Aḥmad memulakan pengajiannya bersama para ulama Baghdad. Kemudian beliau mengembara ke Kufah, Basrah, Makkah, Madinah, Yaman, Syam, dan utara Iraq, sambil menulis apa yang diperolehinya daripada ahli ilmu di setiap wilayah yang dikunjunginya. 4.1

Aḥmad began his studies with the learned men of Baghdad. He then traveled to Kufa, Basra, Mecca, Medina, Yemen, Syria, and northern Iraq, writing down what he acquired from the men of learning in each region he visited. 4.1

[Aḥmad:] Guru pertama yang hadisnya saya tuliskan ialah Abū Yūsuf. 4.2

[Aḥmad:] The first teacher whose Hadith I wrote down was Abū Yūsuf.26 4.2

[Aḥmad:] Saya mula belajar Hadith ketika berumur enam belas tahun. Apabila Hushaym meninggal dunia, saya berumur dua puluh tahun. Saya pertama kali mendengar Hadith daripadanya pada tahun 179 [795–96]. 4.3

[Aḥmad:] I started learning Hadith when I was sixteen. When Hushaym died, I was twenty. I first heard Hadith from him in 179 [795–96]. 4.3

[Aḥmad:] Saya mulakan pada tahun '79 [795–96], ketika saya berusia enam belas tahun.27 Itulah tahun pertama saya belajar Hadis. Saya masih ingat seseorang datang kepada kami dan berkata bahawa Ḥammād ibn Zayd telah meninggal dunia. Itulah juga tahun kami kehilangan Mālik ibn Anas. Pada tahun 198 [813–14], ketika kami sedang belajar bersama ʿAbd al-Razzāq di Yaman, kami mendengar bahawa Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, dan Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd juga telah pergi.28 4.4

[Aḥmad:] I started in ’79 [795–96], when I was sixteen.27 That was my first year studying Hadith. I remember someone coming up to us and saying that Ḥammād ibn Zayd was dead. That was also the year we lost Mālik ibn Anas. In 198 [813–14], when we were studying with ʿAbd al-Razzāq in Yemen, we heard that Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, and Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd were gone, too.28 4.4

[Aḥmad:] Saya mendengar Hadis daripada Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb di Basrah pada tahun ’94 [809–10], dan daripada Abū l-Nuʿmān ʿĀrim pada tahun yang sama, dan juga daripada ʿUmar al-Ḥawḍī.

[Aḥmad:] I heard Hadith from Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb in Basra in ’94 [809–10], and from Abū l-Nuʿmān ʿĀrim in the same year, and from ʿUmar al-Ḥawḍī too.

[Aḥmad:] Saya mula mempelajari Hadith pada tahun '79. 4.5

[Aḥmad:] I started studying Hadith in ’79. 4.5

[Aḥmad:] Saya mula mempelajari Hadis pada tahun ’79. Saya masih ingat pergi ke majlis Ibn al-Mubārak tetapi tidak sempat menemuinya. Beliau pernah datang kepada kami dahulu pada tahun ’79. 4.6

[Aḥmad:] I started studying Hadith in ’79. I remember going to Ibn al-Mubārak’s circle but missing him. He’d come to us first in ’79. 4.6

[Aḥmad:] Saya belajar dengan ʿAlī ibn Hāshim ibn al-Barīd pada tahun '79, tahun pertama saya belajar Hadis. Kemudian saya kembali kepadanya untuk satu sesi lagi, tetapi beliau telah meninggal dunia pada masa itu.

[Aḥmad:] I studied with ʿAlī ibn Hāshim ibn al-Barīd in ’79, my first year studying Hadith. Then I went back to him for another session but he had died in the meantime.

Mālik ibn Anas wafat pada tahun itu juga. 4.7

Mālik ibn Anas died that year too. 4.7

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ayah saya berkata, "Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh, iaitu al-Ṭaḥḥān (tukang kisar), Abū l-Aḥwaṣ, Mālik ibn Anas, dan Ḥammād ibn Zayd, semuanya meninggal dunia pada tahun '79."

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father said, “Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh, meaning al-Ṭaḥḥān (the miller), and Abū l-Aḥwaṣ, Mālik ibn Anas, and Ḥammād ibn Zayd all died in ’79.

Mālik wafat sebentar sebelum Ḥammād. Itulah tahun saya mulai mempelajari Hadith. Saya masih ingat kami berkumpul di pintu rumah Hushaym, dan dia sedang mendiktekan kitab tentang Jenazah atau Ritus”29—saya tidak ingat yang mana yang dia sebutkan—ketika seorang lelaki yang datang dari Basra berkata bahawa Ḥammād ibn Zayd telah meninggal dunia. 4.8

Mālik died shortly before Ḥammād. That was the year I started studying Hadith. I remember we were gathered at the door of Hushaym’s house and he was dictating either Funerals or Rites”29—I can’t recall which he said—“when a man coming from Basra said that Ḥammād ibn Zayd was dead.” 4.8

[Ṣāliḥ:] Saya mendengar ayah saya berkata: "Saya mula belajar ketika berumur enam belas tahun. Guru pertama yang saya dengar ialah Hushaym, pada tahun 79. Pada tahun yang sama, Ibn al-Mubārak datang ke Baghdad buat kali terakhir. Saya pergi ke majlisnya, tetapi mereka memberitahu saya bahawa beliau telah berangkat ke Tarsus.30 Beliau wafat pada tahun 81. Saya menghabiskan tahun 79 menulis riwayat-riwayat Hadith yang diajarkan Hushaym kepada kami. Kami meneruskan pengajian bersamanya pada tahun 80, 81, dan 83, iaitu ketika beliau wafat, selepas beliau mendiktekan Kitab Haji, yang mengandungi kira-kira seribu riwayat Hadith, sebahagian tafsir al-Qur'an, Kitab Kehakiman, dan beberapa perkara kecil lain."31 4.9

[Ṣāliḥ:] I heard my father say: “I began learning when I was sixteen. The first teacher I heard was Hushaym, in ’79. In that same year, Ibn al-Mubārak came to Baghdad for the last time. I went to his circle but they told me that he had left for Tarsus.30 He died in ’81. I spent ’79 writing down the Hadith reports that Hushaym was teaching us. We continued with him in ’80, ’81, and ’83, when he died, after dictating the Book on Pilgrimage, which had about a thousand Hadith reports, some interpretation of the Qurʾan, the Book on Judgeship, and some smaller things.”31 4.9

Saya menyangka bahawa dia telah menulis tiga ribu laporan kesemuanya.

I said I supposed that he had written three thousand reports in all.

"Tambah lagi," katanya. Dia meneruskan: "Saya ingat kami sedang berkumpul di pintu Hushaym, dan dia sedang mendiktekan kitab Janazah ketika kami mendengar bahawa Hammad bin Zayd telah meninggal dunia."

“More,” he said. He continued: “I remember we were gathered at Hu-shaym’s door and he was dictating Funerals when we heard that Ḥammād ibn Zayd had died.

Saya juga mendengar hadis daripada ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ʿAbd Allāh ibn Khālid Abī l-Ḥasan al-ʿAbsī pada tahun 82, sebelum Hushaym meninggal dunia.

“I also heard Hadith from ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ʿAbd Allāh ibn Khālid Abī l-Ḥasan al- ʿAbsī in ’82, before Hushaym died.

Saya juga meriwayatkan hadis daripada ʿAlī ibn Mujāhid al-Kābulī, yang berasal dari Rey dan digelar Abū Mujāhid. Itu adalah tahun ketika saya membuat perjalanan pertama saya. ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus tiba di Kufah beberapa hari selepas saya meninggalkannya. Itu berlaku pada tahun ’82.

“I also heard Hadith from ʿAlī ibn Mujāhid al-Kābulī, who was from Rey and was called Abū Mujāhid. That was the year I made my first trip. ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus reached Kufa a few days after I left. That was in ’82.

“Lawatan pertama saya ke Basrah ialah pada tahun ’86. Pada tahun ’87 saya pergi mencari Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah. Kami terlambat untuk menemui Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ sebelum dia meninggal dunia. Itulah tahun saya pertama kali menunaikan haji. Saya menulis Hadis daripada Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿd dan solat di belakangnya beberapa kali. Pada penghujung solat, dia hanya mengucapkan taslīm sekali sahaja.32 Sekiranya saya mempunyai lima puluh dirham, saya akan pergi ke Rey untuk menemui Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Beberapa orang pelajar yang lain pergi, tetapi saya tidak mampu.” Dia menambah: “Apabila saya pergi ke Kufah, saya menginap di sebuah bilik tempat saya tidur dengan kepala bersandar pada sebiji batu bata. Saya diserang demam, lalu pulang kepada ibu saya, semoga Allah merahmatinya!” [Aḥmad:] Sekiranya saya mempunyai lima puluh dirham, saya akan pergi ke Rey untuk menemui Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Beberapa orang rakan pelajar saya pergi, tetapi saya tidak mampu kerana saya tidak mempunyai apa-apa untuk dibelanjakan. 4.10

“My first trip to Basra was in ’86. In ’87 I went to find Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah. We were too late to see Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ before he died. That was the year I went on pilgrimage for the first time. I wrote down Hadith from Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿd and prayed behind him several times. At the end of the prayer, he would say the taslīm only once.32 If I had had fifty dirhams, I would have gone out to Rey to see Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Some of the other students went but I couldn’t.” He added: “When I went to Kufa, I stayed in a room where I slept with my head resting on a brick. I came down with fever and went back to my mother, God show her mercy!” [Aḥmad:] If I had had fifty dirhams I would have gone out to Rey to see Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Some of my fellow students went but I couldn’t because I had nothing to spend. 4.10

[Aḥmad:] Ketika aku pergi ke Kufah, aku tinggal di sebuah bilik tempat aku tidur dengan kepala beralaskan sebuah batu bata. Aku jatuh sakit demam lalu aku pulang kepada ibuku. Aku tidak pernah meminta izinnya untuk pergi. 4.11

[Aḥmad:] When I went to Kufa, I stayed in a room where I slept with my head resting on a brick. I came down with fever and went back to my mother. I had never asked her permission to leave. 4.11

[Al-ʿAbbādānī:] Saya mendengar Ibn Ḥanbal berkata, "Saya sampai di ʿAbbādān pada tahun '86, sekitar sepuluh hari terakhir bulan Rajab. Tahun itu saya pergi untuk menemui al-Muʿtamir. Ada seorang lelaki di sana yang terlibat dalam Perdebatan."33 4.12

[Al-ʿAbbādānī:] I heard Ibn Ḥanbal say, “I reached ʿAbbādān in ’86 sometime during the last ten days of Rajab. I had gone that year to see al-Muʿtamir. There was a man there involved in Disputation.”33 4.12

"Maksud awak Haddāb?"34

“You mean Haddāb?”34

"Betul! Abū l-Rabīʿ juga ada di situ, dan saya ada menulis beberapa riwayatnya." [Aḥmad:] Ada hari-hari di mana saya cuba keluar awal untuk menghadiri majlis hadith, tetapi ibu saya akan menarik baju saya dan menahan saya, sambil berkata, "Tunggu sehingga azan!" atau "Tunggu sehingga orang bangun!" 4.13

“Right! Abū l-Rabīʿ was there too, and I wrote down some of his reports.” [Aḥmad:] Some days I tried to leave for Hadith sessions as early as I could but my mother would grab me by the clothes and pull me back, saying, “Wait until the call to prayer!” or “Wait until people wake up!” 4.13

Saya dahulu biasa pergi awal untuk mendengar Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh dan yang lain-lain.

I used to go early to hear Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh and others.

[Aḥmad:] Saya sedang belajar bersama Yaḥyā bin Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān (saudagar kapas), kemudian saya berangkat ke Wāsiṭ. Yaḥyā bin Saʿīd datang mencari saya, lalu mereka memberitahunya ke mana saya pergi. 4.14

[Aḥmad:] I was studying with Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān (the cotton merchant) and then left for Wāsiṭ. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd came asking for me and they told him where I’d gone. 4.14

"Apa yang dia lakukan di Wāsiṭ?" tanyanya.

“What’s he doing in Wāsiṭ?” he asked.

"Belajar bersama Yazīd ibn Hārūn." "Untuk apa?" tanya Yaḥyā.

“Studying with Yazīd ibn Hārūn.” “What for?” asked Yaḥyā.

[Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] Dengan itu Yaḥyā bermaksud bahawa Aḥmad lebih berilmu daripada lelaki yang dia pergi belajar kepadanya.

[Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] By that Yaḥyā meant that Aḥmad knew more than the man he’d gone to study with.

[Aḥmad:] Saya telah mengunjungi Basrah lima kali. Yang pertama adalah pada awal Rejab 186.

[Aḥmad:] I’ve visited Basra five times. The first was at the beginning of Rajab 186.

Itulah ketika saya mendengar Hadith daripada al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān. Kali kedua ialah pada tahun '90. Kali ketiga ialah pada tahun '94, selepas Ghundar meninggal dunia.35 Saya belajar bersama Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd selama enam bulan. Pada tahun 200 saya pergi lagi.36 4.15

That’s when I heard Hadith from al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān. The second time was in ’90. The third was in ’94, after Ghundar died.35 I studied with Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd for six months. In 200 I went again.36 4.15

[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāshim:] Apabila Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd datang ke Baghdad, dia pergi menumpang di rumah keluarga Musayyab. Selepas Jarīr menyeberang ke Tebing Timur, Sungai Tigris naik. Saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal sama ada dia mahu menyeberang bersama saya. 4.16

[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāshim:] When Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd came to Baghdad he went to stay with the family of Musayyab. After Jarīr had crossed over to the East Side, the Tigris rose. I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal if he wanted to cross with me. 4.16

"Ibu saya tidak membenarkan saya," katanya. Maka saya menyeberang sendirian dan menyertai halaqah Jarīr.

“My mother won’t let me,” he said. So I crossed alone and joined Jarīr’s circle.

[Pengarang:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal memang pernah mendengar hadith daripada Jarīr, walaupun beliau tidak sempat mendengar banyak daripadanya.

[The author:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal did hear Hadith from Jarīr, though he did not have the chance to hear very much.

Banjir yang disebut di sini berlaku pada tahun 186 (H), pada zaman pemerintahan al-Rashīd. Sungai Tigris naik dengan jelas melimpahi tebingnya dan mencapai paras yang lebih tinggi daripada yang pernah dilihat oleh sesiapa sebelum itu. Al-Rashīd mengarahkan supaya keluarganya, wanita-wanitanya, dan hartanya dinaikkan ke atas kapal-kapal.

The flooding mentioned here took place in 186, during the reign of al-Rashīd. The Tigris rose visibly in its banks and reached a point higher than anyone had ever seen before. Al-Rashīd had his family, his womenfolk, and his property put aboard ships.

Abū ʿAlī l-Baradānī meriwayatkan: “Gabenor Baghdad pada masa itu ialah al-Sindī ibn Shāhak, yang digelar ‘anak Shāhak’ sempena nama ibunya. Demi menjaga keselamatan orang ramai, dia melarang mereka menyeberangi sungai.” [Aḥmad:] Saya menulis Hadis yang didiktekan kepada kami oleh Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb ketika Ibn ʿUyaynah masih hidup. 4.17

Abū ʿAlī l-Baradānī reported: “The governor of Baghdad at the time was al-Sindī ibn Shāhak, called ‘son of Shāhak’ after his mother. To keep people safe, he forbade them to cross the river.” [Aḥmad:] I wrote down Hadith dictated for us by Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb while Ibn ʿUyaynah was still alive. 4.17

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ayah saya berjalan kaki sepanjang jalan hingga ke Tarsus.37 4.18

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father walked all the way to Tarsus on foot.37 4.18

[Ḥanbal:] Saya mendengar Aḥmad berkata, "ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī tiba pada tahun '80 [796–97], ketika Abū Bakr"—yakni Ibn ʿAyyāsh—"berada di sini. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ketika itu berusia empat puluh lima tahun dan telah mewarnai janggutnya dengan inai. Saya biasa melihatnya di masjid Jumaat."

[Ḥanbal:] I heard Aḥmad say, “ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī arrived in ’80 [796– 97], while Abū Bakr”—meaning Ibn ʿAyyāsh—“was here. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was forty-five and had dyed his beard with henna. I used to see him in the Friday mosque.

Kemudian dia datang ke Baghdad. Kami bertemu dengannya di sana, dan dia mendiktekan enam atau tujuh ratus riwayatnya untuk kami. Pada tahun ’80 dia biasa menghadiri majlis Abū Bakr.” 4.19

Then he came to Baghdad. We joined him there, and he dictated six or seven hundred of his reports for us. It was in ’80 that he used to attend Abū Bakr’s circle.” 4.19

[Ibn Manīʿ:] Saya mendengar datuk saya bercerita tentang melihat Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal pulang dari Kufah. 4.20

[Ibn Manīʿ:] I heard my grandfather talk about seeing Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal coming back from Kufa. 4.20

"Dia membawa sebuah beg kulit kecil yang berisi beberapa dokumen. Saya memegang tangannya dan berkata, 'Hari ini Kufah; esok Basrah lagi! Sampai bila kamu mahu terus begini? Kamu sudah menyalin tiga puluh ribu Hadith; bukankah itu sudah cukup?' "Dia tidak berkata apa-apa. Saya bertanya, 'Bagaimana jika kamu sampai enam puluh ribu?' "Dia masih diam."

“He was carrying a satchel with some documents in it. I took his hand and said, ‘Today it’s Kufa; tomorrow it’ll be Basra again! How much longer can you keep this up? You’ve already copied thirty thousand Hadith; isn’t that enough?’ “He said nothing. I asked, ‘What if you reach sixty thousand?’ “He was still silent.

“Seratus ribu?” “‘Pada tahap itu,’ jawabnya, ‘barulah seseorang boleh mendakwa dia mengetahui sesuatu.’” Kami memeriksa dan mendapati bahawa Aḥmad telah menulis 300,000 riwayat yang diriwayatkan oleh Bahz ibn Asad dan ʿAffān sahaja.

“‘A hundred thousand?’ “‘At that point,’ he replied, ‘a man might claim to know something.’” We checked and found that Aḥmad had written down 300,000 reports transmitted by Bahz ibn Asad and ʿAffān alone.

[Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yāsīn:] Saya rasa Ibnu Manīʿ mungkin telah menambahkan "dan Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah." [Aḥmad:] Saya pergi ke Yaman untuk mencari Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl, yang bersifat kasar dan enggan menemui sesiapa. Dengan menunggu di depan pintunya selama sehari atau dua hari, saya berjaya menemuinya dan dia membacakan dua riwayat Hadis untuk saya. Dia juga mengetahui riwayat-riwayat yang Wahb perolehi daripada Jābir, tetapi saya tidak pernah sempat mendengarnya kerana sifat kasarnya. Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm juga mengetahui riwayat-riwayat itu, tetapi dia enggan membacakannya kerana Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl masih hidup. Maka saya tidak pernah mendengarnya daripada sesiapa. 4.21

[Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yāsīn:] I think Ibn Manīʿ may have added “and Rawḥ ibn ʿUbādah.” [Aḥmad:] I went to Yemen to find Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl, who was bad-tempered and refused to see anyone. By waiting at his door for a day or two, I managed to see him and he recited two Hadith reports for me. He also knew the reports that Wahb had gotten from Jābir, but I never got to hear them because of his bad temper. Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm knew those reports too, but he refused to recite them because Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAqīl was still alive. So I never heard them from anyone. 4.21

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] Ayah saya sedang bermusafir bersama Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal untuk mencari Hadis apabila kapal mereka karam dan mereka terdampar di sebuah pulau. Di sana mereka menjumpai tulisan berikut pada sebuah batu: “Tidak lama lagi, semua manusia akan mendapati diri mereka dalam kekayaan atau dalam kepapaan. Setelah mereka dihimpunkan di hadapan Tuhan Yang Maha Kuasa, Dia akan menghantar sebahagian ke Syurga dan sebahagian ke Neraka.”38 4.22

[Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq:] My father was traveling with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in search of Hadith when their ship was wrecked and they washed up on an island. There they found the following written on a stone: “Soon enough, all men will find themselves in riches or in want. After they are gathered before God Almighty, He will send some to the Garden and some to the Fire.”38 4.22

[Khushnām:] Saya bertanya kepada Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal sama ada Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā pernah menjadi sumber sunnah yang boleh dipercayai. 4.23

[Khushnām:] I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal whether Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā had been a reliable source of sunnah. 4.23

“Saya memang fikir begitu,” jawab Ibn Ḥanbal. “Kalau saya mampu, saya sudah pergi menemuinya.” [Ṣāliḥ:] Setelah berazam untuk menunaikan haji ke Mekah, ayah saya berangkat bersama Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. Selepas haji, kata ayah saya, dia akan pergi ke Sanaa untuk mendengar Hadith daripada ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.24

“I certainly thought so,” replied Ibn Ḥanbal. “If I’d been able to afford it, I’d have gone to see him.” [Ṣāliḥ:] After resolving to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, my father set out in the company of Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. After the pilgrimage, said my father, he would go to Sanaa to hear Hadith from ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.24

"Ketika kami sampai di Makkah," katanya kepada saya kemudian, "kami mulai bertawaf mengelilingi Ka'bah, sebagaimana lazimnya begitu seseorang tiba. Kemudian, siapa yang Yahya kenali selain 'Abd al-Razzaq? Setelah selesai bertawaf, kami semua solat dua rakaat di belakang Maqam, lalu duduk. Kemudian Yahya bangkit, menghampiri 'Abd al-Razzaq, dan memberi salam kepadanya. "'Ini saudaramu, Ahmad bin Hanbal,' katanya, memperkenalkan saya."

“When we reached Mecca,” he told me later, “we began to walk around the Kaʿbah, the way you do as soon as you arrive. Then who does Yaḥyā recognize but ʿAbd al-Razzāq? When we finished the walk, all of us prayed two cycles39 behind the Maqām40 and sat down. Then Yaḥyā got up, went over to ʿAbd al-Razzāq, and greeted him.“ ‘This is your brother Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal,’ he said, introducing me.

"‘Semoga Tuhan memelihara dia dan menguatkan keazamannya!’ kata ʿAbd al-Razzāq. ‘Saya telah banyak mendengar perkara baik tentangnya.’ “‘Insya-Allah,’ kata Yaḥyā, ‘kami akan datang menemui kamu esok dan menyalin laporan-laporan kamu.’” Selepas ʿAbd al-Razzāq beredar, ayah saya menoleh kepada Yaḥyā dan bertanya mengapa dia berkata demikian."

“‘God keep him, and strengthen his resolve!’ said ʿAbd al-Razzāq. ‘I’ve heard so many good things about him.’ “‘God willing,’ said Yaḥyā, ‘we’ll come see you tomorrow and copy down your reports.’” After ʿAbd al-Razzāq left, my father turned to Yaḥyā and asked why he had said that.

“Maka kita boleh mendengar Hadisnya di sini,” kata Yaḥyā. “Tuhan telah menyelamatkan kamu daripada perjalanan pergi dan balik selama sebulan, belum lagi kos perjalanan itu.” “Tuhan tidak akan merestui,” kata ayah saya, “jika saya melihatnya di sini sedangkan saya sudah bertekad untuk melihatnya di tempat lain.”41

“So we can hear his Hadith right here,” said Yaḥyā. “God’s just saved you a month of travel back and forth, not to mention the cost of the journey.” “God would never approve,” said my father, “of my seeing him here when I’ve already resolved to see him somewhere else.”41

Akhirnya, untuk mendengar ʿAbd al-Razzāq, ayah saya bermusafir jauh hingga ke Sanaa.

In the end, to hear ʿAbd al-Razzāq, my father traveled all the way to Sanaa.

[Aḥmad:] Saya terlepas mendengar Hadis daripada Mālik ibn Anas, tetapi Tuhan mengutus Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah untuk menggantikan tempatnya. Saya juga terlepas Ḥammād ibn Zayd, tetapi Tuhan mengutus Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah. 4.25

[Aḥmad:] I missed hearing Hadith from Mālik ibn Anas, but God sent me Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah to take his place. I also missed Ḥammād ibn Zayd, but God sent me Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah. 4.25

[Aḥmad ibn Sinān:] Sekumpulan pelajar dari Baghdad, antaranya Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, datang menemui Yazīd ibn Hārūn. Kesemua mereka telah meminjam wang daripada saya dan membayarnya semula, kecuali Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Daripada meminjam, dia memberikan jubahnya yang berbulu kepada saya, lalu saya menjualnya dengan harga tujuh dirham.42 4.26

[Aḥmad ibn Sinān:] A group of Baghdadi students, among them Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, came to see Yazīd ibn Hārūn. All of them borrowed money from me and paid it back—except for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Instead of borrowing, he gave me his fur and I sold it for seven dirhams.42 4.26

[Aḥmad:] Di al-Raqqah, perawi terbaik yang saya temui ialah Fayyāḍ ibn Muḥammad ibn Sinān, seorang mawlā kepada Quraysh.43 Rumahnya dibina bersebelahan masjid Jumaat. Beliau meninggal dunia di al-Raqqah sekitar selepas tahun 200 [815–16]. 4.27

[Aḥmad:] In al-Raqqah the best transmitter I found was Fayyāḍ ibn Muḥammad ibn Sinān, a client of Quraysh.43 His house was built against the Friday mosque. He died in al-Raqqah sometime after 200 [815–16]. 4.27

[Ṣāliḥ:] Seorang lelaki pernah ternampak ayah saya membawa bekas dakwat, lalu dia berkata kepadanya, "Apa lagi yang kamu perlukan dengan itu? Kamu ialah imam kaum Muslimin!" 4.28

[Ṣāliḥ:] A man once noticed my father carrying an inkpot and said to him, “What do you still need that for? You’re the imam of the Muslims!” 4.28

"Saya akan memerlukannya sehingga mereka menanamkan saya," jawabnya.

“I’ll need it until they bury me,” he answered.

[Aḥmad:] "Saya akan berhenti menuntut ilmu apabila saya sudah mati dan dikebumikan." 4.29

[Aḥmad:] “I’ll stop seeking knowledge when I’m dead and buried.” 4.29

[Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl:] Ayah saya adalah seorang tukang emas di Baghdad. Pada suatu hari saya sedang bekerja bersamanya apabila Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal lalu berlari dengan selipar di tangannya. Ayah saya memegang pakaiannya—begini—dan berkata, “Aḥmad! Tidakkah kamu malu lagi berlari-larian seperti budak sekolah?” 4.30

[Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl:] My father was a goldsmith in Baghdad. One day I was working with him when Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal came running by with his sandals in his hand. My father took hold of his clothing—like this—and said, “Aḥmad! Aren’t you ashamed still to be racing around like a schoolboy?” 4.30

"Saya akan terus berusaha sehingga saya mati," jawabnya.

“I’ll keep at it until I’m dead,” he replied.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Sekali ketika saya pergi ke Makkah, saya tinggal di sebuah rumah di mana seorang lelaki tua, seorang Makkah bernama Abū Bakr ibn Samāʿah, berkata kepada saya, "Ayahmu pernah tinggal bersama kami di sini ketika saya masih kanak-kanak. Ibu saya berkata kepada saya: 'Rapatlah dengan lelaki itu dan jagalah dia kerana dia seorang yang soleh,' maka saya selalu menjaganya. 4.31

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Once when I went to Mecca, I stayed in a house where an elderly man, a Meccan called Abū Bakr ibn Samāʿah, told me, “Your father stayed with us here when I was a boy. My mother told me: ‘Stick close to that man and look after him because he’s a righteous man,’ so I used to look after him. 4.31

“Pada suatu hari, ketika beliau keluar untuk mempelajari Hadis, selimut dan barang-barangnya dicuri. Apabila beliau pulang, ibu saya berkata kepadanya, ‘Beberapa pencuri telah memecah masuk dan mengambil barang-barang awak.’ ‘Bagaimana dengan batu tulis saya?’ tanya beliau. Apabila ibu memberitahu bahawa batu-batu tulis itu selamat di dalam ceruk, beliau tidak bertanya apa-apa lagi.” [ʿAbd Allāh:] Ayah saya berjalan kaki sejauh Tarsus, dan juga ke Yaman. 4.32

“One day, while he was out studying Hadith, his bedclothes and belongings were stolen. When he came home, my mother said to him, ‘Some thieves broke in and took your things.’ “‘What about my slates?’ he asked. When she told him they were safe in the alcove, he asked no more questions.” [ʿAbd Allāh:] My father walked all the way to Tarsus on foot, and to Yemen as well. 4.32

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Ayah saya berkata, "ʿAbd al-Razzāq tidak pernah mengajar kami apa pun dari hafalan kecuali pada pertama kali kami duduk bersamanya. Kami tiba pada waktu malam dan mendapatinya sedang duduk di suatu tempat, lalu dia mendiktekan tujuh puluh riwayat Hadis kepada kami. Kemudian dia menoleh kepada kumpulan itu dan berkata, 'Satu-satunya sebab aku mengajarkan Hadis kepada kalian malam ini adalah kerana siapa tetamu kita.'" 4.33

[ʿAbd Allāh:] My father said, “ʿAbd al-Razzāq never taught us anything from memory except the first time we sat with him. We arrived at night and found him sitting somewhere, and he dictated seventy Hadith reports for us. Then he turned to the group and said, ‘The only reason I’ve taught you Hadith tonight is because of who our guest is.’” 4.33

Dengan ini dia maksudkan ayah saya.

By this he meant my father.

[Al-Dawraqī:] Saya melihat Ibn Ḥanbal sejurus selepas beliau pulang dari menemui ʿAbd al-Razzāq di Yaman. Wajahnya pucat dan letih. Saya memberitahunya bahawa beliau telah memaksa dirinya terlalu keras dengan pergi menemui ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.34

[Al-Dawraqī:] I saw Ibn Ḥanbal right after he came back from seeing ʿAbd al- Razzāq in Yemen. He looked pale and weary. I told him that he had pushed himself too hard by going to see ʿAbd al-Razzāq. 4.34

“Ia bukanlah apa-apa,” katanya, “berbanding dengan apa yang aku peroleh. Beliau mendiktekan kepada kami semua hadis-hadis yang al-Zuhri riwayatkan daripada Salim bin ʿAbd Allah, dengan sanadnya kepada bapanya, serta hadis-hadis yang al-Zuhri riwayatkan daripada Saʿid bin al-Musayyab, dengan sanadnya kepada Abu Hurairah.” [Ahmad:] Aku pernah cuba menghafal al-Quran, tetapi kemudian aku terlalu sibuk dengan hadis.

“It was nothing,” he said, “compared to what I gained. He dictated for us all the Hadith reports that al-Zuhrī got from Sālim ibn ʿAbd Allāh, going back to his father, and the ones al-Zuhrī got from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, going back to Abū Hurayrah.” [Aḥmad:] I tried to learn the Qurʾan by heart, but then I got too busy with Hadith.

Saya begitu takut tidak akan pernah dapat mempelajarinya sehingga saya meminta pertolongan Tuhan. Terlintas pun tidak di fikiran saya untuk meminta-Nya memudahkannya. Apabila akhirnya saya berjaya mempelajarinya, saya sedang dirantai dalam penjara. Maka jika kamu memohon sesuatu kepada Tuhan, pastikanlah untuk berkata: "Kurniakanlah kepadaku tanpa kesengsaraan atau penderitaan." 4.35

I was so afraid I’d never learn that I asked God to help me. It didn’t occur to me to ask Him to make it easy. When I finally did learn it, I was chained up in prison. So if you ask God for anything make sure to say: “Let me have it without misery or suffering.” 4.35