[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Bbapa saudara Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pernah datang menemuinya dan mendapatinya sedang menongkat dagu dengan tangannya. "Anak saudaraku," tanyanya, "apa yang menggusarkanmu? Mengapa kamu murung sebegini?" 55.1

[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s uncle once went to see him and found him with his chin cupped in his hand. “Nephew,” he asked, “what’s troubling you? Why so glum?” 55.1

"Pak cik," jawab Aḥmad, "kebahagiaan ialah apabila Tuhan memastikan tiada seorang pun pernah mendengar tentang kamu." [Abū Ḥātim:] Ayah saya berkata, "Cukup sekadar melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal untuk mengetahui bahawa dia tidak cuba menunjuk-nunjuk kezuhudannya. Saya pernah melihat dia memakai selipar yang tidak menyerupai selipar yang dipakai oleh para pembaca Qur'an292. Hujung selipar itu besar dan melengkung ke belakang, dan talinya terkulai longgar. Ia kelihatan seperti sesuatu yang dibeli untuknya dari pasar. Saya juga pernah melihat dia memakai kain cawat dan jubah bercorak garis berwarna biru langit."293 55.2

“Uncle,” Aḥmad replied, “happiness is when God makes sure that no one’s ever heard of you.” [Abū Ḥātim:] My father said, “All you had to do was look at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to see that he wasn’t trying to show off how ascetic he was. I saw him wearing sandals that didn’t look like the sandals that the Qurʾan-readers292 wear. The toe-end was big and curled back and the strap hung loose. They looked like something bought for him from the market. I also saw him wearing a breechclout and a striped gown of a skyblue color.”293 55.2

Dengan berpakaian sedemikian, Aḥmad cuba mengelak—atau begitulah anggapan saya, walaupun hanya Tuhan yang mengetahui kebenarannya—daripada kelihatan seperti seorang pembaca al-Qur'an, dengan harapan dia akan kehilangan reputasinya sebagai orang yang warak.

By dressing this way Aḥmad was trying to avoid—or so I think, though God alone knows the truth—looking like a Qurʾan-reader, in the hope of losing his reputation for piety.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad pernah berkata kepadaku, "Sampaikan kepada ʿAbd al-Wahhāb supaya dia menyembunyikan cahayanya di bawah cupak. Kemasyhuran tidak membawa kepadaku apa-apa selain penderitaan." 55.3

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad once said to me, “Tell ʿAbd al-Wahhāb to hide his light under a bushel. Fame has brought me nothing but suffering.” 55.3

[Al-Khallāl:] Saya mendengar beliau berkata, "Demi Allah, jika aku tahu jalan untuk meninggalkan kota ini, nescaya aku akan meninggalkannya. Ketika itu tiada seorang pun yang akan menyebut namaku kepada mereka, dan mereka akan melupakan aku."294

[Al-Khallāl:] I heard him say, “I swear that if I knew a way to leave this city, I’d leave it. Then no one would mention me to them, and they’d forget about me.”294

[Isḥāq:] Saya pernah melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal kembali masuk ke rumahnya selepas menunaikan solat Subuh. Beliau berkata kepada orang ramai, "Jangan ikut aku!" 55.4

[Isḥāq:] I once saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal going back inside his house after praying the dawn prayer. He was telling people, “Stop following me around!” 55.4

[Ibn Hārūn:] Saya ingat bahawa Aḥmad tidak suka apabila orang mengikutinya di jalanan. 55.5

[Ibn Hārūn:] I remember that Aḥmad didn’t like it when people followed him down the street. 55.5

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Apabila ayahku keluar pada hari Jumaat, dia tidak membenarkan sesiapa pun mengikutinya. Dia sering berhenti dan menunggu sehingga mereka berputus asa lalu pergi. 55.6

[ʿAbd Allāh:] When my father went out on Fridays he wouldn’t let anyone follow him. He would often stop and wait until they gave up and went away. 55.6

[Isḥāq:] Saya melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal berjalan seorang diri seolah-olah dia seorang yang tidak penting. 55.7

[Isḥāq:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal walking all by himself as if he were a man of no importance. 55.7