[Muḥammad ibn Muslim:] Tínhamos grande reverência por Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, a ponto de não discordarmos dele nem discutirmos com ele sobre qualquer assunto. 36.1

[Muḥammad ibn Muslim:] We were too much in awe of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to disagree with him or argue with him about anything. 36.1

Isso se devia à imponência dele e à forma intimidante da devoção ao Islã com que ele havia sido agraciado.194

This was because of how imposing he was, and how intimidating the devotion to Islam he had been blessed with.194

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, o supervisor da ponte, que morava na minha vizinhança, me disse: "Encontrei Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, e Fulano, e Fulano" — todos eles homens de autoridade — "mas nunca vi ninguém tão imponente quanto Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Certa vez fui conversar com ele sobre um assunto, e no momento em que o vi, estremeci." 36.2

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad, the superintendent of the bridge, who lived in my neighborhood, told me, “I’ve met Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, and So-and-So, and Soand- So”—all of them men of authority—“but I never saw anyone as overpowering as Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. I once went to talk to him about something, and the moment I saw him, I shuddered.” 36.2

Al-Kalbī, o chefe da inteligência, certa vez foi vê-lo à noite, mas ele e seus homens estavam intimidados demais para bater à sua porta e, por isso, bateram à porta de seu tio. Aḥmad disse que ouviu as batidas e atendeu.

Al-Kalbī, the chief of intelligence, once came to see him at night, but he and his men were too intimidated to knock on his door and so knocked on his uncle’s door instead. Aḥmad said that he heard them knocking and answered.

[ʿAbdūs:] Aḥmad certa vez me viu rindo. Ainda fico envergonhado por causa disso. 36.3

[ʿAbdūs:] Aḥmad once saw me laugh. I’m still embarrassed about it. 36.3

[Al-Qāsim ibn Sallām:] Sentei-me com Abu Yusuf, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, Yahya ibn Sa'id e Abdul Rahman ibn Mahdi, e nunca me senti tão intimidado quanto quando me sentei com Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Quando ele estava preso, fui visitá-lo.

[Al-Qāsim ibn Sallām:] I’ve sat with Abū Yūsuf, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, and I was never as intimidated as I was when I sat with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. When he was in prison, I went to visit him.

Alguém me fez uma pergunta, mas com Aḥmad presente eu tive medo de respondê-la. 36.4

Someone asked me a question but with Aḥmad there I was afraid to answer it. 36.4

Ibn Makram acrescentou: “Contei esta história a Yaʿqūb ibn Shaybah, e ele disse: ‘Provavelmente ele temeu cometer um erro com Aḥmad ali.’”

Ibn Makram added: “I told Yaʿqūb ibn Shaybah this story, and he said, ‘He was probably afraid to make a mistake with Aḥmad there.’”