[Ṣāliḥ:] Nilimsikia baba yangu akisema, "Namsamehe mtu yule aliyekufa kwa dhima ya kunichapa." Kisha akasema, "Nimekutana tu na aya isemayo: «Yeyote anayesamehe na kurekebisha atapata thawabu yake kwa Mwenyezi Mungu», nikaangalia maana yake. Ninanukuu kutoka kwa Hāshim ibn Qāsim, ambaye ananukuu kutoka kwa al-Mubārak ibn Faḍālah, ambaye ananukuu kutoka kwa mtu aliyemsikia al-Ḥasan akisema, 'Siku ya Kiyama, mataifa yote yatakuja kwa kutambaa mbele ya Mungu, Mwenye nguvu na utukufu. Kisha ni wale tu ambao Mungu anawadai thawabu ndio watakaoitwa kuinuka.' 70."7
[Ṣāliḥ:] I heard my father say, “I exempt that dead man410 from liability for flogging me.” Then he said, “I just came across the verse «Whoever pardons and amends will find his reward with God»411 and looked into what it means. I cite Hāshim ibn Qāsim, who cites al-Mubārak ibn Faḍālah, who cites someone who heard al-Ḥasan say, ‘On the Day of Resurrection, all the nations will come crawling before God, mighty and glorious. Then only those to whom God owes a reward will be called upon to rise.’ 70.7
“Alisema: ‘Wale tu watakaofufuka ni wale waliowasamehe wengine.’ ‘Kwa hiyo niliamua kumsamehe marehemu dhima ya kunichapa viboko.’ Kisha akaongeza, ‘Ningependa Mungu asimwadhibu mtu yeyote kwa ajili yangu.’ [Aḥmad ibn Sinān:] Nilisikia kwamba Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal alimsamehe al-Muʿtaṣim siku alipomshinda Bābak, au siku alipoiteka Amorium. Alisema, ‘Namsamehe dhima yoyote ya kunichapa viboko.’ 70.”8
“He said: ‘The only ones to rise will be those who forgave others.’ “So I decided to exempt the deceased from liability for flogging me.” Then he added, “I’d rather not have God torment anyone for my sake.” [Aḥmad ibn Sinān:] I heard that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal forgave al-Muʿtaṣim the day he defeated Bābak, or the day he captured Amorium. He said, “I exempt him from any liability for flogging me.” 70.8
[Aḥmad:] Al-Wāthiq alinituma ujumbe akiniomba nimsamehe al-Muʿtaṣim kwa kunipiga bakora. Nilijibu, “Nilimsamehe mara tu nilipotoka ikulu kwa sababu ya alichosema Mtume ﷺ: ‘Hakuna atakayefufuliwa Siku ya Kiyama isipokuwa wale wanaosamehe.’” 70.9
[Aḥmad:] Al-Wāthiq sent me a message asking me to forgive al-Muʿtaṣim for flogging me. I responded, “I forgave him the moment I left the palace because of what the Prophet said: ‘None will rise on Resurrection Day except those who forgive.’” 70.9
[Aḥmad:] Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm aliuliza kama ningemsamehe Abū Isḥāq [al-Muʿtaṣim] dhima yake. Nilimjibu kwamba tayari nilikuwa nimemsamehe. Nilikuwa nikiwaza juu ya Hadithi inayosema: “Siku ya Kiyama sauti itapiga kelele: ‘Asiinuke yeyote isipokuwa wale waliosamehe!’” Pia nilikumbuka alichosema al-Shaʿbī: “Samehe mara moja, nawe utapata thawabu mara mbili.” 70.10
[Aḥmad:] Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm asked if I would exempt Abū Isḥāq [al-Muʿtaṣim] from liability. I told him that I already had. I had been thinking about the Hadith that says: “On the Day of Resurrection a cry will sound: ‘Let none rise but those who have forgiven!’” I also remembered what al-Shaʿbī said, “Forgive once and be rewarded twice.” 70.10
[Al-Khiraqī:] Niliwahi kulala usiku mmoja nyumbani kwa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Kila alipolala chini, alikuwa akilia, mpaka asubuhi. Nilimuuliza kwa nini alikuwa akilia sana. Alisema, "Nilikuwa nikifikiria jinsi al-Muʿtaṣim alivyonichapa viboko."
[Al-Khiraqī:] I once spent the night at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s. Every time he lay down, he would weep, straight through until morning. I asked him why he had been weeping so much. He said, “I was thinking about how al-Muʿtaṣim had me flogged.
Kisha wakati wa somo tulikutana na aya isemayo «Na malipo ya ubaya ni ubaya mfano wake. Lakini atakayesamehe na kusuluhisha, malipo yake yako kwa Mwenyezi Mungu.»412 Kwa hiyo nilisujudu na nikaamua kumsamehe.” 70.11
Then during the lesson we came across the verse «Let harm be requited by an equal harm. But whoever pardons and amends will find his reward with God.»412 So I prostrated myself and decided to forgive him.” 70.11
[Al-Ḥarbī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal aliwasamehe kila mtu, akiwemo al-Muʿtaṣim, aliyehudhuria kuchapwa kwake au kusaidia kutekeleza adhabu hiyo kwa maagizo ya wengine. Alisema: "Kama Ibn Abī Duʾād asingekuwa akiwaita watu kwenye kufuru, ningemsamehe pia." 70.12
[Al-Ḥarbī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal forgave everyone, including al-Muʿtaṣim, who attended his flogging or helped carry it out under instructions from others. He said, “If Ibn Abī Duʾād weren’t summoning others to unbelief, I would forgive him, too.” 70.12
[Fūrān:] Usiku mmoja Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal alinituma nimwendee. Nilipofika aliniuliza, "Ulishawahi kusimulia kitu alichosema Faḍl al-Anmāṭī. Ni kitu gani hicho?" 70.13
[Fūrān:] One night Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal sent for me. When I arrived he asked, “You once reported something Faḍl al-Anmāṭī said. What was it?” 70.13
Nilimwambia, "Faḍl aliniambia: 'Sitamsamehe kamwe yule aliyeamuru nichapwe viboko ili nisema kwamba Qur'ani imeumbwa, wala wale waliotekeleza kuchapwa huko, wala yeyote miongoni mwa wafuasi wa Jahm—waliokuwepo au wasiokuwepo—waliofurahia jambo hilo.'" Aḥmad alisema: "Lakini mimi nimemsamehe al-Muʿtaṣim, wale walionichapa viboko, na kila aliyekuwepo, au asiyekuwepo. Nilidhani ni afadhali nisimfanye mtu yeyote ateseke Motoni kwa sababu yangu. Pia nilikumbuka Hadithi mbili zilizopokewa kutoka kwa Nabii ﷺ: 'Mwenyezi Mungu, Mtukufu na Mwenye utukufu, atajenga majumba, na watu watayainua macho yao kuyaangalia na kusema, "Haya ni ya nani? Ni mazuri kiasi gani!" Jibu litakuja: "Ni ya wale waliolipa bei yake." "Ni bei gani walioilipa?" "Kumsamehe ndugu yao Muislamu."' Hadithi nyingine ni: 'Mwenyezi Mungu, Mtukufu na Mwenye utukufu, ataamuru bendera iinuliwe na mtangazaji atangaze, "Wote wenye madai kwa Mwenyezi Mungu wafuate bendera hii kuingia Peponi."' 'Watu watauliza, "Tuambie ni nani mwenye madai!" 'Jibu litakuja, "Yule aliyemsamehe ndugu yake Muislamu."'" [ʿAbd Allāh:] Nilipata kumsomea baba yangu Hadithi iliyopokewa na Rawḥ akimnukuu Ashʿath, akimnukuu al-Ḥasan: "Peponi kuna mlango ambao Mwenyezi Mungu ameuweka huko kwa ajili ya wale tu waliosamehe dhulma waliyotendewa." 70.14
I told him, “Faḍl said to me: ‘I will never forgive the one who ordered me flogged so I would say the Qurʾan is created, or the ones who carried out the flogging, or any of the followers of Jahm—present or absent—who rejoiced in it.’” Aḥmad said: “But I’ve forgiven al-Muʿtaṣim, the ones who flogged me, and anyone who was there, or who wasn’t. I thought it was better not to have anyone tormented in the Fire on my account. I also remembered two Hadiths reported of the Prophet, God bless and keep him: ‘God, mighty and glorious, will raise palaces, and people will lift their eyes to them and say, “Whose are these? How beautiful they are!” “‘The answer will come: “They belong to those who have paid for them.” “‘“What price did they pay?” “‘“Forgiving a fellow Muslim.”’ “The other report is: ‘God, mighty and glorious, will order a banner to be raised and a crier to cry, “Let all who have a claim on God follow this banner into the Garden.” “‘The people will ask, “Tell us who has a claim!” “‘The answer will come, “Whoever forgave his fellow Muslim.”’” [ʿAbd Allāh:] I once read to my father a report narrated by Rawḥ citing Ashʿath citing al-Ḥasan: “The Garden has a door that God has placed there only for those who have forgiven an injustice done them.” 70.14
"Mwanangu," baba yangu alisema, "tangu nilipotoka katika jumba la al-Muʿtaṣim, nilimsamehe yeye na kila aliyekuwa pamoja naye, isipokuwa watu wawili: Ibn Abī Duʾād na ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, ambao walikuwa wakitaka damu yangu. Lakini mimi ni mdogo mno machoni pa Mungu hata Yeye aweze kumwadhibu mtu yeyote kwa sababu yangu, kwa hiyo nawatangaza nao pia kuwa wamesamehewa."
“Son,” my father said, “the moment I left al-Muʿtaṣim’s palace, I forgave him and everyone with him, with two exceptions: Ibn Abī Duʾād and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, who were calling for my blood. But I’m too insignificant in the eyes of God for Him to torment anyone on my account, so I declare them forgiven as well.”