

"Setiap kali kami ingin menulis sesuatu, dia akan berkata, “Buku itu lebih mengingatnya daripada kami.” Kemudian dia akan melompat bangun untuk mengambil buku itu. 49."11

Whenever we wanted to write something down, he would say, “The book remembers it better than we do.” Then he would jump up to get the book. 49.11

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Saya pernah mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berkata, “Saya terpaksa meminjam enam puluh lima dirham untuk dibelanjakan bagi pintu masuk ini, tetapi yang saya dapat daripada bangunan ini hanyalah seperempat sewanya.” 49.12

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “I had to borrow sixty-five dirhams to spend on this entranceway, but all I get on the building is a quarter of the rent.” 49.12

"Mengapa awak tidak membiarkan ʿAbd Allāh membayarnya?" tanya saya.

“Why didn’t you let ʿAbd Allāh pay for it?” I said.

"Saya tidak mahu dia mencemari wang saya."268

“I don’t want him to taint my money.”268

[Al-Tustari:] Saya mendengar bahawa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pernah berpuasa tiga hari tanpa makan, lalu beliau menghantar pesanan kepada seorang sahabatnya meminta dipinjamkan sedikit tepung. Apabila keluarganya menyedari bahawa beliau kelaparan, mereka segera membakar sesuatu untuknya. Apabila hidangan itu diletakkan di hadapannya, beliau bertanya bagaimana mereka dapat membakarnya dengan begitu cepat. 49.13

[Al-Tustari:] I heard that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once went three days without eating and sent a message to a friend asking to borrow some flour. Realizing that he was starving, his family quickly baked something for him. When they put the dish in front of him, he asked how they had managed to bake so fast. 49.13

"Relau di rumah Ṣāliḥ sudah panas," kata mereka kepadanya.

“The oven in Ṣāliḥ’s house was already warm,” they told him.

"Singkirkan ini!" katanya, dan dia enggan menyentuhnya. Kemudian dia memerintahkan agar pintu yang menghubungkan rumahnya dengan rumah Ṣāliḥ ditutup rapat.269

“Take this away!” he said, and refused to touch it. Then he ordered them to seal up the door that joined his house to Ṣāliḥ’s.269

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Semasa sakit terakhir Aḥmad, saya mendengar dia berkata kepada isterinya, "Siapa yang menyuruh kamu membakar sesuatu di sana?"—maksudnya di rumah anaknya Ṣāliḥ. Isterinya pernah membakar sesuatu di sana sebelum ini dan dia enggan menyentuhnya, sambil berkata, "Siapa yang akan memakan itu?" 49.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] During Aḥmad’s final illness, I heard him say to his wife, “Who told you to bake anything there?”—meaning at his son Ṣāliḥ’s house. She had baked something there once before and he had refused to touch it, saying, “Who’s going to eat that?” 49.14

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Pernah saya bersama Aḥmad di suatu tempat, lalu dia membacakan, «Dan kamu telah diam di tempat-tempat tinggal orang-orang yang menzalimi diri mereka sendiri,»270 kemudian menambah, "Memang kita telah berbuat begitu," atau "Di situlah kita berada." 49.15

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I was once with Aḥmad somewhere and he recited, «You lived in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves,»270 adding, “We certainly have,” or “That’s where we are.” 49.15

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Aḥmad pernah menghantar saya dengan tiga atau empat keping syiling untuk membeli rempah bagi periuk masakan. Kemudian beliau memberi saya satu lagi keping syiling dan berkata, "Belikan rempah dengan yang ini juga, tetapi jangan campurkannya dengan yang lain." 49.16

[Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm:] Aḥmad once sent me with three or four coins to buy spices for the cooking pot. Then gave me another coin and said, “Buy spices with this one too, but don’t mix them with the others.” 49.16

Tetapi rempah-rempah itu memang bercampur. Ketika saya membawanya kembali dan memberitahunya, beliau berkata, "Kembalikan apa yang engkau beli dan dapatkan semula wangmu." Saya pun berbuat demikian, lalu beliau mencampurkannya dengan wang yang beliau bayarkan kepada pembantu perempuan itu, kerana beliau tidak dapat memisahkan mana satu duit yang tercemar.

But the spices did get mixed up. When I brought them back and told him, he said, “Return what you bought and get the money back.” I did, and he tossed it in with the money he paid the servant girl, since he couldn’t sort out which coins were tainted.

[Ibn Hāniʾ:] Aḥmad pernah memberi saya satu duit syiling dan berkata, "Ambil ini dan belikan saya kacang dalam air." 49.17

[Ibn Hāniʾ:] Aḥmad once gave me a coin and said, “Take this and buy me some beans in water.” 49.17

Ḥusn, ibu kepada anak lelakinya, memberi saya satu lagi syiling dan berkata, "Ambillah ini dan belikan juga kacang untuk saya." Aḥmad menambah, "Dan belikan sedikit kacang dalam minyak untuk budak-budak itu." Akhirnya, daripada syiling yang saya guna untuk membeli kacang dalam minyak, tinggal satu atau dua ḥabbah sebagai baki. Maka saya memberitahu penjual kacang itu supaya memberi saya sedikit lagi minyak. Saya mengambil minyak itu dan menuangkannya ke atas kacang yang saya beli untuk Aḥmad. Apabila saya membawa makanan itu pulang dan meletakkannya di hadapannya, dia perasan kesan minyak itu lalu bertanya, "Apa ini?" Saya menjawab, "Ada satu ḥabbah yang tertinggal daripada syiling budak-budak itu, jadi saya belanjakannya untuk minyak untuk awak." "Bawa pergi, bodoh," katanya. "Siapa suruh kamu buat begitu? Bila agaknya kamu akan belajar?" Dia tidak makan walau sedikit pun.

Ḥusn, his son’s mother, gave me another coin and said, “Take this and buy some beans for me too.” Aḥmad added, “And buy some beans in oil for the boys.” I ended up with one or two ḥabbahs in change from the coin I had spent on the beans in oil, so I told the bean vendor to give me some more oil. I took the oil and poured it over the beans I had bought for Aḥmad. When I brought the food back and put it in front of him, he noticed the trace of oil and asked, “What’s this?” I said, “There was a ḥabbah left over from the boys’ coin so I spent it on oil for you.” “Take it away, you idiot,” he said. “Who told you to do that? When are you going to learn?” He didn’t eat any of it.

[Al-Simsār:] Saya mendengar Aḥmad berkata kepada Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī, "Pergilah kepada Umm ʿAlī"—maksudnya anak perempuannya—"dan ambillah apa sahaja yang dia berikan kepadamu." 49.18

[Al-Simsār:] I heard Aḥmad say to Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī, “Go to Umm ʿAlī”—meaning his daughter—“and take whatever she gives you.” 49.18

Ishaq masuk lalu keluar kembali sambil membawa seekor ayam. Kemudian dia dan saya pergi bersama-sama.

Isḥāq went in and came back out carrying a chicken. Then he and I left together.

"Apa yang dikatakan Umm ʿAlī?" tanyaku kepadanya.

“What did Umm ʿAlī say?” I asked him.

"Dia berkata bahawa ayahnya memerlukan bekam tetapi tiada wang, lalu meminta dia memberikan ayam itu kepada saya dan menyuruh saya menjualnya." Apabila kami membawa ayam itu ke pasar, Isḥāq ditawarkan satu dirham dan dua dāniq untuknya, tetapi dia menukar fikiran tentang jualan itu dan membawa pulang semula ayam tersebut.

“She said her father needs a cupping but has no money, and asked her to give me the chicken and have me sell it.” When we got the chicken to market, Isḥāq was offered a dirham and two dāniqs for it, but changed his mind about the sale and took it back.

Di jambatan, kami terserempak dengan ʿAbd Allāh, anak Aḥmad, yang sedang duduk di kedai Ibn Bukhtān. Dia memanggil Isḥāq dan bertanya, "Mengapa kamu membawa ayam? Dan milik siapakah ia?" Saya memberitahunya bahawa Umm ʿAlī telah memberikannya kepada kami untuk dijual.

At the bridge, we ran across Aḥmad’s son ʿAbd Allāh, who was sitting at Ibn Bukhtān’s shop. He called Isḥāq over and asked, “Why are carrying a chicken? And whose is it?” I told him that Umm ʿAlī had given it to us to sell.

"Berapa kamu dapat untuknya?" "Kami ditawarkan satu dirham dan dua dāniq." "Berikan kepadaku dengan harga satu setengah." Isḥāq mengambil wang itu dan memberikan ayam itu kepadanya. Apabila kami pulang, Umm ʿAlī bertanya kepadanya berapa yang dia dapat.

“How much did you get for it?” “We were offered a dirham and two dāniqs.” “Give it to me for one and a half.” Isḥāq took the money and gave him the chicken. When we got back, Umm ʿAlī asked him how much he’d gotten.

"Satu setengah dirham." "Hanya itu?" "Tawaran yang saya terima di pasar hanyalah satu dirham dan dua dāniq." Kemudian Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal bertanya, "Siapa yang membelinya?" "Anak tuan, ʿAbd Allāh." Apabila mendengar itu, Aḥmad merampas kembali wang itu daripada Umm ʿAlī. "Pergi," tempiknya kepada saya, "dan pulangkan semula!" Isḥāq segera berlari kembali kepada ʿAbd Allāh.

“One and a half dirhams.” “That’s all?” “The offer I got at the market was only a dirham and two dāniqs.” Then Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal asked, “Who bought it?” “Your son ʿAbd Allāh.” When he heard that, Aḥmad grabbed the money back from Umm ʿAlī. “Go,” he shouted at me, “and return it!” Isḥāq went running back to ʿAbd Allāh.

"Ambil balik wang kamu!" katanya. "Ayah kamu menjerit kepada saya kerana wang ini." "Kenapa kamu beritahu dia bahawa itu saya?" tanya ʿAbd Allāh, tetapi dia mengambil balik wang itu.

“Take your money back!” he said. “Your father shouted at me over it.” “Why did you tell him it was me?” asked ʿAbd Allāh, but took the money back.

Ishaq meneruskan kisah itu:

Isḥāq continued the story:

[Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal menyuruh saya pergi semula ke pasar dan menjauhkan anaknya daripadanya. Lalu saya menjual ayam itu kepada seseorang yang tidak saya kenali dengan harga satu dirham dan satu pertiga, kemudian saya kembali kepada Aḥmad.

[Isḥāq:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me to go back to the market and keep his son out of it. So I sold the chicken to someone I didn’t know for a dirham and a third, and then went back to Aḥmad.

"Kamu lebih baik tidak menjualnya kepada ʿAbd Allāh," katanya.

“You’d better not have sold it to ʿAbd Allāh,” he said.

"Tidak," jawab saya. "Saya menjualnya kepada orang asing." [Al-Simsār:] Ibu ʿAbd Allāh mempunyai sebuah rumah bersebelahan dengan rumah kami di lorong itu. Rumah itu sebahagian daripada harta pusaka Aḥmad, lalu dia memungut sedirham sewa daripadanya. Pada suatu ketika, ibu itu memerlukan wang, dan ʿAbd Allāh memberikannya. Selepas itu, Aḥmad berhenti mengambil sedirham itu daripadanya, dengan mengatakan bahawa ia kini telah tercemar.271 49.19

“No,” I replied. “I sold it to a stranger.” [Al-Simsār:] ʿAbd Allāh’s mother had a house next to ours in the lane. The house had been part of Aḥmad’s inheritance, and so he collected a dirham in rent on it. At one point she needed money and ʿAbd Allāh gave it to her. After that, Aḥmad stopped taking the dirham from her, saying that it was now tainted.271 49.19

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ṣāliḥ meriwayatkan bahawa apabila bapanya jatuh sakit, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān si tabib menasihatinya supaya memanggang labu dan meminum airnya. 49.20

[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī:] Ṣāliḥ reported that when his father got sick, ʿAbd al- Raḥmān the healer advised him to roast a gourd and drink the juice. 49.20

"Dia memberitahu saya supaya tidak memasaknya di rumah saya atau di rumah ʿAbd Allāh," kata Ṣāliḥ.

“He told me not to cook it in my house or in ʿAbd Allāh’s,” said Ṣāliḥ.

Saya mendengar Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī berkata bahawa beliau mengambilnya, memasaknya, lalu membawanya kembali kepadanya.

I heard Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī say that he took it and cooked it and brought it back to him.

Ibn ʿAyyāsh: Aḥmad menghantar saya untuk membeli mentega cair bernilai satu duit sahaja untuknya.

[Ibn ʿAyyāsh:] Aḥmad sent me to buy him a single coin’s worth of clarified butter.

Saya membawakannya kepadanya dalam keadaan dibungkus dengan daun hijau.272 Dia mengambil mentega itu, memulangkan daun tersebut kepada saya, dan berkata, "Kembalikanlah."4921

I brought it to him wrapped in a green leaf.272 He took the butter, gave me back the leaf, and said, “Return it.” 49.21

[Al-Ṣaḥnāʾī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal memberi saya satu duit syiling untuk membeli sedikit kacang di atas roti dalam kuah. Saya pulang dengan banyak kacang, lalu dia bertanya mengapa. 49.22

[Al-Ṣaḥnāʾī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal gave me a single coin to buy some beans on bread in broth. I came back with a lot of beans and he asked why. 49.22

Terdapat dua orang penjual kacang yang cuba menjatuhkan harga satu sama lain. "Ambil balik," katanya. "Kembalikan makanan itu kepada penjual dan biarkan dia simpan wangnya." Saya melakukan seperti yang dia minta.

“There were two bean vendors trying to undersell each other.” “Take it back,” he said. “Give the vendor the food back and let him keep the money.” I did as he asked.

[Al-Mukharrimī:] Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah datang untuk menginap bersama kami, dan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal datang untuk menjenguknya. Aḥmad tidur di sini juga. Dia menyimpan sedikit roti untuk dirinya di dalam lengan bajunya dan minum air dari parit air, dan dia menunggu di luar sehingga Rawḥ muncul.

[Al-Mukharrimī:] Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah came to stay with us and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came to see him. Aḥmad slept right here. He kept some bread for himself in his sleeve and drank water from the watercourse, and he waited outside for Rawḥ to appear.

Kemudian Yaḥyā ibn Aktham datang bersama rombongannya. Dia duduk di hadapan Aḥmad dan mula mengajukan soalan-soalan kepadanya. Aḥmad hanya terus menundukkan pandangannya. Apabila Yaḥyā menyedari bahawa Aḥmad tidak akan menjawab, dia pun bangun dan beredar.273 49.23

Then Yaḥyā ibn Aktham showed up with an entourage. He sat in front of Aḥmad and started asking him questions. Aḥmad just kept looking down. When Yaḥyā realized he wasn’t going to respond, he got up and left.273 49.23

[Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad:] Seseorang dari rumah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal datang memberitahunya bahawa anaknya sakit dan mahukan mentega. Aḥmad memberikan satu duit syiling kepada salah seorang lelaki yang hadir dan menyuruhnya membeli sedikit mentega. Lelaki itu membawa balik mentega yang dibungkus dengan daun sawi. Sebaik sahaja melihatnya, Aḥmad bertanya, “Dari mana datangnya daun-daun itu?” 49.24

[Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad:] Someone from Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house came to tell him that his son was ill and wanted butter. Aḥmad gave a coin to one of the men present and told him to buy some butter. The man brought back some butter wrapped in leaves of chard. As soon as he saw them, Aḥmad asked, “Where did those leaves come from?” 49.24

"Dari kedai runcit." "Adakah kamu meminta izinnya untuk mengambilnya?" "Tidak." "Kembalikan semuanya!" [Ṣāliḥ:] Ketika saya mendapat seorang bayi, salah seorang kawan saya memberikan saya satu hadiah. Beberapa bulan kemudian, kawan yang sama itu memutuskan untuk pergi ke Basra. Dia bertanya kepada saya sama ada ayah saya akan menulis surat perkenalan kepada para tokoh di sana. Apabila saya bertanya kepada ayah saya, dia berkata, "Saya akan menulis untuknya, kecuali dia telah memberi kamu hadiah." 49.25

“From the grocer.” “Did you ask his permission to take them?” “No.” “Take it all back!” [Ṣāliḥ:] When I had a baby, one of my friends gave me a gift. Months later, the same friend decided to go to Basra. He asked me whether my father would write a letter of introduction to the elders there. When I asked my father he said, “I would write for him except that he gave you a gift.” 49.25

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Dahulu ada seorang lelaki tua di sini yang memberitahu kami, "Saya perasan Aḥmad menghidap kudis, lalu saya membawakan ubat untuknya dan menyuruhnya sapukan ubat itu pada ruam tersebut. Dia mengambilnya tetapi kemudian memulangkannya semula. Saya bertanya kepadanya mengapa, dan dia berkata, 'Engkau belajar Hadith bersamaku.'"274 49.26

[ʿAbd Allāh:] There was once an old man here who told us, “I noticed that Aḥmad was suffering from scabies, so I brought him some medicine and told him to put it on the rash. He took it but then gave it back. I asked him why, and he said, ‘You study Hadith with me.’”274 49.26

[Al-Harawī:] Kami sedang berada di depan pintu Hushaym apabila seseorang datang dengan surat pengenalan. Ketika mereka membuka pintu untuk membenarkan dia masuk, kami turut masuk, kecuali Aḥmad, yang tinggal di belakang. Ketika itu dia seorang pemuda, belum pun mencapai usia dua puluh tahun. 49.27

[Al-Harawī:] We were at Hushaym’s door when someone showed up with a letter of introduction. When they opened the door to let him in, we went in too, except for Aḥmad, who stayed back. He was a young man at the time—not even twenty. 49.27

"Ahmad, masuklah!" kata kami.

“Aḥmad, come on in!” we said.

"Tiada siapa yang memberi kebenaran kepada saya," jawabnya.

“No one gave me permission,” he replied.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad telah membuat beberapa pembaikan pada bumbung rumah yang dia sewakan kepada penenun. Pembaikan itu dilakukan sedemikian rupa sehingga paip saliran mengalirkan air ke jalan. Keesokan paginya dia berkata, “Panggil tukang kayu dan beritahu dia supaya pusingkan paip itu agar ia mengalirkan air ke rumah.” 49.28

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad had some repairs done on the roof of the house he rented out to the weavers. The repairs were done in such a way that the drainpipe emptied into the street. The next morning he said, “Call the carpenter and tell him to turn the pipe so it drains to the house.” 49.28

Saya telefon tukang kayu dan dia telah mengalihkan paip itu.275

I called the carpenter and he moved the pipe.275

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Saya menghadiri majlis hadis Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal selama dua tahun.

[Al-Ḥarbī:] I attended Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal’s Hadith sessions for two years.

Setiap kali beliau keluar untuk membacakan Hadith, beliau akan membawa keluar sebatang pena buluh dan sebuah dakwat yang berbalut kulit merah. Jika beliau mendapati kesilapan atau kekurangan dalam catatannya, beliau akan membetulkannya menggunakan pena dan dakwatnya sendiri; beliau terlalu berhati-hati untuk mengambil walau sedikit pun daripada kami. Kami akan bertanya sama ada beliau menghafal riwayat-riwayat tertentu, dan beliau akan menjawab, "Tidak, saya memerlukan catatan itu." 49.29

Whenever he came out to recite Hadith, he would bring out a reed pen and an inkpot covered in red leather. If he found an error or an omission in his transcript, he would correct it using his own pen and ink; he was too scrupulous to take any of ours. We would ask if he knew certain reports by heart, and he’d say, “No, I need the transcript.” 49.29

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Setiap kali Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—semoga Tuhan merahmatinya—keluar untuk mengajar kami, beliau sentiasa membawa sebatang pen buluh dan sebekas dakwat yang dibalut kulit. Beliau terlalu berhati-hati untuk mengambil dakwat kami bagi membetulkan huruf S atau apa-apa yang seumpamanya.276 49.30

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Whenever Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—God have mercy on him—came out to teach us, he always had a reed pen and a leather-covered inkpot. He was too scrupulous to take any of our ink to correct an S or any such thing.276 49.30

[Ibn Shabīb:] Saya pernah bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang Muḥammad ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Naysābūrī, lalu beliau berkata kepada saya, "Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā adalah seorang yang baik." 49.31

[Ibn Shabīb:] I once asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about Muḥammad ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Naysābūrī, and he said to me, “Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā is a fine man.” 49.31

[Pengarang:] Saya berkata: Di sini Aḥmad secara tidak langsung mencela Muḥammad bin Muʿawiyah, seorang pendusta yang diketahui, dengan memuji orang lain. Dalam riwayat lain beliau mencelanya secara terang-terangan, tetapi di sini dan di tempat lain beliau mengelak daripada berbuat demikian.

[The author:] I say: Here Aḥmad indirectly condemned Muḥammad ibn Muʿawiyah, a known liar, by praising someone else. In another report he condemns him, but here and elsewhere he avoids doing so.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Saya mendengar ayah saya berkata kepada Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, "Orang-orang memberitahu saya bahawa anda berkata, 'Saya mendengar Ismāʿīl, anak ʿUlayyah, meriwayatkan.'" 49.32

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I heard my father say to Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, “People tell me you say, ‘I heard Ismāʿīl, son of ʿUlayyah, report.’” 49.32

"Ya, saya memang berkata begitu." "Baiklah, jangan begitu. Katakan 'Ismā'īl, anak Ibrāhīm' sebaliknya. Saya pernah mendengar bahawa dia tidak suka dipanggil mengikut nama ibunya." Yaḥyā menerima arahan ini dengan lapang dada.

“Yes, I do say that.” “Well, don’t. Say ‘Ismāʿīl, son of Ibrāhīm,’ instead. I’ve heard that he doesn’t like being called after his mother.” Yaḥyā accepted this instruction with good grace.

[Pengarang:] Ramai orang dikenali umum dengan nama ibu mereka.

[The author:] A number of people are commonly known by their mothers’ names.

Antara mereka ialah Bilāl bin Ḥamāmah, Muʿādh bin ʿAfrāʾ, Bashīr bin al-Khaṣāṣiyah, Ibn Buḥaynah, Yaʿlā bin Munyah, dan ramai lagi, semuanya disebut dalam buku saya *Pollen for the Mind*. Walau apa pun keadaannya, sikap berhati-hati menuntut seseorang mengelak daripada menyebut orang lain dengan cara yang mereka tidak suka.

These include Bilāl son of Ḥamāmah, Muʿādh son of ʿAfrāʾ, Bashīr son of al- Khaṣāṣiyah, Ibn Buḥaynah, Yaʿlā son of Munyah, and many others, all mentioned in my book Pollen for the Mind. In any event, being scrupulous dictates that one avoid referring to people in a way they dislike.

[Al-Ruhāwī:] Saya pernah bertemu Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal di Baghdad dan beliau bertanya kepada saya, “Apa khabar lelaki al-Jawharī yang ada di Ḥarrān itu? Dia seorang yang berilmu.” 49.33

[Al-Ruhāwī:] I once met Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in Baghdad and he asked me, “Whatever happened to that man al-Jawharī you have there in Ḥarrān? He was learned.” 49.33

Saya menjawab bahawa saya tidak mengenali sesiapa dengan nama itu yang mengajar Hadith di Ḥarrān.

I replied that I knew of no one by that name teaching Hadith in Ḥarrān.

"Anda tahu siapa yang saya maksudkan: dia adalah rakan kepada Abū Maʿbad Ḥafṣ ibn Ghaylān." "Saya tidak mengenalinya." "Ayuhlah!" kata Aḥmad. "Dia mempunyai beberapa orang anak." "Adakah kamu maksudkan 'the Owl'?" "Ya!" katanya. "Belajarlah daripadanya: dia boleh dipercayai." [Pengarang:] Nama lelaki itu ialah Sulaymān ibn Abī Dāwūd dan dia digelar "the Owl." Kerana sikap berhati-hati, imam teladan kami Aḥmad mengelak daripada menggunakan gelarannya.

“You know who I mean: he was an associate of Abū Maʿbad Ḥafṣ ibn Ghaylān.” “I don’t know him.” “Come on!” said Aḥmad. “He has a number of sons.” “Do you mean ‘the Owl’?” “Yes!” he said. “Learn from him: he’s reliable.” [The author:] The man’s name was Sulaymān ibn Abī Dāwūd and he was called “the Owl.” Out of scrupulosity, our exemplar Aḥmad avoided using his nickname.

[Al-Sijistānī:] Pernah saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang sah atau tidaknya lafaz talak yang diucapkan oleh seorang lelaki yang mabuk. Beliau berkata, “Tanyalah orang lain.”277 49.34

[Al-Sijistānī:] I once asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about the validity of a declaration of divorce pronounced by a drunken man. He said, “Ask someone else.”277 49.34

[Al-Ḥarbī:] Ketika di ranjang kematiannya, Aḥmad meminta supaya kami membayar kaffarah baginya atas satu nazar yang pernah dibuatnya, sambil berkata, "Saya rasa saya telah melanggarnya."278 49.35

[Al-Ḥarbī:] On his deathbed Aḥmad asked that we make expiation for him for one vow he had made, saying “I think I broke it.”278 49.35

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Berkali-kali saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal tentang sesuatu, dan beliau menjawab, "Saya tidak tahu." 49.36

[Al-Marrūdhī:] More times than I can count, I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about something and he said, “I don’t know.” 49.36

[Al-Yamāmī:] Saya mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berkata, "Berkali-kali saya menunggu selama tiga tahun sebelum mengetahui apa yang harus saya fikirkan tentang suatu masalah hukum." 49.37

[Al-Yamāmī:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “Many times I’ve waited three years before knowing what to think about a problem of law.” 49.37

[Al-Athram:] Saya sering mendengar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, apabila seseorang bertanya kepadanya tentang sesuatu masalah, berkata bahawa beliau tidak tahu. Beliau berkata begitu walaupun beliau mengetahui apa yang telah dikatakan mengenainya. Apabila diminta untuk memberikan jawapan yang beliau pilih, beliau akan menyatakan bahawa terdapat perselisihan pendapat. Apa yang beliau maksudkan dengan kata-kata "saya tidak tahu" ialah beliau tidak tahu pendapat mana yang patut dipilih. Saya sering mendengar beliau berkata, "Saya tidak tahu," kemudian mula menyebutkan pendapat-pendapat ulama. 49.38

[Al-Athram:] I often heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, when someone asked him a question, say that he didn’t know. He would say this even when he was aware of what had been said about it. When asked to give the answer he preferred, he would note that there was a difference of opinion. What he meant when he said “I don’t know” was that he didn’t know which view to choose. I often heard him say, “I don’t know,” and then start citing opinions. 49.38

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Ketika saya bersama Aḥmad di istana Ītākh di Samarra, saya menunjuk kepada sesuatu yang telah dipasang di dinding.279 Beliau berkata kepada saya supaya tidak melihatnya. 49.39

[Al-Marrūdhī:] When I was with Aḥmad in Ītākh’s palace in Samarra, I pointed out something that had been put up on the wall.279 He told me not to look at it. 49.39

"Tapi saya sudah melakukannya," kata saya.

“But I already did,” I said.

"Ya sudah, jangan."

“Well, don’t.”