[Al-Warrāq:] Kumkosoa wafuasi wa Aḥmad ni kumshambulia Aḥmad mwenyewe. Yeyote anayefanya hivyo lazima awe na chuki fulani moyoni, na hana sifa ya kuwa Sunni. 99.1

[Al-Warrāq:] To criticize Aḥmad’s associates is to attack Aḥmad himself. Anyone who does that must be harboring a grudge of some kind and is no Sunni. 99.1

[Al-Athram:] Wafuasi wa Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal wakati mwingine waliamua kuacha mambo yasiyo na athari yoyote mbele ya Mungu, ili kuepuka kumletea Aḥmad lawama yoyote. 99.2

[Al-Athram:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s associates sometimes decide to give up matters that have no consequence as far as God is concerned in order to avoid provoking any criticism of Aḥmad. 99.2

[Abū l-Faḍl:] Nilisikia kwamba baada ya kifo cha Aḥmad, mtu fulani alimtajia al-Mutawakkil kwamba kuna uwezekano wa ghasia kuzuka kati ya wafuasi wake na wabunifu wa mambo mapya ya kidini. 99.3

[Abū l-Faḍl:] I heard that after Aḥmad’s death, someone mentioned to al- Mutawakkil that unpleasantness was liable to break out between his partisans and the innovators. 99.3

"Usiniambie kitu chochote zaidi kuhusu wao," al-Mutawakkil alimwambia mtoa habari.

“Don’t tell me anything more about them,” al-Mutawakkil told the informant.

"Badala yake, simameni upande wao. Aḥmad na watu wake ndio mabwana wa jumuiya ya Muḥammad ﷺ. Mungu anajua vya kutosha mateso aliyopata Aḥmad, kwa kuwa alimwinua kwa umaarufu wakati wa uhai wake na baada ya kufa kwake; na wafuasi wake ndio bora kabisa ambao angeweza kutamani. Nathubutu kusema kwamba Mungu atampa Aḥmad thawabu anazowapa wasema kweli." [Al-Marrūdhī:] Ibn Suḥt, ambaye alikuwa jamaa wa ndoa wa Ibn Ḥubāb al-Jawharī, alisema, "Niliota nimeona watu fulani, na mtu mmoja amevaa nguo nyeupe akisema, 'Mungu amemsamehe Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal na wote wanaomtetea.'" 99.4

“Instead, take their side. Aḥmad and his people are the lords of Muḥammad’s community. God knows well enough the ordeal Aḥmad suffered, since He raised him to fame during his life and after his death; and his partisans are the best he could wish for. I daresay that God will give Aḥmad the reward He gives to the truth-tellers.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] Ibn Suḥt, who was Ibn Ḥubāb al-Jawharī’s relation by marriage, said, “I dreamed I saw some people, and a man in white saying, ‘God has forgiven Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and all who defend him.’” 99.4

Abū l-Qāsim: Nilimsikia mtu mwema akisimulia kwamba mmoja wa wenzake alijitokeza katika ndoto, na akaulizwa jinsi Mwenyezi Mungu alivyomhukumu. 99.5

[Abū l-Qāsim:] I heard a righteous man relate that one of his fellows appeared in a dream and was asked how God had judged him. 99.5

"Alinisamehe," ilikuwa ni jibu.

“He forgave me,” was the reply.

“Basi watu wengi zaidi peponi ni nani?” “Wafuasi wa al-Shāfiʿī.” “Vipi kuhusu Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?” “Uliniuliza watu wengi zaidi ni wepi, si walio juu zaidi kwa cheo. Al-Shāfiʿī ana idadi kubwa zaidi, lakini watu wa Aḥmad wana cheo cha juu zaidi.” [Al-Ḥimmānī:] Niliota nimekaa chini ya baraza nyumbani kwangu, Mtume ﷺ alipotokea. Alisimama mlangoni huku mikono yake ikiegemea kizingiti, akatoa adhana, akatangaza kwamba sala imeanza. Kisha akasema: “Waliookolewa wameokolewa, na walioangamizwa wameangamizwa.” 99.6

“So who are the majority of people in the Garden?” “Followers of al-Shāfiʿī.” “What about Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal?” “You asked me who the majority were, not who the highest ones were. Al-Shāfiʿī has the greater number, but Aḥmad’s people have the higher rank.” [Al-Ḥimmānī:] I dreamed I was sitting under a portico at home when the Prophet appeared. He stood in the doorway with his hands resting on the jamb, issued the call to prayer, and announced that prayer had begun. Then he said, “The saved are saved and the damned damned.” 99.6

"Mjumbe wa Mungu," nilimuuliza, "ni akina nani waliookolewa?" "Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal na wafuasi wake." [Al-Ḥarbī:] Niliota kwamba nilikuwa kwenye kundi na tulikuwa tukishikiliwa kinyume na mapenzi yetu, nami nilikuwa na huzuni kuhusu hilo. Kisha sauti ikaniuliza, "Wewe ni nani?" 99.7

“Emissary of God,” I asked, “who are the saved?” “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and his followers.” [Al-Ḥarbī:] I dreamed I was in a group and we were being held against our will and I was unhappy about it. Then a voice asked, “What are you?” 99.7

Nilisema, "Wafuasi wa Ibn Ḥanbal." "Nenda basi; Wanahanbali hawapaswi kufungiwa." Kisha ikaonekana kana kwamba sauti ilisema, "Hakuna mfuasi wa madhehebu ya Kihanbali ambaye amewahi kuwajibishwa kwa dhambi zake." Ibn ʿAqīl—Mungu amrehemu!—alikuwa akisema: 99.8

I said, “Followers of Ibn Ḥanbal.” “Go, then; Ḥanbalīs aren’t to be confined.” Then it felt as if a voice said, “No adherent of the Ḥanbalī school has ever been held accountable for his sins.” Ibn ʿAqīl—God have mercy on him!—used to say: 99.8

"Tatizo la shule yetu ni wanachama wetu wenyewe. Ikiwa Mhanafi au Mshafi'i anafanya vizuri katika masomo yake, huteuliwa kuwa qadhi au nafasi nyingine, na kwa sababu ya uteuzi wake huo anaweza kujitolea kufundisha na kufanya utafiti. Watu wa Aḥmad, kwa upande mwingine, hawawezi karibu kusoma chochote bila kuamua kujitolea kwa ibada na kuacha dunia, kutokana na jinsi kundi hili lilivyo na uchamungu. Matokeo yake, wanaacha kuwa wanazuoni."

“The problem with our school is our own members. If a Ḥanafī or a Shāfiʿī excels in his studies, he’s appointed to a judgeship or some other position and as a result of his appointment can devote himself to teaching and research. Aḥmad’s people, on the other hand, can hardly study anything without deciding to devote themselves to pious exercises and renounce the world, given how godly the group tends to be. As a result, they stop being scholars.”