Al-Ma'mūn alipofariki, Aḥmad alirudishwa Baghdad na kufungwa humo.

When al-Maʾmūn died, Aḥmad was brought back to Baghdad and imprisoned there.

Kisha alifunguliwa mashtaka na al-Mu'tasim. Qadhi mkuu wa wakati huo alikuwa Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad, ambaye alikuwa amemshawishi khalifa kupima imani ya watu kuhusu kama Qur'ani imeumbwa.353 69.1

Then he was tried by al-Muʿtaṣim. The chief judge at the time was Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād, who had persuaded the caliph to test people’s belief that the Qurʾan is created.353 69.1

Al-Marrūdhī alisema: 69.2

Al-Marrūdhī said: 69.2

Wakati Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal alipowekwa gerezani, mlinzi wa gereza alimwendea na kumuuliza kama Hadithi kuhusu watawala dhalimu na wale wanaowatumikia ni sahihi.354 Aḥmad alimjibu kuwa ni sahihi.

When Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was put in prison, the jailer came and asked him whether the Hadith about tyrants and those who serve them was authentic.354 Aḥmad told him it was.

"Je, mimi ni miongoni mwa wale wanaowatumikia?" aliuliza mlinzi wa gereza.

“Am I one of those who serve them?” asked the jailer.

"Wale wanaotumikia ni wale wanaokukatia nywele, wanaofua nguo zako, wanaokuandalia chakula, na wanaofanya biashara nawe. Wewe ni mmoja wa madhalimu." [Aḥmad:] Katika mwezi wa Ramadhani wa mwaka wa 219 [Septemba au Oktoba 834] nilihamishiwa nyumbani kwa Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm. Kila siku walinipelekea watu wawili—mmoja aliitwa Aḥmad ibn Rabāḥ, na mwingine alikuwa Abū Shuʿayb al-Ḥajjām—ili wanijadili. Walipokuwa tayari kuondoka, wangeita pingu na kuziongeza kwenye pingu nilizokuwa nazo tayari mwilini mwangu. Hatimaye nilikuwa na pingu nne miguuni mwangu.355 69.3

“Those who serve are the ones who cut your hair, wash your clothes, prepare your food, and do business with you. What you are is one of the tyrants.” [Aḥmad:] In Ramadan of ’19 [September or October 834] I was moved to Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm’s house. Every day they sent over two men—Aḥmad ibn Rabāḥ, one was called, and the other was Abū Shuʿayb al-Ḥajjām—to debate with me. When they were ready to leave they would call for a fetter and add it to the fetters that I already had on me. I ended up with four fetters on my legs.355 69.3

Siku ya tatu mmoja kati ya wawili hao alikuja na kuanza kujadiliana nami. Wakati fulani nilimwuliza, "Unasemaje kuhusu elimu ya Mungu?"356

On the third day one of the two came and started debating with me. At one point I asked, “What do you say about God’s knowledge?”356

"Ujuzi wa Mungu ni wa kuumbwa," alijibu.

“God’s knowledge is created,” he replied.

“أنت كافر!” وكان حاضرًا رجلٌ أرسله إسحاق بن إبراهيم، فلما سمعني قال: "إنك تكلم رسول أمير المؤمنين!" فقلت: "مَن كان، فهو كافر." وفي الليلة الرابعة أرسل إليّ المعتصم بُغا، المعروف بالكبير، ليأتي بي من عند إسحاق. وفي طريق الخروج أُدخلتُ على إسحاق، فقال: "والله يا أحمد، إنها حياتك التي نتكلم فيها. لن يضرب عنقك ويستريح، بل قد حلف أنك إن لم تفعل ما يطلبه ليضربنك حتى تفقد وعيك ثم يلقي بك حيث لا ترى الشمس أبدًا. فانظر: ألا يقول الله: {إنا جعلناه قرآنًا عربيًا}؟ فكيف يجعله دون أن يخلقه؟" 69.4

“You’re an unbeliever!” Present also was a man sent by Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm. When he heard me, he said, “You’re talking to the emissary of the Commander of the Faithful!” “Whoever he is,” I replied, “he’s still an unbeliever.” On the fourth night, he—that is, al-Muʿtaṣim—sent Bughā, called the Elder, to fetch me from Isḥāq’s. On the way out, I was taken to see Isḥāq, who said, “By God, Aḥmad, it’s your life we’re talking about here. He won’t behead you and be done with it: he’s sworn that if you don’t do as he asks he’ll flog you senseless and then throw you where you’ll never see the sun. Now look here: doesn’t God say «We have made it an Arabic Qurʾan?»357 How could He make it without creating it?” 69.4

Nilijibu kwa aya nyingine: «Akawafanya kama majani makavu yaliyoliwa na mifugo.» Kisha nikamuuliza kama maneno "akawafanya" yanamaanisha "akawaumba." Hakujua jinsi ya kunijibu, kwa hiyo hakusema neno. Mwishowe alisema, "Mchukueni!" Tulipofika mahali panapoitwa Lango la Bustani, walinitoa. Kisha walileta mnyama wa kupanda na kuniweka juu yake, pamoja na pingu zangu. Hakukuwa na mtu wa kunishika nisianguke, na mara kadhaa nilikaribia kuanguka kwa uzito wa pingu. Walinipeleka ndani, yaani ndani ya jumba la al-Muʿtaṣim, wakaniweka katika chumba kimoja na kufunga mlango. Nilitaka kujisafisha kwa ajili ya sala, lakini ilikuwa katikati ya usiku na hakukuwa na taa chumbani. Lakini niliponyoosha mkono nilipata mtungi wa maji na beseni karibu nami. Hivyo nilitawadha na kusali. 69.5

I answered with a different verse: «He made them like stubble cropped by cattle.»358 Then I asked him whether “made them” meant “created them.” He didn’t know how to answer me so he said nothing. Finally he said, “Take him away!” When we got to the place called the Orchard Gate, they took me out.359 Then they brought a riding animal and put me on it, fetters and all. There was no one with me to hold me up, and more than once I nearly fell over with the weight of the fetters. They took me inside—inside al-Muʿtaṣim’s palace, that is—put me in a room, and locked the door. I wanted to clean myself off for prayer, but it was the middle of the night and there was no lamp in the room. But when I stuck out my hand I found a pitcher of water and a basin nearby. So I did my ablutions and prayed. 69.5

Asubuhi iliyofuata, nilitoa kamba ya suruali yangu na kuitumia kuunganisha minyororo ya miguu ili niweze kuiinua, na suruali yangu ikabaki ikining'inia upande mmoja.

The next morning, I pulled the drawstring out of my trousers and used it to tie the fetters together so I could lift them, leaving my trousers hanging down on one side.

Kisha mjumbe wa al-Mu'tasim alikuja, akanishika mkono, na kuniambia nifuate.

Then al-Muʿtaṣim’s messenger came, took me by the arm, and told me to come along.

Nilisimama mbele ya al-Mu'tasim nikiinua minyororo yangu kwa kamba. Alikuwa ameketi pale pamoja na Ibn Abī Du'ād na kundi kubwa la wafuasi wake. 69.6

So I appeared before al-Muʿtaṣim holding up my fetters with the cord. He was sitting there with Ibn Abī Duʾād and a crowd of his associates. 69.6

Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad: Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal alipelekwa mbele ya khalifa.

[Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was brought before the caliph.

Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād na Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, mwanafunzi wa al-Shāfiʿī, walikuwepo pia. Aḥmad alipewa kiti mbele ya khalifa. Walikuwa wamesema mambo ya kumtisha, nao walikuwa wamemaliza tu kuwakata vichwa watu wawili. Alipomwona Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, Ibn Ḥanbal alimuuliza, "Je, unajua riwaya zozote kutoka kwa al-Shāfiʿī kuhusu kupitisha mikono juu ya viatu?"360 69.7

Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād and Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, the disciple of al-Shāfiʿī, were there too. Aḥmad was given a seat in front of the caliph. They had said things to frighten him, and they had just finished beheading two men. Upon seeing Abū ʿAbd al- Raḥmān, Ibn Ḥanbal asked, “Do you know any reports from al-Shāfiʿī on passing hands over one’s shoes?”360 69.7

"Angalia hilo!" alisema Ibn Abī Duʾād. "Tunamleta hapa amkate kichwa, naye anataka kujadili fiqhi!" [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim alirejea Baghdad kutoka mstari wa mbele wa Byzantium mwezi wa Ramadhani wa mwaka wa ’18. Ndipo alipomhoji Aḥmad na kumwamuru achapwe viboko hadharani mahakamani.361 69.8

“Look at that!” exclaimed Ibn Abī Duʾād. “We bring him here to behead him, and he wants to discuss jurisprudence!” [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim returned to Baghdad from the Byzantine front in Ramadan of ’18. It was then that he tried Aḥmad and had him flogged in open court.361 69.8

[Aḥmad:] Nilipofika mbele ya al-Muʿtaṣim, aliendelea kuniambia nisogee karibu.

[Aḥmad:] When I came before al-Muʿtaṣim, he kept telling me to come closer.

Nilipomkaribia, aliniamuru nikae, nami nikaketi, nikiwa nimelemewa na pingu.

When I got up close to him he told me to sit, and I did, weighed down by the fetters.

Baada ya muda nilimuuliza kama ninaweza kuzungumza.362 69.9

After a time I asked if I might speak.362 69.9

"Endelea," alisema.

“Go ahead,” he said.

"Mtume alitutaka tufanye nini?" nilimuuliza.

“What did the Prophet call on us to do?” I asked.

Baada ya kimya kidogo, alijibu: "Kushuhudia kwamba hakuna mungu isipokuwa Mungu." "Basi, mimi nashuhudia kwamba hakuna mungu isipokuwa Mungu." Kisha nikaendelea: "Babu yako Ibn ʿAbbās anapokeza kwamba ujumbe wa kabila la Qays ulipomjia Nabii ﷺ, waliomba kuelezwa kuhusu imani. Yeye akajibu, 'Je, mnajua imani ni nini?' "'Mungu na Mjumbe wake ndio wanaojua zaidi,' wakasema."

After a moment of silence, he replied: “To testify that there is no god but God.” “Well, I testify that there is no god but God.” Then I went on: “Your grandfather Ibn ʿAbbās reports that when the delegation from the tribe of Qays came to see the Prophet, they asked him about faith. He answered, ‘Do you know what faith is?’ “‘God and His Emissary know best,’ they said.

"Maana yake ni kushuhudia kwamba hakuna mungu isipokuwa Mungu, na kwamba Muḥammad ni Mjumbe Wake ﷺ. Maana yake ni kusimamisha Swala, kutoa zakat, na kutoa theluthi moja ya ngawira zako." Note: "one-fifth" is rendered as "theluthi moja" in error; the correct Swahili for one-fifth is "sehemu moja ya tano". Corrected translation: "Maana yake ni kushuhudia kwamba hakuna mungu isipokuwa Mungu, na kwamba Muḥammad ni Mjumbe Wake ﷺ. Maana yake ni kusimamisha Swala, kutoa zakat, na kutoa sehemu moja ya tano ya ngawira zako."363

“‘It means testifying that there is no god but God, and Muḥammad is His Emissary. It means holding the ritual prayer, paying the alms tax, and giving up onefifth of your spoils.’”363

“Kama mtangulizi wangu hangeniachia ninyi mshughulikie,” alisema al-Muʿtaṣim, “nisingekutendea hivi.” Kisha, akimgeukia ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, akasema, “Je, sikukuamuru usimamishe Mahakama ya Kuhoji Imani?” “Mungu asifiwe!” nilijisemea moyoni. “Mateso ya Waislamu yamekwisha!” 69.10

“If my predecessor hadn’t left you for me to deal with,” said al-Muʿtaṣim, “I wouldn’t be doing this to you.” Then, turning to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, he said, “Didn’t I ask you to stop the Inquisition?” “Thank God!” I thought to myself. “The Muslims’ suffering is over!” 69.10

Kisha akawaambia, "Mjadili naye. Zungumza naye!" kisha tena kwa ʿAbd al-Raḥmān: "Zungumza naye!" "Unasemaje kuhusu Qurʾan?" aliuliza ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.

But then he said to them, “Debate with him. Talk to him!” and then again to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān: “Talk to him!” “What do you say about the Qurʾan?” asked ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.

“Unasemaje kuhusu ujuzi wa Mungu?” nilimuuliza. Akanyamaza kimya.

“What do you say about God’s knowledge?” I asked. He fell silent.

Mmoja wa wengine aliingilia. "Lakini je, Mungu hakusema, «Mungu ndiye muumbaji wa kila kitu»?

One of the others broke in. “But didn’t God say, «God is the creator of all things»?

364 Je, Qur'ani haimo kitu pia?" "Mwenyezi Mungu pia alitaja upepo," nilisema, "ambao «utaharibu kila kitu kwa amri ya Mola wake»365, lakini uliharibu tu kile alichotaka."366

364 And isn’t the Qurʾan a thing?” “God also mentioned a wind,” I said, “that would «destroy everything at the behest of its Lord,»365 but it destroyed only what He wanted it to.”366

Kisha mmoja wao akasema: "Mwenyezi Mungu anasema: «Hakuna ukumbusho mpya unaowafikia kutoka kwa Mola wao Mlezi.»367 Je, kitu kinawezaje kuwa kipya bila kuwa kimeumbwa?" Nikamjibu: "Mwenyezi Mungu pia amesema: «Swad. Naapa kwa Qur'ani yenye ukumbusho.»368 Ukumbusho huu ni Qur'ani. Katika aya nyingine hakuna 'al' (ile)." Mmoja wao akatoa hadithi ya ʿImrān bin Ḥuṣayn kwamba Mwenyezi Mungu aliumba ukumbusho. Nikasema: "Hilo si sahihi. Nina hadithi kutoka katika vyanzo zaidi ya kimoja kwamba alisema: 'Mwenyezi Mungu aliandika ukumbusho.'" Kisha wakajaribu kunijadili kwa hadithi ya Ibn Masʿūd: "Mwenyezi Mungu hajaumba chochote—si Pepo, wala Moto, wala mbingu, wala ardhi—kilicho kikuu kuliko Aya ya Al-Kursi." Nikasema: "Neno 'kuumbwa' linahusu Pepo, Moto, mbingu na ardhi, lakini si Qur'ani." Mmoja wao akatoa hadithi ya Khabbāb: "Ewe! Jitahidi uwezavyo kumkaribia Mwenyezi Mungu, hutapata chochote kipendwa zaidi kwake cha kukaribia kwacho kuliko neno lake."369

Then another one spoke up: “God says, «Whenever any new admonition comes to them from their Lord.»367 How can something be new without having been created?” I replied: “God also said, «Ṣād. By the Qurʾan, containing the admonition.»368 This admonition is the Qurʾan. In the other verse there’s no ‘the.’” One of them cited the Hadith of ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn that God created the remembrance. “That’s wrong,” I said. “I have it on more than one source that he said, ‘God wrote the remembrance.’” Next they tried arguing with me using the Hadith of Ibn Masʿūd: “God has created nothing—not the Garden or the Fire or the heavens or the earth—greater than the Throne Verse.” I said: “The word ‘created’ applies to the Garden, the Fire, the heavens, and the earth, but not to the Qurʾan.” One of them cited the Hadith of Khabbāb: “You there! Try as you may to come nearer to God, you will find nothing dearer to Him by which to approach Him than His word.”369

"Ndiyo," nilisema, "ndivyo inavyosema." Ibn Abī Duʾād alinitazama kwa hasira.

“Yes,” I said, “that’s what it says.” Ibn Abī Duʾād glared at me.

Hivyo ndivyo ilivyokuwa. Mmoja wao angesema jambo, nami nilimjibu. Kisha mwingine angezungumza na nami nilimjibu pia. Kila mara mmoja wa watu wake alipokwama, Ibn Abī Duʾād angekatiza: "Amīr al-Mu'minīn! Wallahi, huyu amepotoka, anawapotosha wengine, ni mzushi mwenye bid'a!" 69.11

And so it went. One of them would say something, and I would rebut him. Then another would speak and I would rebut him too. Whenever one of his men was stymied, Ibn Abī Duʾād would interrupt: “Commander of the Faithful! By God, he’s misguided, and misleading, and a heretical innovator!” 69.11

Lakini al-Muʿtaṣim aliendelea kusema, "Zungumza naye! Mjadiliane naye!" Kwa hiyo tena mmoja wao angesema jambo, nami nikamjibu. Kisha mwingine angezungumza, nami nikamjibu pia. Walipokuwa wameishiwa kabisa cha kusema, yeye, yaani al-Muʿtaṣim, akasema, "Njoo, Aḥmad! Sema!" "Amirul-Muʾminīn," nilijibu, "nipe jambo ninaloweza kukubaliana nalo, kitu kutoka katika Kitabu cha Mwenyezi Mungu au sunnah ya Mtume wake." Hapo Ibn Abī Duʾād akasema kwa mshangao, "Nini! Wewe unarudia tu yaliyomo katika Qur'ani au sunnah ya Mtume wake?" "Wewe unayo tafsiri yako," nilisema, "na hilo ni shauri lako, lakini si jambo la kuwafungia watu gerezani au kuwatia minyororoni." [Al-Būshanjī:] Mmoja wa wenzangu aliniambia kwamba Ibn Abī Duʾād alimkabili Aḥmad na kujaribu kumshirikisha katika mjadala, lakini Aḥmad alimpuuza. Hatimaye al-Muʿtaṣim alimuuliza Aḥmad kwa nini hakutaka kumjibu Ibn Abī Duʾād. 69.12

But al-Muʿtaṣim kept saying, “Talk to him! Debate him!” So again one of them would say something, and I would rebut him. Then another would speak and I would rebut him too. When none of them had anything left to say, he—meaning al-Muʿtaṣim—said, “Come on, Aḥmad! Speak up!” “Commander of the Faithful,” I replied, “give me something I can agree to— something from the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary.” At that, Ibn Abī Duʾād exclaimed, “What! You only repeat what’s in the Qurʾan or the sunnah of His Emissary?” “You have an interpretation,” I said, “and that’s your affair, but it’s nothing to lock people up for, or put them in chains.” [Al-Būshanjī:] One of my associates reported that Ibn Abī Duʾād confronted Aḥmad and tried to engage him in debate but Aḥmad ignored him. Eventually al- Muʿtaṣim asked Aḥmad why he wouldn’t address Ibn Abī Duʾād. 69.12

"Mimi huzungumza tu na watu wenye elimu," alisema Aḥmad.

“I speak only with men of learning,” said Aḥmad.

[Aḥmad:] "Amīr wa waumini," alisema Ibn Abī Duʾād, "kumwona akijisalimisha kwako kungekuwa na maana zaidi kwangu kuliko dinari laki moja, na dinari laki nyingine moja," na kadhalika, akitaja namba moja baada ya nyingine. 69.13

[Aḥmad:] “Commander of the Faithful,” said Ibn Abī Duʾād, “seeing him capitulate to you would mean more to me than a hundred thousand dinars, and another hundred thousand dinars,”370 and so on, throwing out one number after another. 69.13

"Ikiwa ataniambia kile ninachotaka kusikia," alisema al-Muʿtaṣim, "naapa nitamfungua minyororo kwa mikono yangu mwenyewe. Kisha nitawaongoza askari wangu kwake na kuandamana nyuma yake." Kisha akasema, "Aḥmad, nakutakia mema, kama vile ungekuwa mwanangu Hārūn. Haya, sasa: Unaweza kuniambia nini?"371

“If he tells me what I want to hear,” said al-Muʿtaṣim, “I swear I’ll unchain him with my own hands. Then I’ll lead my troops to him and march along behind him.” Then he said, “Aḥmad, I want what’s best for you, the same as if you were my son Hārūn. Come on, now: What can you tell me?”371

"Nipe kitu kutoka Kitabu cha Mungu," nilisema, "au sunna ya Mjumbe Wake." Kikao kilipoendelea kwa muda mrefu, al-Muʿtaṣim alianza kuchoka na kutotulia. "Ondokeni!" alisema kwa wanazuoni. Kisha akamwamuru ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq na mimi tubaki nyuma ili apate kuzungumza nami. 69.14

“Give me something from the Book of God,” I said, “or the sunnah of His Emissary.” As the session dragged on, al-Muʿtaṣim grew bored and restless. “Go!” he said to the scholars. Then he ordered ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq and me to stay behind so he could talk to me. 69.14

"Njoo!" alisema. "Kwa nini usikate tamaa?" Kisha akasema, "Sikutambui. Je, hujawahi kuja hapa kabla?" "Namjua, Amiri wa Waumini," alisema ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq. "Kwa miaka thelathini, amekuwa akisema kwamba Waislamu wanawajibika kukutii wewe na wanapaswa kukufuata katika vita vitakatifu na kujiunga nawe katika hija." "Kwa Mungu," alisema al-Muʿtaṣim, "yeye ni mtu wa elimu, mtu wa ufahamu! Singekataa kuwa na mtu kama yeye pamoja nami ili kubishana dhidi ya watu wa dini nyingine." Kisha, akinigeukia mimi, "Je, ulimjua Ṣāliḥ al-Rashīdī?" "Nimemsikia," nilisema.

“Come on!” he said. “Why don’t you give up?” Then he said, “I don’t recognize you. Have you never come here before?” “I know him, Commander of the Faithful,” said ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq. “For thirty years, he’s been saying that Muslims owe obedience to you and should follow you in the holy war and join you on the pilgrimage.” “By God,” said al-Muʿtaṣim, “he’s a man of learning—a man of understanding! I wouldn’t mind having someone like him with me to argue against people from other religions.” Then, turning to me, “Did you know Ṣāliḥ al-Rashīdī?” “I’ve heard of him,” I said.

"Alikuwa mwalimu wangu, na alikaa pale pale," alisema, akionyesha kona moja ya chumba. "Nilimuuliza kuhusu Qurʾani naye akanipinga, kwa hiyo nilimfanya akanyagwe na kuburuzwa nje. Kwa hiyo Aḥmad: tafuta kitu—chochote—unachoweza kukubaliana nacho, nami nitakufungua minyororo kwa mikono yangu mwenyewe." "Nipe kitu kutoka Kitabu cha Mungu," nilisema, "au sunnah ya Mtume Wake." Kikao kiliendelea kwa muda mrefu. Hatimaye al-Muʿtaṣim alisimama na kurudi ndani, nami nikarudishwa mahali walipokuwa wakinishikilia. 69.15

“He was my tutor, and he was sitting right there,” he said, pointing to a corner of the room. “I asked him about the Qurʾan and he contradicted me, so I had him trampled and dragged out. So Aḥmad: find something—anything—you can agree to, and I’ll unchain you with my own hands.” “Give me something from the Book of God,” I said, “or the sunnah of His Emissary.” The session dragged on. Finally al-Muʿtaṣim rose and went back inside, and I was sent back to the place where they had been keeping me. 69.15

Baada ya swala ya Magharibi, wawili miongoni mwa wafuasi wa Ibn Abī Duʾād walitumwa waje kulala pale na kuendelea kujadiliana nami. Walikaa hadi wakati wa kufungua saumu.372 Chakula kilipofika walinisihi nile, lakini sikukubali. Kisha, wakati fulani usiku, al-Muʿtaṣim alimtuma Ibn Abī Duʾād.

After sunset prayers, two of Ibn Abī Duʾād’s associates were sent in to spend the night there and continue debating with me. They stayed until it was time to break the fast.372 When the meal arrived they pressed me to eat but I wouldn’t. Then, at some point during the night, al-Muʿtaṣim sent over Ibn Abī Duʾād.

"Amiri wa Waumini anataka kujua kama una jambo lolote la kusema." Nilimpa jibu langu la kawaida.

“The Commander of the Faithful wants to know if you have anything to say.” I gave him my usual answer.

“Unajua,” alisema, “jina lako lilikuwa miongoni mwa saba—Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn na wengine—lakini nililifuta.”373

“You know,” he said, “your name was one of the seven—Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and the rest—but I rubbed it out.”373

Hao saba walikuwa Yāḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Abū Khaythamah, Aḥmad al-Dawraqī, al-Qawārīrī, Saʿduwayh, na—katika baadhi ya simulizi—Khalaf al-Makhzūmī.374

The seven were Yāḥyā ibn Maʿīn, Abū Khaythamah, Aḥmad al-Dawraqī, al- Qawārīrī, Saʿduwayh, and—in some accounts—Khalaf al-Makhzūmī.374

Ibn Abī Du'ād aliendelea: "Nimehuzunika kuona wakikukamata." Kisha akasema, "Amiri wa Waumini ameapa kukupa kipigo kirefu kisha akutupe mahali ambapo hutawahi kuliona jua. Lakini pia anasema kwamba ukijisalimisha atakuja mwenyewe kukufungua minyororo." Kisha akaondoka.

Ibn Abī Duʾād continued: “I was sorry to see them arrest you.” Then he said, “The Commander of the Faithful has sworn to give you a good long beating and then throw you somewhere where you’ll never see the sun. But he also says that if you capitulate he’ll come and unchain you himself.” Then he left.

Siku iliyofuata asubuhi—siku yangu ya pili huko—mjumbe wa al-Muʿtaṣim alikuja, akanishika mkono, akanipeleka mbele yake. Tena al-Muʿtaṣim aliwaamuru wanijadili. "Zungumzeni naye!" alisema. 69.16

The next morning—on my second day there—al-Muʿtaṣim’s envoy came, took me by the arm, and brought me before him. Again al-Muʿtaṣim ordered them to debate me. “Talk to him!” he said. 69.16

Mjadala ulianza tena. Mmoja wao angezungumza kutoka upande huu, nami nikamjibu, na mwingine kutoka upande ule, nami pia nikamjibu. Kila walipotaja jambo lisilomo katika Kitabu cha Mungu au sunnah ya Mjumbe Wake, au katika riwaya kuhusu Waislamu wa mwanzo, nilisema, "Sielewi unachomaanisha." "Amiri wa Waumini," walilalamika, "anapokuwa na hoja dhidi yetu anasimama imara, lakini kila tunapotoa hoja anasema hajui tunachozungumzia." "Endeleeni kumjadili!" alisema al-Muʿtaṣim.

So the debate began again. One of them would speak from over here and I would answer him, and another from over there and I’d answer him too. Whenever they mentioned anything not in the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary, or in a report about the early Muslims, I would say, “I don’t know what you mean.” “Commander of the Faithful,” they would protest, “when he has an argument against us he stands his ground, but whenever we make a point he says he doesn’t know what we’re talking about.” “Keep debating him!” said al-Muʿtaṣim.

"Yote ninayokuona ukifanya," alisema mmoja wao, "ni kunukuu Hadith na kudai kujua maana yake." 69.17

“All I see you doing,” said one of them, “is citing Hadith and claiming to know what it means.” 69.17

"Unasemaje nini," nilimwuliza, "kuhusu aya isemayo {Kuhusu watoto wenu, Mwenyezi Mungu anakuamuruni kwamba mwanamume apate sehemu sawa na ya wanawake wawili}?"375

“What do you say,” I asked him, “about the verse «Concerning your children, God enjoins you that a male shall receive a share equivalent to that of two females»?”375

"Inatumika kwa waumini tu," alisema.

“It applies only to believers,” he said.

Nilimuuliza: "Vipi kuhusu wauaji, watumwa, au Mayahudi?" Akanyamaza kimya. Nilikuwa nimetumia mbinu hiyo kwa sababu moja tu: walikuwa wanajadiliana kwa kutegemea maandishi wazi ya Qur'ani, huku wakinishutumu kwamba ninatumia Hadith bila sababu yoyote nzuri.376

I asked him: “What about murderers, slaves, or Jews?” He fell silent. I had resorted to that tactic for one reason: they had been arguing on the basis of the plain text of the Qurʾan while accusing me of citing Hadith for no good reason.376

Waliendelea na mjadala huo hadi karibu saa sita mchana. Al-Muʿtaṣim alipokuwa amechoka, aliwaondoa wote isipokuwa ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, ambaye aliendelea kujadiliana nami.

They kept at it until nearly noon. When al-Muʿtaṣim had had enough, he sent everyone away except for ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, who continued to argue with me.

Mwishowe al-Mu'tasim akainuka na kurudi ndani, nami nikarudishwa mahali ambapo walikuwa wakinishikilia.

Finally al-Muʿtaṣim rose and went back inside, and I was sent back to the place where they had been holding me.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Al-Fatḥ ibn Shakhraf aliniandikia kwa mkono wake mwenyewe akisema kwamba alisikia kutoka kwa Ibn Ḥuṭayṭ—mtu mwenye elimu kutoka Khurasan, ambaye jina lake kamili alilitaja—kwamba kabla Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal hajapigwa mijeledi, yeye na baadhi ya wenzake waliokumbwa na mateso ya mahakama ya kuhoji imani walizuiliwa kifungoni katika nyumba fulani. 69.18

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Al-Fatḥ ibn Shakhraf wrote to me in his own hand saying that he heard from Ibn Ḥuṭayṭ—a man of learning from Khurasan, whose name he gave in full —that before Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was flogged, he and some of his fellow victims of the Inquisition were kept in confinement in a house somewhere. 69.18

“Usiku uliingia,” alisema Aḥmad, “na wengine wakalala, lakini sikuweza kuacha kufikiria kitakachonipata. Kisha nikamwona mwanaume mrefu akipita kwa tahadhari kati ya wale waliolala, akinielekea mimi.”

“Night fell,” said Aḥmad, “and the others went to sleep, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen to me. Then I saw a tall man picking his way around the sleepers toward me.

"Je, wewe ni Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?" aliuliza.

“‘Are you Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?’ he asked.

Nilisema neno lolote, naye akauliza tena. Nilipokosa kujibu, aliuliza mara ya tatu:

“I said nothing and he asked again. When I didn’t answer, he asked a third time:

“Je, wewe ni Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?” “Ndiyo.” “Vumilia tu,” alisema, “na Pepo itakuwa yako.” “Baadaye, nilipohisi moto wa mijeledi, nilikumbuka alichoniambia.” [Aḥmad:] Nakumbuka nilijiambia usiku wa tatu kwamba jambo fulani lingetokea kesho yake. Nilimwomba mmoja wa watu waliopangiwa kunisimamia anitafutie kamba. Alinipatia, nami nikaitumia kuvuta minyororo yangu juu. Kisha nikarudisha kamba ya suruali yangu ili kuishikilia isiteremke, ili nisionekane uchi endapo jambo lingenitokea. 69.19

‘Are you Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?’ “‘Yes.’ “‘Only endure,’ he said, ‘and the Garden is yours.’ “Later, when I felt the burning of the whips, I remembered what he’d told me.” [Aḥmad:] I remember thinking to myself on the third night that something was bound to happen the next day. I asked one of the men who were assigned to me to find me a cord. He found one and I used it to pull up my chains. Then I put the drawstring back on my trousers to hold them up so I wouldn’t be exposed if something happened to me. 69.19

Siku ya tatu asubuhi, al-Muʿtaṣim alinituma tena. Niliingia katika ukumbi na kukuta umejaa watu. Nilipokuwa nikisonga mbele polepole, niliona watu wenye panga, watu wenye mijeledi, na kadhalika—wengi zaidi kuliko siku mbili za kwanza. Nilipofika kwake, aliniambia niketi chini. "Mjadiliane naye," aliwaambia wengine. "Zungumzeni naye!" 69.20

On the morning of the third day,377 al-Muʿtaṣim sent for me again. I entered the hall to find it packed with people. As I came slowly forward, I saw people with swords, people with whips, and so on—many more than on the first two days. When I reached him, he told me to sit down. “Debate him,” he told the others. “Talk to him!” 69.20

Walianza kubishana nami. Mmoja alizungumza nami nami nikamjibu, kisha mwingine akazungumza nami nami nikamjibu pia. Muda si mrefu nilikuwa nikishinda.378 Mmoja wa watu waliosimama karibu na al-Mu'taṣim alianza kunielekezea kidole. Baada ya kikao kuendelea kwa muda, al-Mu'taṣim aliamuru nipelekwe upande mmoja ili aweze kushauriana nao peke yake.

They began to argue with me. One would talk and I would answer him, and then another would talk and I’d answer him too. Soon I was winning.378 One of the men standing near al-Muʿtaṣim began pointing at me. After the session had gone on for a while, al-Muʿtaṣim had me led away to one side so he could confer with them alone.

Kisha akawapeleka pembeni na kunifanya niletwe huko.

Then he sent them to the side and had me brought over.

“Njoo, Aḥmad!” alisema. “Niambie unachotaka nisikie, nami nitakufungua minyororo kwa mikono yangu mwenyewe.” Nilipompa jibu langu la kawaida, alinilaani, kisha akasema, “Mvuteni huyu mbali mkamvue nguo!” Nilivutwa mbali na kuvuliwa nguo.379

“Come on, Aḥmad!” he said. “Tell me what I want to hear, and I’ll unchain you with my own hands.” When I gave him my usual answer, he cursed me, then said, “Drag him away and strip him!” I was dragged away and stripped.379

Kabla ya hapo, nilikuwa nimepata baadhi ya nywele za Mtume ﷺ. Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, alipoona kwamba nilikuwa na kitu kilichofungwa ndani ya mkono wa shati langu, alimtuma mtu kuja kuuliza ni nini. Nilimwambia kwamba ni baadhi ya nywele za Mtume ﷺ. Walipoanza kuvua shati langu kwa nguvu, al-Muʿtaṣim aliwaambia waache, nao wakanivua bila kulirarua. Nadhani alijizuia kwa sababu ya nywele zilizokuwa zimefungwa ndani yake. 69.21

Some time before, I had acquired some of the Prophet’s hair. Noticing that I had something knotted up in the sleeve of my shirt, Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm sent someone over to ask what it was. I told him it was some of the Prophet’s hair. When they started tearing my shirt off, al-Muʿtaṣim told them to stop and they pulled it off me without ripping it. I think he held back because of the hair that was knotted up inside. 69.21

Nikiwa nimeketi kwenye kiti, al-Mu'tasim aliamuru waletwe nguzo na mijeledi. Wakatoa nguzo na kunifanya nyoosha mikono yangu. Kutoka nyuma yangu mtu fulani alisema, "Shikilia pembe na uvute," lakini sikuelewa, hivyo nikaishia kuteguka mikono yangu yote miwili.380 69.22

Sitting down on a chair, al-Muʿtaṣim called for the posts and the whips. They brought out the posts and made me stretch out my arms. From behind me someone said, “Hold on to the tusks and pull,” but I didn’t understand, so I ended up spraining both my wrists.380 69.22

[Al-Būshanjī:] Wanasema kwamba Aḥmad alipoondolewa kwenye nyadhifa zake, al-Muʿtaṣim, alipoona kwamba hakuogopa, alivutiwa sana na ushujaa wake hata akawa tayari kumfanyia wepesi; lakini Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād akamchochea, akisema, “Ukimwacha aende, watu watasema kwamba umeacha itikadi ya al-Maʾmūn na unakataa kuitekeleza.” Ndiyo iliyomsukuma al-Muʿtaṣim kuendelea na kumpiga viboko. 69.23

[Al-Būshanjī:] They say that when Aḥmad was suspended from the posts, al- Muʿtaṣim, seeing him undaunted, so admired his bravery that he was prepared to be lenient with him; but then Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād provoked him, saying, “If you let him go, people will say that you’ve renounced al-Maʾmūn’s creed and are refusing to enforce it.” It was this that pushed al-Muʿtaṣim to go ahead and flog him. 69.23

[Aḥmad:] Walipoleta mijeledi, al-Mu'taṣim aliyatazama na kusema, "Leteni mengine tofauti," nalo likafanywa. Kisha akawaambia wale askari wa kuwapiga viboko,382

[Aḥmad:] When they brought the whips, al-Muʿtaṣim looked at them and said, “Bring different ones,” which was done.381 Then he said to the lictors,382

"Endelea!" 69.24

“Proceed!” 69.24

Mmoja mmoja, walinijia, na kila mmoja alinipiga viboko viwili, huku al-Muʿtaṣim akipiga kelele, "Piga kwa nguvu zaidi, laana juu yako!" Kila mmoja alipoondoka, mwingine alikuja na kunipiga viboko viwili zaidi, huku yeye akipiga kelele wakati wote, "Piga kwa nguvu zaidi, laana juu yenu nyote!"383

One at a time, they came at me, and struck two lashes apiece, with al-Muʿtaṣim calling out, “Harder, damn you!” As each one stepped aside another would come up and hit me twice more, with him shouting all the while, “Harder, damn you all!”383

Baada ya kupigwa viboko kumi na tisa, yeye, yaani al-Muʿtaṣim, aliinuka kutoka kwenye kiti chake akanijia. 69.25

After I had been struck nineteen lashes, he—meaning al-Muʿtaṣim—rose from his seat and walked up to me. 69.25

“Aḥmad,” alisema, “kwa nini unajiua? Naapa kwa Mungu, nakutakia yaliyo bora kwako.” Kisha ʿUjayf akaanza kunichoma kwa mpini wa upanga wake. “Unadhani unaweza kuwashinda hawa wote?” “Aibu!” mtu fulani alipaza sauti. “Khalifa amesimama pale akikungoja.” “Amiri wa Waumini!” alilia mwingine. “Mueni, na damu yake iwe mikononi mwangu!” Kisha wengine wakajiunga. “Amiri wa Waumini, umekuwa ukifunga, na sasa umesimama juani!”384

“Aḥmad,” he said, “why are you killing yourself? I swear to God, I want what’s best for you.” Then ʿUjayf began jabbing at me with the hilt of his sword. “Do you think you can win against this whole lot?” “For shame!” someone called out. “The caliph is standing there waiting for you.” “Commander of the Faithful!” cried another. “Kill him, and let his blood be on my hands!” Then more of them chimed in. “Commander of the Faithful, you’ve been fasting, and now you’re standing in the sun!”384

"Njoo, Aḥmad," alisema. "Sema kitu!" "Nipe kitu ninachoweza kuamini," nilisema, "kutoka Kitabu cha Mungu au sunnah ya Mtume Wake." Alirudi kwenye kiti chake na kuketi.

“Come on, Aḥmad,” he said. “Say something!” “Give me something I can believe,” I said, “from the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary.” He went back to his chair and sat down.

"Endelea," alimwambia yule mlinzi wa mahakama. "Acha ahisi, nawe ulaaniwe!" Muda mfupi baadaye alisimama tena kwa mara ya pili, akisema, "Njoo, Ahmad! Niambie ninachotaka kusikia." 69.26

“Proceed,” he said to the lictor. “Let him feel it, damn you!” Soon he rose a second time, saying, “Come on, Aḥmad! Tell me what I want to hear.” 69.26

Wenzake nao walijiunga, wakisema, "Aibu juu yako, Aḥmad; imamu wako amesimama hapa akikusubiri." "Ni yupi kati ya washirika wako," aliuliza ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, "anayefanya kile unachofanya?" "Niambie chochote unachoweza," al-Muʿtaṣim aliniambia, "nami nitakufungua minyororo kwa mikono yangu mwenyewe." "Nipe kitu ninachoweza kukiamini," nilisema, "kutoka katika Kitabu cha Mwenyezi Mungu au sunnah ya Mtume Wake." Tena alirudi kwenye kiti chake na kuketi. "Endeleeni," aliwaambia walinzi.

The others joined in, saying, “Shame on you, Aḥmad: your imam is standing here waiting for you.” “Which of your associates,” asked ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, “is doing what you’re doing?” “Tell me whatever you can manage,” al-Muʿtaṣim said to me, “and I’ll unchain you with my own hands.” “Give me something I can believe,” I said, “from the Book of God or the sunnah of His Emissary.” Again he went back to his chair and sat down. “Proceed,” he said to the lictors.

Tena wakaja mmoja mmoja na kunipiga mijeledi miwili kila mmoja, huku al-Mu'tasim akipiga kelele, "Piga kwa nguvu zaidi, laana juu yako!" Kila mmoja alipoondoka, mwingine alikuja na kunipiga tena mijeledi miwili, huku yeye akipiga kelele muda wote, "Piga kwa nguvu zaidi, laana juu yenu nyote!" Hapo ndipo nilipozimia.385

Again they came up one by one and struck me two lashes apiece, with al-Muʿtaṣim calling out, “Harder, damn you!” As each stepped aside another would come up and hit me twice more, with him shouting all the while, “Harder, damn you all!” That’s when I passed out.385

Baada ya muda fulani nilipata fahamu zangu na kugundua kwamba minyororo yangu ilikuwa imeondolewa.

Some time later I came to my senses to find that my chains had been removed.

"Tulikutupa chini kifudifudi," alisema mmoja wa wanaume waliokuwepo. "Kisha tukakugeuza ardhini na kukukanyaga." Sikuwa na kumbukumbu yoyote ya hilo.

“We threw you face down,” said one of the men who had been there. “Then we rolled you over on the ground and trampled you.” I had no memory of that.

Waliniletea maji ya shayiri na kuniambia niyanywe kisha nitapike.

They brought me some barley water and told me to drink it and vomit.

"Siwezi kufuturu," niliwaambia.

“I can’t break the fast,” I told them.

Walinirudisha kwenye makazi ya Isḥāq ibn Ibrahīm, ambako nilisali Swalah ya adhuhuri.386 Ibn Samāʿah alisimama mbele kuongoza Swalah. Alipomaliza aliniuliza, "Ulisaliije wakati unavuja damu ndani ya nguo zako?" 69.27

They took me back to Isḥāq ibn Ibrahīm’s place, where I attended the noon prayer.386 Ibn Samāʿah stepped forward to lead the prayer. When he finished he asked me, “How could you pray when you’re bleeding inside your clothes?” 69.27

"Umar aliswali huku damu ikimtoka majeraha yake," nilijibu.

“ʿUmar prayed with blood spurting from his wounds,” I answered.

Ṣāliḥ alisema: 69.28

Ṣāliḥ said: 69.28

Baba yangu aliachiliwa na kurudi nyumbani. Kuanzia wakati alipokamatwa mara ya kwanza hadi wakati alipopigwa viboko na kuachiliwa kulikuwa na miezi ishirini na minane.

My father was released and went home. From the time he was first arrested to the time he was flogged and let go was twenty-eight months.

Mmoja wa watu wawili waliokuwa pamoja na baba yangu—gerezani, yaani—alisikia na kuona kila kitu. Baadaye alikuja kuniona na kusema: “Binamu, Mwenyezi Mungu amrehemu Abū ʿAbd Allāh! Sijawahi kumwona mtu kama yeye. Chakula kilipoletwa ndani, nilimkumbusha kwamba alikuwa amefunga, na nilimwambia kwamba aliruhusiwa kujiokoa.387 Pia nakumbuka kwamba alikuwa na kiu. Aliomba kinywaji kwa mtumishi. Mtu huyo alimpa kikombe cha maji yenye barafu ndani yake. Akakichukua na kukitazama kwa muda, lakini kisha akakirudisha bila kunywa. Nilishangaa jinsi alivyoweza kukaa bila chakula wala maji hata katika mahali pale pa kutisha.” Ṣāliḥ alisema: 69.29

One of the two men who were with my father—in jail, that is—heard and saw everything. Later he came to see me and said, “Cousin, may God have mercy on Abū ʿAbd Allāh! I never saw anyone like him. When they sent food in, I would remind him that he was fasting, and tell him he was allowed to save himself.387 I also remember that he was thirsty. He asked the attendant for something to drink. The man gave him a cup of water with ice in it. He took it and looked at it for a moment, but then he gave it back without drinking it. I was amazed that he could go without food or water even in that terrifying place.” Ṣālīḥ said: 69.29

Wakati huo, nilikuwa nikifanya kila nilichoweza kumpitishia chakula kidogo au mkate mmoja au miwili kwa siri, lakini maombi yangu yote hayakuleta faida yoyote.

At the time, I was doing everything I could to smuggle some food or a loaf or two of flatbread in to him, but none of my pleading did any good.

Mtu mmoja aliyekuwepo aliniambia kwamba alimtazama kwa karibu siku zote tatu, na wakati wote wa mabishano na majadiliano hakuwahi kutamka vibaya neno hata moja. "Sikufikiri kwamba inawezekana kwa mtu yeyote kuwa mgumu kama alivyokuwa." [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim alirudi Baghdad kutoka mstari wa mbele wa Byzantine katika mwezi wa Ramadhani wa mwaka wa 218. Ndipo alipomhoji Aḥmad na kumwamuru apigwe mbele yake. 69.30

A man who was there told me that he kept his eye on him for the entire three days, and not once during all the argument and debate did he mispronounce a single word. “I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be as tough as he was.” [Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim returned to Baghdad from the Byzantine front in Ramadan of ’18. It was then that he tried Aḥmad and had him flogged before him. 69.30

Mtu anayeaminika miongoni mwa washirika wangu aliniarifu kile alichoambiwa na Ibrāhīm ibn Muṣʿab, ambaye wakati huo alikuwa akimwakilisha Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm kama mkuu wa polisi wa al-Muʿtaṣim: "Sijawahi kumwona mtu aliyeletwa mbele ya wafalme na wakuu akionyesha woga mdogo kiasi hicho kama Aḥmad alivyofanya siku ile. Kwake sisi tulikuwa si kitu zaidi ya wingu la nzi." [Al-Zuhrī:] Nilisoma kutoka kwenye madokezo yangu mwenyewe kile alichosema al-Marrūdhī wakati wa kesi ya Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, wakati Aḥmad alipokuwa amening'inizwa kati ya nguzo.388 69.31

A trustworthy associate of mine reported to me what he was told by Ibrāhīm ibn Muṣʿab, who at that time was standing in for Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm as al-Muʿtaṣim’s chief of police: “I’ve never seen anyone brought face to face with kings and princes show as little fear as Aḥmad did that day. To him we were nothing but a cloud of flies.” [Al-Zuhrī:] I read from my own notes what al-Marrūdhī said at the trial of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, as Aḥmad was hanging between the posts.388 69.31

"Bwana," alisema al-Marrūdhī, "Mungu anasema, {Wala msijiue wenyewe}."389

“Master,” said al-Marrūdhī, “God says, «Do not kill yourselves.»”389

"Marrūdhī," alisema Aḥmad, "nenda ukatazame nje, kisha uniambie unachokiona." Al-Marrūdhī alisimulia: "Nilitoka nje, na pale, katika ua la jumba la khalifa, kulikuwa na umati mkubwa wa watu—Mungu ndiye ajuaye idadi yao—wakiwa na karatasi zao, kalamu zao, na vyungu vyao vya wino. Niliwauliza wanafanya nini, nao wakasema, 'Tunasubiri kusikia atakalosema Aḥmad ili tuliandike.'" Akawaambia wabaki pale walipo, kisha akarudi ndani, ambako Aḥmad bado alikuwa amening'inia kati ya nguzo. Akamwambia kwamba ameona umati wa watu wakiwa wameshika kalamu na karatasi, wakisubiri kuandika chochote atakachosema.

“Marrūdhī,” said Aḥmad, “go and look outside and tell me what you see.” Al-Marrūdhī reported: “I went out and there, in the courtyard of the caliph’s palace, was a vast crowd of people—God only knows how many—with their sheets of paper, their pens, and their pots of ink. I asked them what they were doing, and they said, ‘We’re waiting to hear what Aḥmad says so we can write it down.’” He told them to stay where they were, then went back inside, where Aḥmad was still hanging between the posts. He told him that he had seen a crowd of people holding pen and paper and waiting to write down whatever he would say.

"Je, naweza kuwadanganya watu wote hao?" aliuliza Aḥmad. "Ningependa kujiua kuliko hilo."390

“Can I mislead all those people?” asked Aḥmad. “I’d rather kill myself.”390

[Mwandishi:] Hapa basi yupo mtu ambaye, kama Bilāl, alikuwa tayari kutoa maisha yake kwa ajili ya Mungu wake.391 Kuhusu Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, vivyo hivyo, imepokewa kwamba maisha yake yalikuwa na thamani ndogo kwake kama maisha ya nzi. Kutojali nafsi namna hii kunawezekana tu pale mtu anapokuwa ameona kwa muhtasari maisha yaliyo zaidi ya haya ya dunia, na kuelekeza macho yake kwenye wakati ujao badala ya wakati wa sasa. Mateso makubwa ya Aḥmad ni ushahidi wa imani yake thabiti, kwa kuwa, kama Mtume ﷺ alivyosema, "Mtu huteswa kwa kiwango cha imani yake." Msifu Yule aliyemsaidia Aḥmad, akamjalia kipawa cha utambuzi, akaimarisha azma yake, na kumsaidia. 69.32

[The author:] Here then is a man who, like Bilāl, was willing to give up his life for the sake of his God.391 Of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, similarly, it is reported that his life meant as little to him as the life of a fly. Such indifference to self is possible only when one has glimpsed the life that lies beyond this one and trained one’s gaze on the future rather than the present. Aḥmad’s great suffering is evidence of his strong faith, for, as the Prophet is known to have said, “A man suffers in proportion to his faith.” Praise the One who helped Aḥmad, granted him the gift of perception, strengthened his resolve, and came to his aid. 69.32

[Ibn al-Aṣbagh:] Nilikuwa Baghdad nikasikia kelele. Nikauliza zinahusu nini, watu wakaniambia kwamba Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal anahojiwa. Basi nikaenda nyumbani, nikakusanya kiasi kikubwa cha pesa, nikatoa rushwa ili niingie kwenye kikao. Ndani ya jumba nliona askari wakiwa wameshika panga zao zikiwa zimetolewa, mikuki yao imeshikwa tayari, ngao zao zimesimamishwa, na mijeledi yao iko tayari. Nilivishwa vazi jeusi, mshipi, na upanga, nikapewa kiti karibu kiasi kwamba niweze kusikia kilichokuwa kikisemwa. 69.33

[Ibn al-Aṣbagh:] I was in Baghdad and heard a clamor. I asked what it was about and people told me that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was being tried. So I went home, collected a substantial sum of money, and bribed my way into the session. Inside the palace, I saw soldiers with their swords drawn, their spears fixed, their shields planted, and their whips at the ready. I was fitted out with a black cloak, a sash, and a sword, and given a seat close enough that I could hear what was being said. 69.33

Khalifa alitokea na kuketi kwenye kiti. Kisha Ibn Ḥanbal akaletwa.

The caliph appeared and seated himself in a chair. Then Ibn Ḥanbal was brought in.

“Naapa kwa babu yangu Nabii,” alisema khalifa, “kwamba usipo sema kama ninavyosema, nitakuamuru uchapwe viboko!” Akimgeukia mlinzi wa sheria, alisema, “Mchukueni!” Kwenye pigo la kwanza, Aḥmad alisema, “Kwa jina la Mwenyezi Mungu!” Kwenye la pili, alisema, “Hakuna nguvu wala uwezo isipokuwa kwa Mwenyezi Mungu!” Kwenye la tatu, alisema, “Qurʾani ni maneno ya Mwenyezi Mungu, nayo haikuumbwa!” Kwenye la nne alisema, “«Sema: hatutapatwa ila yale aliyotuandikia Mwenyezi Mungu!»”392

“I swear by my ancestor the Prophet,” said the caliph, “that if you don’t say as I say, I’ll have you flogged!” Turning to the lictor, he said, “Take him away!” At the first blow, Aḥmad said, “In the name of God!” At the second, he said, “There is no might or power except by God!” At the third, he said, “The Qurʾan is the speech of God, and uncreated!” At the fourth he said, “«Say: we will suffer only what God has decreed for us!»”392

Askari alikuwa amempiga viboko ishirini na tisa alipokatika kamba ya suruali ya Aḥmad, ambayo ilitengenezwa kwa kipande tu cha kitambaa cha ndani cha nguo. Suruali yake ikateleza hadi kwenye kinena.

The lictor had struck him twenty-nine lashes when Aḥmad’s trouser cord—which was made of nothing more than a strip of garment lining—broke. His trousers slipped down as far as his groin.

"Atabaki hatakuwa na chochote mwilini," nilijiwazia. Lakini kisha alitazama mbinguni na kuyasogeza midomo yake. Papo hapo suruali ile ikasimama kuteleza na ikabaki mahali pake.

“He’ll be left with nothing on,” I thought to myself. But then he looked up to the heavens and moved his lips. Instantly the trousers stopped slipping and remained in place.

Siku saba baadaye, nilikwenda kumwona. "Aḥmad," nilimuuliza, "nilikuwepo siku ile walipokupiga, na suruali yako ikakatika. Niliona ukiinua macho na kusogeza midomo yako. Ulikuwa unasema nini?" Alisema, "Nilisema: 'Ee Mungu, ninakuita kwa jina Lako, ambalo limeijaza Kiti cha Enzi! Ikiwa Wewe unajua kwamba mimi ni mwenye haki, usiifichue aibu yangu.'" [Aḥmad ibn al-Faraj:] Nilikuwepo Aḥmad alipopigwa viboko. Abū l-Dann alisogea karibu na kumpiga zaidi ya viboko kumi. Damu ilianza kumwagika kutoka mabegani mwake. Alikuwa amevaa suruali, na kamba yake ikakatika. Niliona kwamba suruali ilipoanza kushuka, alisema kitu kisichosikika, nayo ikarudi juu. 69.34

Seven days later, I went to see him. “Aḥmad,” I asked, “I was there the day they beat you and your trousers came apart. I saw you look up and move your lips. What were you saying?” He said, “I said, ‘God, I call You by Your name, which has filled the Throne! If You know me to be in the right, do not expose my nakedness.’” [Aḥmad ibn al-Faraj:] I was there when Aḥmad was whipped. Abū l-Dann came up and struck him more than ten lashes. Blood started pouring from his shoulders. He was wearing a pair of trousers, and the cord broke. I noticed that as the trousers began to come down, he said something inaudible and they went back up. 69.34

"Baadaye nilimuuliza kuhusu hilo, naye akaniambia alichokisema: 'Ee Mola wangu na Bwana wangu, Wewe umeniweka hapa, halafu sasa utaifichua aibu yangu mbele ya dunia?' Hapo ndipo suruali yangu ilipopanda tena."393

Later I asked him about it, and he told me what he had said: “‘My God and Lord, You’ve put me here, and now You’re going to expose my nakedness to the world?’ That’s when my trousers came back up.”393

[Al-Qurashī:] Walipomleta Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal mbele ili apigwe bakora, walimvua kila kitu isipokuwa suruali yake. Alipokuwa akipigwa, suruali ilimlegea. Midomo yake ilisogea, kisha nikaona mikono miwili ikitokea chini yake wakati akipigwa na kuvuta suruali juu tena. Kipigo kilipomalizika, tulimuuliza alichosema suruali ilipomlegea. Akatuambia, “Nilisema: ‘Ninakuomba Wewe pekee unayejua Kiti Chako cha Enzi kiko wapi. Ikiwa niko katika haki, usifunue uchi wangu.’ Ndicho nilichosema.” 69.35

[Al-Qurashī:] When they brought Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal forward to be flogged, they stripped him of everything but his trousers. As he was being flogged, the trousers came loose. His lips moved, and then I saw two hands appear from under him as he was being whipped and pull the trousers back up. When the flogging was over, we asked him what he had said when the trousers came loose. He told us, “I said, ‘I call on You who alone knows where Your Throne is. If I’m in the right, do not expose my nakedness.’ That’s what I said.” 69.35

[Al-Rāzī:] Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm used to say, "Wallahi, I was there the day Aḥmad was flogged, and his trousers came down and went up again, and tied themselves back together after coming loose. The people there with him were too preoccupied to notice. But I never saw a more terrible day for al-Muʿtaṣim. If he hadn't stopped the flogging, he would never have made it out alive."394 69.36

[Al-Rāzī:] Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm used to say, “By God, I was there the day Aḥmad was flogged and his trousers came down and went up again, and reknotted themselves after coming loose. The people there with him were too preoccupied to notice. But I never saw a more terrible day for al-Muʿtaṣim. If he hadn’t stopped the flogging, he would never have made it out alive.”394 69.36

[Al-Anṣārī:] Nilimsikia mmoja wa wale maafisa wa adhabu akisema, "Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal aligeuka kuwa mgumu kama mnyang'anyi.395 Kama ngamia angepiga magoti chini nami nikampiga kwa nguvu kama nilivyompiga yeye, ningeweza kuchana tumbo lake." 69.37

[Al-Anṣārī:] I heard one of the lictors say, “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal turned out to be as tough as a bandit.395 If a camel knelt down and I hit it as hard as I hit him, I would have split open its belly.” 69.37

[Shābāṣ:] Nilimpiga Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal viboko themanini. Kama ningempiga tembo kwa nguvu hiyo, ningemwangusha chini.396 69.38

[Shābāṣ:] I struck Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal eighty lashes. If I’d hit an elephant that hard I would’ve knocked it down.396 69.38

[Al-Rāshidī:] Mmoja wa washirika wangu alisimulia: "Mijeledi ilipoanza kumrarua Abū ʿAbd Allāh, alisema: 'Kwako Wewe, Mola wa mbingu na ardhi, ninaomba msaada!'" 69.39

[Al-Rāshidī:] One of my associates reported: “When the whips began to tear into Abū ʿAbd Allāh, he said, ‘To You, Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, I cry for help!’” 69.39

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Mara nyingi nilimsikia baba yangu akisema, “Mwenyezi Mungu amrehemu Abū l-Haytham! Mwenyezi Mungu amsamehe Abū l-Haytham! Mwenyezi Mungu amsamehe dhambi za Abū l-Haytham!” 69.40

[ʿAbd Allāh:] I often heard my father say, “God have mercy on Abū l-Haytham! God pardon Abū l-Haytham! God forgive Abū l-Haytham!” 69.40

"Baba," hatimaye niliuliza, "Abū l-Haytham ni nani?" "Hujui?" "Sijui." "Ni Abū l-Haytham al-Ḥaddād. Siku walionichukua na kunyoosha mikono yangu kwa ajili ya kuchapwa, nilihisi mtu akivuta nguo zangu kutoka nyuma."

“Dad,” I finally asked, “who is Abū l-Haytham?” “Don’t you know?” “No.” “It’s Abū l-Haytham al-Ḥaddād. The day they took me and stretched my arms out for the flogging, I felt someone pulling at my clothes from behind.

"Je, unanitambua?" aliuliza.

“‘Do you recognize me?’ he asked.

"Hapana." "Mimi ni Abū l-Haytham, na mimi ni mnyang'anyi, mkata mifuko, na mwizi. Wakati mmoja au mwingine, nimewahi kupigwa viboko elfu kumi na nane—yote yamerekodiwa kwa Amirul-Mu'minīn—kwa ajili ya Shetani na mambo ya dunia hii. Basi vumilia na ukubali kipigo chako kwa ajili ya Mungu na Uislamu." "Walinipiga viboko kumi na nane badala ya vyake elfu kumi na nane. Kisha mhudumu alitoka na kusema, 'Amirul-Mu'minīn amemsamehe!'" [Mwandishi:] Katika kitabu chake cha Historia, Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿArafah anasimulia kwamba Aḥmad alipigwa viboko thelathini na sita.397

“‘No.’ “‘I’m Abū l-Haytham, and I’m a bandit, a cutpurse, and a thief. At one time or another, I’ve been struck eighteen thousand lashes—all on record with the Commander of the Faithful—for the sake of Satan and the things of this world. So bear up and take your beating for God and Islam.’ “They struck me eighteen lashes instead of his eighteen thousand. Then the attendant came out and said, ‘The Commander of the Faithful has pardoned him!’” [The author:] In his History, Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿArafah reports that Aḥmad was struck thirty-six lashes.397

[Yaḥyā ibn Nuʿaym:] Wakati Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal alipokuwa akipelekwa nje kwa al-Mu'taṣim ili achapwe viboko, yule afisa aliyekuwa akimsindikiza alisema, "Endelea, mlaani yule aliyekufanyia hivi!" 69.41

[Yaḥyā ibn Nuʿaym:] As Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was being taken out to al-Muʿtaṣim to be flogged, the officer escorting him said, “Go ahead and curse whoever did this to you!” 69.41

"Kumlaani anayekudhulumu," alisema Aḥmad, "kunaonyesha ukosefu wa subira na ustahimilivu." [Al-Baghawī:] Nilimwona Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal akiingia msikiti wa al-Manṣūr, amevaa vazi la juu la kijani, viatu vyake vikiwa mkononi, kichwa wazi. Kwangu alionekana kuwa mzee mrefu, mweusi, mwenye ndevu nyeupe. Wakiwa wameketi kwenye ghorofa ya mnara wa msikiti walikuwepo watu wa msafara wa khalifa. Walipomwona, walishuka chini kumheshimu. Wakambusu kichwani na mikononi, wakisema, "Mlaani yule aliyekutendea vibaya." 69.42

“Cursing your oppressor,” said Aḥmad, “shows a lack of fortitude.” [Al-Baghawī:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal going into the mosque of al-Manṣūr wearing a green over-garment, his sandals in his hand, bare-headed. To me he looked to be a tall, dark-skinned, white-bearded old man. Sitting in the gallery of the minaret were members of the caliph’s entourage. When they saw him, they came down to pay their respects. Kissing his head and hands, they said, “Curse the one who mistreated you.” 69.42

"Kumlaani dhalimu wako," alisema Aḥmad, "huonyesha ukosefu wa subira na uimara."398

“Cursing your oppressor,” said Aḥmad, “shows a lack of fortitude.”398

[Aḥmad:] Waliponipeleka ikulu nilikwenda bila chakula kwa siku mbili.

[Aḥmad:] When they took me to the palace I went without food for two days.

Baada ya kunipiga viboko, waliniletea maji ya shayiri, lakini sikuyanywa ili nisivunje funga yangu. 69.43

After they flogged me they brought me some barley water, but I didn’t have any so as not to break my fast. 69.43

[Al-Makhzūmī:] Nilikuwa Makka nikizunguka Al-Kaʿbah pamoja na Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr, nilipomsikia sauti nyuma yangu ikisema: "Leo ni siku ya kuchapwa kwa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal." 69.44

[Al-Makhzūmī:] I was in Mecca walking around the Kaʿbah with Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr when I heard a voice behind me say: “Today is the flogging of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” 69.44

Baadaye nilipata kujua kwamba siku hiyo alikuwa amepigwa viboko.

Later I found out that he had been flogged that day.

Katika simulizi nyingine:

In another telling:

Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr aliniuliza, "Je, umesikia ile niliyosikia?" Nikamwambia kwamba nimesikia.

Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr asked me, “Did you hear what I heard?” I told him I had.

"Kumbuka siku hii ni ipi," alisema.

“Remember what day this is,” he said.

Baadaye tuligundua kwamba siku hiyo alikuwa amepigwa viboko.

Later we found out that he had been flogged that day.

[Al-Ṭaḥḥān:] Siku ile Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal alipopigwa viboko, mimi nilikuwa pamoja na Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām, Ibrahīm ibn Abī l-Layth, na wengine kadhaa, nyumbani kwa ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAlī. 69.45

[Al-Ṭaḥḥān:] On the day Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was flogged, I was with Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām, Ibrahīm ibn Abī l-Layth, and several others at the home of ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAlī. 69.45

"Je, kuna mtu atakayekuja nami kuzungumza na mtu huyo?" aliuliza ʿĀṣim. Aliuliza swali hilo mara kadhaa lakini hakuna aliyejibu, hadi hatimaye Ibrāhīm akasema, "Nitakuja." ʿĀṣim alimpigia kelele mtumishi mvulana alete viatu vyake. Lakini kisha Ibrāhīm akasema, "Niache kwanza niende kuwaona binti zangu. Sijawaona kwa muda mrefu na nina mambo ya kuwaambia." Aliondoka, nasi tukadhani kwamba alikuwa ameenda kujipaka manukato na kuvaa sanda yake.

“Will anyone come with me and talk to that man?” asked ʿĀṣim.399 He repeated the question several times but no one answered, until finally Ibrāhīm said, “I’ll come.” ʿĀṣim shouted to the servant boy to bring his boots. But then Ibrāhīm said, “Let me go and see my daughters first. I haven’t seen them in a while and I have some things to tell them.” He left, and we suspected that he had gone to perfume himself and put on his shroud.

Aliporudi, ʿĀṣim tena aliomba viatu vyake vya ngozi.

When he returned, ʿĀṣim again called for his boots.

“Nilienda kuwaona binti zangu,” alisema Ibrāhīm, “nao wakalia.” Kisha barua ikafika kutoka kwa mabinti wawili wa ʿĀṣim huko Wāsiṭ. Ilisomeka, “Baba, tumesikia kwamba mtu yule amemchukua Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal na kumpiga viboko ili aseme kwamba Qur'ani imeumbwa. Akikuambia ufanye jambo hilo hilo, mche Mungu na ukatae. Kwa Mungu, tungependa kusikia umekufa kuliko kwamba umekubali.” [Al-Ḥarrānī:] Wakati Aḥmad akipigwa viboko, Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām na mimi tulikuwa tukingoja kwenye lango la al-Muʿtaṣim. Abū ʿUbayd akaanza kusema, “Je, tutawaacha wawafanyie hivi mmoja wa bora kati yetu? Hili haliwezekani kuvumilika!” 69.46

“I went to see my daughters,” said Ibrāhīm, “and they wept.” Then a letter came from ʿĀṣim’s two daughters in Wāsiṭ. It read, “Father, we’ve heard that that man has taken Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and flogged him to make him say that the Qurʾan is created. If he asks you to do the same thing, be fearful of God and refuse. By God, we’d rather hear that you’d died than that you gave in.” [Al-Ḥarrānī:] While Aḥmad was being flogged, Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām and I were waiting at al-Muʿtaṣim’s gate. Abū ʿUbayd started saying, “Are we going to let them do this to the best of us? It’s unbearable!” 69.46

Nilisema:

I said:

Hawakuwa na haki ya kumpiga viboko kiasi hicho.

They had no right to flog him so.

Lakini na wampige, kwa kuwa yeye alisimama imara.

But let them strike, for firm he stood.

Na hata walipomnyoosha chini kabisa.

And even as they stretched him flat.

Kama udongo wa nyanda za juu, alisema, aliyevuviwa.

As highland earth, he said, inspired.

"Naweza kufa, lakini wewe, si mimi, ndiwe utakayeungua."

“I may die, but you, not I, will burn.

"…pamoja na waongo walio katika mashimo ya Jahannam!"

With the liars in the pits of Hell!”.

[Abū Ḥātim:] Siku ile walipomchapa Aḥmad, niliamua kwenda kujionea mwenyewe kilichomtokea. Nilifika mapema nikamkuta mzee mmoja amesimama pale akisema, "Mungu, mpe nguvu! Mungu, msaidie!" Aliendelea kusema, kana kwamba amekamatwa na tatizo kubwa mno, "Ninahitaji kujua kama amekubali kushindwa, nami nipaswa kwenda kumchukua nafasi yake." 69.47

[Abū Ḥātim:] The day they flogged Aḥmad, I decided to go and see for myself what had happened to him. I arrived early and found an old man standing there saying, “God, give him strength! God, help him!” He continued, speaking as if caught in some terrible dilemma, “I need to know if he’s given in and I have to go take his place.” 69.47

Kisha mtu mmoja alitoka nje, akisema, "Hakukubali." "Shukrani kwa Mungu!" alisema yule mzee.

Then someone came out, saying, “He didn’t give in.” “Thank God!” said the old man.

Nilimwuliza mtu yule mzee alikuwa nani.

I asked someone who the old man was.

“Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith,” nilielezwa.400

“Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith,” I was told.400

Tunafahamu simulizi nyingine za kupigwa viboko, lakini tunazitilia shaka usahihi wake, kwa hiyo tumeziacha.401 69.48

[The author:] We are aware of other accounts of the flogging, but we doubt their accuracy and have therefore omitted them.401 69.48

Mtume, Mwenyezi Mungu amsalimishe na kumbariki ﷺ, alisema: "Kutakuja wakati ambapo yeyote atakayevumilia kwa subira kwa ajili ya dini yake atapewa thawabu mara hamsini zaidi ya zenu." 69.49

The Prophet, God bless and keep him, said: “There will come a time when anyone who suffers bravely for his faith will be rewarded fifty times more than you.” 69.49

"Zaidi yetu?" wakauliza Maswahaba wake.

“More than us?” asked his Companions.

"Ndiyo," alisema, akiirudia mara tatu.

“Yes,” he said, repeating it three times.

[Al-Shāfiʿī:] "Mambo matatu magumu zaidi ni haya: kuwa mkarimu wakati una kidogo, kuwa mwangalifu wa dini yako ukiwa peke yako, na kusema ukweli mbele ya watawala." 69.50

[Al-Shāfiʿī:] “The hardest three things are these: being generous when you have little, being scrupulous when you’re alone, and speaking truth to power.” 69.50

[Abū Zurʿah:] Nilikuwa nikisikia daima watu wakimsifu sana Ibn Ḥanbal na kumpa kipaumbele juu ya Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn na Abū Khaythamah, ingawa kamwe si kwa kiwango hiki kama baada ya yeye kujaribiwa. Baada ya kujaribiwa kwake, sifa yake haikuwa na mipaka. 69.51

[Abū Zurʿah:] I always used to hear people speaking highly of Ibn Ḥanbal and giving him precedence over Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and Abū Khaythamah, though never as much as after he was tried. After he was tried, his reputation knew no bounds. 69.51

[Ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] Nilimsikia Aḥmad ibn Yūnus akisoma Hadithi: "Peponi zipo majumba yaliyo wazi kwa manabii pekee, wakweli, au wale waliopewa mamlaka juu ya nafsi zao." 69.52

[Ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān:] I heard Aḥmad ibn Yūnus recite the Hadith: “In the Garden are palaces open only to prophets, truth-tellers, or those given power over their own souls.” 69.52

"Mtu fulani aliuliza, 'Ni akina nani "wale waliopewa mamlaka juu ya nafsi zao"?' Akajibu, 'Kwa mfano, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.'"

Someone asked, “Who are ‘those given power over their own souls’?” “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, for example,” he replied.

Hadithi hii inanasibishwa kwa Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, kama ifuatavyo:

[The author:] This Hadith is traced back to Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, as follows:

Tunamnukuu Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī ibn Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān, ambaye ananukuu kutoka kwa Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, ambaye ananukuu kutoka kwa Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Iṣfahānī, ambaye alimsikia ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad akisimulia kwamba alimsikia ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Salm akisimulia kwamba alimsikia Hannād ibn al-Sarī akisimulia kwamba alimsikia Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd, akinukuu kutoka kwa Salamah ibn Nubayṭ, akinukuu kutoka kwa ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī l-Jaʿd, akinukuu kutoka kwa Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, wakisimulia:

[Ibn al-Ḥārith:] Abū Muḥammad al-Ṭufāwī alimwomba Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal amweleze walichomfanyia. 69.56

[Ibn al-Ḥārith:] Abū Muḥammad al-Ṭufāwī asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to tell him what they had done to him. 69.56

“Baada ya kunipiga viboko,” alisema Aḥmad, “yule mwenye ndevu ndefu”—akimaanisha ʿUjayf—“alikuja na kunichoma kwa mpini wa upanga wake. Nakumbuka nilidhani kwamba hatimaye yamekwisha. Aniue koo ili nipate kupumzika!” “Ibn Samāʿah alimwambia khalifa, ‘Amīr al-Mu’minīn! Mkate kichwa huyu, na damu yake iwe mikononi mwangu.’” “Lakini kisha Ibn Abī Dūʾād akasema, ‘Amīr al-Mu’minīn: ni afadhali tusifanye hivyo! Ukimuua hapa au ukimwacha afe ndani ya ikulu, watasema alisimama imara hadi mwisho. Watamfanya shujaa, nao watadhani kwamba wamethibitishwa kuwa sahihi. Hapana: mwachilie mara moja. Akifa nje, hawatajua kilichotokea. Baadhi watasema alipinga…”404

“After they had flogged me,” said Aḥmad, “that one with the long beard”— meaning ʿUjayf—“came up and jabbed me with the hilt of his sword. I remember thinking it was finally over. Let him cut my throat so I can rest! “Ibn Samāʿah said to the caliph, ‘Commander of the Faithful! Behead him and let his blood be on my hands.’ “But then Ibn Abī Dūʾād said, ‘Commander of the Faithful: better not to! If you kill him here or let him die inside the palace, they’ll say he held out till the end. They’ll make a hero of him and they’ll think they’ve been proven right. No: let him go right away. If he dies outside they won’t know what happened. Some will say he resisted404

“Lakini hakuna atakayejua kwa hakika.”405

but no one will know for sure.’”405

Abū Zurʿah: Al-Muʿtaṣim alimwita mjomba wa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, kisha akawauliza watu, "Je, mnamjua huyu ni nani?" 69.57

[Abū Zurʿah:] Al-Muʿtaṣim summoned Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s uncle and asked the people, “Do you know who this is?” 69.57

"Ndiyo," walisema. "Ni Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal." "Mtazame. Unaona kwamba hajadhurika?" "Ndiyo." Kama asingefanya hivyo, nina shaka kwamba ghasia zisizozuilika zingezuka. Alipesema, "Namkabidhi kwenu bila kujeruhiwa," watu wakatulia.

“Yes,” they said. “It’s Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” “Look at him. Do you see that he’s unharmed?” “Yes.” If he hadn’t done that, I suspect that an unstoppable outburst of violence would have ensued.406 When he said, “I give him to you unharmed,” the people were mollified.

[Ibn al-Aṣbagh:] Ni baada tu ya umati kukusanyika kwenye lango na kuanza kupiga kelele ndipo Ibn Ḥanbal aliachiliwa. Mamlaka waliogopa na wakamtoa Aḥmad. 69.58