[Ṣāliḥ:] Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Ṭahir alipofika Baghdad, alimtumia ujumbe baba yangu akisema: "Ningependa uje kuniona. Niambie siku unayopendelea, nami nitahakikisha hakuna mtu mwingine hapa." 74.1

[Ṣāliḥ:] When Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir came to Baghdad, he sent a message to my father saying, “I’d like you to come and see me. Tell me the day you prefer and I’ll make sure there’s no one else here.” 74.1

Baba yangu alijibu, "Mimi ni mtu ambaye sijawahi kushirikiana na watawala. Zaidi ya hayo, Amiri wa Waumini amenisamehe kufanya jambo lolote ninalolichukia. Hili ninalichukia." Muḥammad alijitahidi kumgeuza nia, lakini bila mafanikio.

My father replied, “I am a man who has never consorted with rulers. Furthermore, the Commander of the Faithful has exempted me from doing anything I detest. This I detest.” Muḥammad strove to change his mind but to no avail.

Kisha nilipokea barua kutoka kwa Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh iliyosema:

I then received a letter from Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh saying:

Nilimwendea Ṭāhir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, naye aliniambia kwamba Muḥammad ﷺ alimwalika Aḥmad amtembelee, lakini Aḥmad akakataa.

I went to see Ṭāhir ibn ʿAbd Allāh and he told me that Muḥammad had invited Aḥmad to call on him but Aḥmad had refused.

"Mwenyezi Mungu amrekebishe amiri!" Aḥmad ameapa kamwe kutofundisha tena Hadithi.

I said, “May God correct the emir! Aḥmad has vowed never to teach Hadith again.

Labda alihofu kwamba akienda, angemwomba amfundishe." Aliuliza, "Je, ni kweli?" Nikasema, "Ni kweli." Nilimwambia baba yangu kuhusu jambo hili lakini yeye hakusema neno.

Perhaps he was afraid that if he went, he would ask him to teach.” He asked, “Are you serious?” I said, “I am.” I told my father about this but he said nothing.

Nadhani Aḥmad alikataa kumtembelea Ibn Ṭāhir kwa sababu alikuwa mtawala. Alikuwa akiwatembelea watu mradi tu walikuwa watu wa ucha Mungu na elimu.

[The author:] I think Aḥmad refused to visit Ibn Ṭāhir because he was a ruler. He did visit people so long as they were men of piety and learning.

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Baada ya baba yangu kuachiliwa na Inquisition, alikuwa na wasiwasi kwamba Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh angekuja kumtembelea, kwa hiyo aliamua kwenda kumwona yeye kwanza. Alipofika tu Rey na kuingia msikitini, mawingu yalifunguka kama viriba vya maji. Alijihifadhi humo hadi usiku ukaingia, kisha akaambiwa aondoke msikitini kwa sababu walitaka kuufunga. 74.2

[ʿAbd Allāh:] After my father was released by the Inquisition, he was worried that Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh would come to see him so he decided to go see him first. No sooner had he reached Rey and gone into a mosque when the clouds opened like waterskins. He sheltered there until night fell and he was told to leave the mosque because they wanted to close it. 74.2

"Hii ni nyumba ya Mungu," alisema, "nami ni mwabudu wa Mungu." "Ama uondoke," walisema, "au tutakuvuta kwa miguu. Chaguo ni lako." Baba yangu aliendelea kusimulia hadithi:

“This is a house of God,” he said, “and I’m a worshipper of God.” “Either leave,” they said, “or we’ll drag you out by the feet. Your choice.” My father continued the story:

"Kwaheri," nilisema, nikatoka nje kwenye dhoruba ya radi bila kujua niende wapi. Ndipo mwanaume mmoja alitoka nyumbani kwake na kusema, "Wewe huko! Unaenda wapi wakati kama huu?" "Sina mahali pa kwenda," nilisema.

“Good-bye,”451 I said, and went out into the thunderstorm with no idea where to go. Then a man came out of his house and said, “You there! Where are you going at a time like this?” “I have nowhere to go,” I said.

"Ingia," alisema.

“Come in,” he said.

Alimkaribisha ndani, akaniambia nivue nguo, kisha akanipa nguo kavu nibadilishe. Nilitawadha, kisha nikaingia katika chumba ambamo kulikuwa na jiko la moto lililojaa makaa, zulia la sufu chini, na meza iliyojaa chakula. Wanafamilia walinialika nijiunge nao. Baada ya kula, yule mwanamume alisema, "Unatoka wapi?" Nikawaambia kwamba natoka Baghdad.

He brought me in, had me undress, and gave me dry clothes to change into. I performed my ablutions and then went into a room where there was a heater full of coals, a blanket of felt on the floor, and a laden table. The members of the family invited me to join them. After we ate, the man said, “Where are you from?” I told them I was from Baghdad.

"Je, unamjua mtu anayeitwa Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal?" "Mimi ni Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal." "Basi," alisema yule mtu, "mimi ni Isḥāq bin Rāhawayh."452

“Do you know a man named Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?” “I’m Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” “Well,” said the man, “I’m Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh.”452