[Al-Ṭarasūsī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal mara moja alidondosha jozi ya mkasi wa kunyolea ndani ya kisima. Mmoja wa wapangaji wake alikuja na kuutoa. Aḥmad mara moja alimpa pesa kidogo—nusu dirham, zaidi au pungufu. 42.1

[Al-Ṭarasūsī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal once dropped a pair of clippers219 into the well. One of his tenants came along and fished it out. Aḥmad immediately handed him some money—half a dirham, more or less. 42.1

"Vipande vya kukatia (vikasi) hivi havifai hata qīrāṭ moja,"220 alisema mtu huyo. "Sitachukua chochote." Siku chache baadaye, Aḥmad alimuuliza, "Unadaiwa kodi ya kiasi gani kwa duka lako?" "Ya miezi mitatu," alisema mtu huyo, "kwa dirhamu tatu kwa mwezi."221

“The clippers aren’t worth more than a qīrāṭ,”220 said the man. “I won’t take anything.” A few days later, Aḥmad asked him, “How much rent do you owe on your shop?” “Three months’ worth,” said the man, “at three dirhams a month.”221

"Chukulia umelipwa," alisema Aḥmad, huku akichora mstari juu ya akaunti yake.

“Consider it paid,” said Aḥmad, drawing a line through his account.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī Ḥanīfah al-Muʾaddib aliniambia, "Nilipokuwa nikija kumwona baba yako, mara nyingi alinipa vitu na kusema, 'Hii ni nusu ya tulichonacho nyumbani.' Siku moja nilikuja na kukaa muda mrefu. Alitoa mikate minne na kusema, 'Hii ni nusu ya tulichonacho.' 42."2

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī Ḥanīfah al-Muʾaddib told me, “When I used to come see your father, he would often give me things and say, ‘This is half of what we’ve got in the house.’ One day I came and stayed for a long time. He brought out four loaves of bread and said, ‘This is half of what we have.’ 42.2

“‘Ningependa hizi nne kutoka kwako,’ nilimwambia, ‘kuliko nne elfu kutoka kwa mtu mwingine yeyote.’” [Al-Warrāq:] Siku moja nilimwendea Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr kumwomba msaada. Alinipa dirhamu nne au tano, akisema: “Hii ni nusu ya kile nilicho nacho.” 42.3

“‘I’d rather have these four from you,’ I told him, ‘than four thousand from anyone else.’” [Al-Warrāq:] I once went to Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr to ask for help. He gave me four or five dirhams, saying, “This is half of what I have.” 42.3

Mara nyingine nilimwendea Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal. Alitoa dirham nne akasema, "Hii ndiyo yote ninayo." [Al-Mustamlī:] Nilimwambia Aḥmad mara moja kwamba hatukuwa na kitu kingine kilichobaki. Akanipa dirham tano akasema, "Hii ndiyo yote nilio nayo." [Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad mara nyingi alikuwa akitoa chakula kwa watu. Siku moja, Abū Saʿīd al-Ḍarīr alikuja kuomba msaada. 42.4

Another time I went to Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal. He took out four dirhams and said, “This is all I have.” [Al-Mustamlī:] I once told Aḥmad that we had nothing left. He gave me five dirhams and said, “This is all I’ve got.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad often used to give away food. One day, Abū Saʿīd al-Ḍarīr came to ask for help. 42.4

"Hiki ndicho nilichonacho," alisema Aḥmad, "ni shina hili la mti. Mletee mbeba mizigo na mchukue."222

“All I’ve got,” said Aḥmad, “is this tree trunk. Bring a porter and take it.”222

Niliiuza kwa dirhamu tisa na daniki mbili.223

I sold it for nine dirhams and two dāniqs.223

Aḥmad alikuwa na tabia nzuri zaidi na mnyenyekevu kuliko wengine, na daima alifurahi kutoa vitu kwa wengine.

Aḥmad was of the kindest and most unassuming disposition, and it always made him happy to give things away.

[Al-Nasāʾī:] Siku moja ya sikukuu, Aḥmad alinialika ndani. Niliingia na kuona meza, na sahani yenye mifupa fulani iliyokuwa juu ya sinia yenye miguu, pamoja na chungu kilichokuwa pembeni. 42.5

[Al-Nasāʾī:] Once during a feast day, Aḥmad invited me in. I went in and saw a table table and a dish with some bones in it sitting on a footed tray, and a pot off to the side. 42.5

“Kula chakula,” alisema. Alipoona kwamba nilikuwa mwoga mno kujiunga naye, alisema, “Al-Ḥasan alikuwa akisema, ‘Tule, kwa Mungu!’ Na Ibn Sīrīn alikuwa akisema, ‘Chakula kipo ili kuliwa.’ Na Ibrāhīm ibn Adham alikuwa akiuza vipande vya nguo zake na kutumia fedha hizo kuwasaidia marafiki zake. Kwake, mambo ya dunia hii hayakuwa na thamani zaidi ya hiyo,” akiashiria kipande cha shina la mtende kilichotupwa.

“Have something to eat,” he said. Seeing that I was too shy to join him, he said, “Al-Ḥasan used to say, ‘Let us eat, by God!’ And Ibn Sīrīn used to say, ‘Food is there to be eaten.’ And Ibrāhīm ibn Adham used to sell pieces of his clothing and spend the money on his friends. For him, the things of this world were worth no more than that,” pointing to a discarded length of palm trunk.

Nilipokisikia hayo yote, nilitulia na kula.

Hearing all that, I relaxed and ate.

[ʿAlī ibn Yaḥyā:] Niliswali sala ya Ijumaa pamoja na Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Baada ya imamu kuwaaga waumini, mwombaji mmoja alisimama na kuomba sadaka. Aḥmad alipata sarafu moja na kumpa. Kisha mtu mmoja akamwambia yule mwombaji, “Nitakupa dirham moja kwa sarafu hiyo.” Akaendelea kuongeza kiasi hicho hadi akafikia dirham hamsini, lakini mwombaji akasema, “Sitaiachia. Nataka kuitumia kwa sababu ile ile unayotaka wewe!”224 42.6

[ʿAlī ibn Yaḥyā:] I prayed the Friday prayer next to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. After the imam had dismissed the congregation, a beggar stood up and asked for alms. Aḥmad found a coin and gave it to him. A man then said to the beggar, “I’ll give you a dirham for that coin.” He kept upping the amount and finally reached fifty dirhams before the beggar said, “I’m not giving it up. I want it for the same reason you do!”224 42.6

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Nilikuwa pamoja na Aḥmad njiani kuelekea Samarra tulipositisha kwenye kituo cha njiani. Nilitoa mkate wa bapa na kuweka mtungi wa maji mbele yake. Kisha mbwa alijitokeza. Alisimama karibu naye kwa miguu yake ya nyuma na kuanza kutikisa mkia. Yeye alimrushia kipande kidogo cha chakula. Punde si punde alikuwa akimrushia kipande kidogo cha kula kwa kila kaumu alilokula yeye mwenyewe.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I was with Aḥmad on the way to Samarra when we stopped at a way station. I took out a loaf of flatbread and put a jug of water before him. Then a dog appeared. It stood beside him on its hind legs and started wagging its tail. He tossed it a bit of food. Soon he was tossing it a bit to eat for every bite he took himself.

Nikiogopa kwamba kwa kasi hiyo Aḥmad angefariki kwa njaa, niliinuka na kumfukuza mbwa. Kisha nikatazama na kuona kwamba Aḥmad alikuwa mwekundu kwa aibu. "Iache," alisema.

Afraid that at that rate Aḥmad would starve, I got up and shooed the dog away. Then I looked and saw that Aḥmad was red with embarrassment. “Let it be,” he said.

"Kulingana na Ibn ʿAbbās, wao wana nafsi mbaya."225 42.7

“According to Ibn ʿAbbās, they have malicious souls.”225 42.7