[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Mjomba wa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal alikwenda kumtembelea mara moja akamkuta ameweka kidevu chake mkononi. "Mpwa wangu," akauliza, "kipi kinakusumbua? Kwa nini umenuna hivi?" 55.1

[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s uncle once went to see him and found him with his chin cupped in his hand. “Nephew,” he asked, “what’s troubling you? Why so glum?” 55.1

“Mjomba,” Aḥmad alijibu, “furaha ni pale ambapo Mwenyezi Mungu anahakikisha kwamba hakuna mtu yeyote aliyewahi kusikia juu yako.” [Abū Ḥātim:] Baba yangu alisema, “Ilikuwa ni kumtazama tu Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal ili kuona kwamba hakuwa akijaribu kuonyesha jinsi alivyo mcha Mungu kupita kiasi. Nilimwona akiwa amevaa viatu ambavyo havikufanana na viatu ambavyo wasomaji wa Qurʾani292 huvaa. Ncha ya mbele ilikuwa kubwa na iliyopinda kurudi nyuma, na kamba yake ililegea. Vilionekana kama kitu alichonunuliwa sokoni. Pia nilimwona akiwa amevaa kitambaa cha kufunika kiuno na joho lenye milia la rangi ya samawati iliyokolea.”293 55.2

“Uncle,” Aḥmad replied, “happiness is when God makes sure that no one’s ever heard of you.” [Abū Ḥātim:] My father said, “All you had to do was look at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to see that he wasn’t trying to show off how ascetic he was. I saw him wearing sandals that didn’t look like the sandals that the Qurʾan-readers292 wear. The toe-end was big and curled back and the strap hung loose. They looked like something bought for him from the market. I also saw him wearing a breechclout and a striped gown of a skyblue color.”293 55.2

Kwa kuvaa mavazi haya Aḥmad alikuwa akijaribu kuepuka—au ndivyo ninavyodhani, lakini Mungu peke yake ndiye ajuaye ukweli—kuonekana kama msomaji wa Qur'ani, kwa matumaini ya kupoteza sifa yake ya uchaji Mungu.

By dressing this way Aḥmad was trying to avoid—or so I think, though God alone knows the truth—looking like a Qurʾan-reader, in the hope of losing his reputation for piety.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad aliniambia mara moja, "Mwambie ʿAbd al-Wahhāb afiche nuru yake chini ya kikapu. Umaarufu haujaniletea chochote isipokuwa mateso."55.3

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad once said to me, “Tell ʿAbd al-Wahhāb to hide his light under a bushel. Fame has brought me nothing but suffering.” 55.3

[Al-Khallāl:] Nilimsikia akisema, “Naapa kwamba kama ningejua njia ya kuondoka katika mji huu, ningeondoka. Kisha hakuna mtu ambaye angenitaja mbele yao, nao wangenisahau.”294

[Al-Khallāl:] I heard him say, “I swear that if I knew a way to leave this city, I’d leave it. Then no one would mention me to them, and they’d forget about me.”294

[Isḥāq:] Mara moja nilimwona Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal akirudi ndani ya nyumba yake baada ya kuswali Sala ya alfajiri. Alikuwa akiwaambia watu, “Acheni kunifuata!” 55.4

[Isḥāq:] I once saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal going back inside his house after praying the dawn prayer. He was telling people, “Stop following me around!” 55.4

[Ibn Hārūn:] Nakumbuka kwamba Aḥmad hakupenda watu wamfuate barabarani. 55.5

[Ibn Hārūn:] I remember that Aḥmad didn’t like it when people followed him down the street. 55.5

[ʿAbd Allāh:] Baba yangu alipotoka siku za Ijumaa hakuwaruhusu watu kumfuata. Mara nyingi alisimama na kungoja hadi wakakata tamaa na kuondoka. 55.6

[ʿAbd Allāh:] When my father went out on Fridays he wouldn’t let anyone follow him. He would often stop and wait until they gave up and went away. 55.6

[Isḥāq:] Nilimwona Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal akitembea peke yake kana kwamba alikuwa mtu asiye na umuhimu. 55.7

[Isḥāq:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal walking all by himself as if he were a man of no importance. 55.7