[Al-Marwazī:] Ni watu wanne tu, wote kutoka Marv, waliobaki imara wakati wote wa Mtihani (Mihna): Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Aḥmad ibn Naṣr, Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ, na Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād. 78.1

[Al-Marwazī:] Only four men, all of them from Marv, remained steadfast throughout the Inquisition: Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Aḥmad ibn Naṣr, Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ, and Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād. 78.1

Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn al-Munādī anawataja pia wanaume hawa kama waliosimama imara: Abū Nuʿaym al-Faḍl ibn Dukayn, ʿAffān, al-Buwayṭī, Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Uways al-Madanī, Abū Muṣʿab al-Madanī, na Yaḥyā l-Ḥimmānī.

Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn al-Munādī mentions the following men as having remained steadfast as well: Abū Nuʿaym al-Faḍl ibn Dukayn, ʿAffān, al-Buwayṭī, Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Uways al-Madanī, Abū Muṣʿab al-Madanī, and Yaḥyā l-Ḥimmānī.

[Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq:] Mtu wa kwanza kuitwa kwa mahojiano alikuwa ʿAffān. Siku iliyofuata, baada ya kurudi kwake, mimi nilikuwepo, kama walivyokuwepo sote, pamoja na Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn alimwomba ʿAffān atuambie Isḥāq alimwambia nini na yeye alijibu vipi. 78.2

[Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq:] The first to be called for interrogation was ʿAffān. The next day, after his return, I was there, as were all of us, including Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn asked ʿAffān to tell us what Isḥāq had said to him and how he had answered. 78.2

"Sikufanya lolote la kukudhalilisha wewe wala washirika wako," alisema, akimaanisha kwamba hakusema yale ambayo Isḥāq alitaka aseme.

“I did nothing to dishonor you or your associates,” he said, meaning that he had not said what Isḥāq wanted him to say.

"Ilikuwaje basi?" "Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm alinituma niende kwake. Nilipofika, alisoma barua ambayo al-Maʾmūn alikuwa ameituma al-Raqqah kutoka kaskazini mwa Iraq. Katika barua hiyo ilisema: 'Mjaribu ʿAffān, na umwite aseme kwamba Qurʾani ni hivi na hivi. Akifanya hivyo, mthibitishe katika nafasi yake. Akikataa, mkatie posho yake.'" Al-Maʾmūn alikuwa akimlipa ʿAffān dirhamu mia tano kila mwezi.

“So what was it like?” “Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm called me in. When I got there, he read out the letter that al- Maʾmūn had sent to al-Raqqah from northern Iraq. In the letter it said, ‘Test ʿAffān, and call on him to say that the Qurʾan is such-and-such. If he does so, confirm him in his position. If he refuses, cut off his stipend.’” Al-Maʾmūn had been paying ʿAffān five hundred dirhams a month.

Nang'anyi barua ilipokwisha kusomwa, Isḥāq aliniomba nitoe msimamo wangu. Kwa kujibu, nilisoma «Sema: Yeye ni Mungu, Mmoja, Ṣamad»463 hadi mwisho, kisha nikauliza, 'Je, hiyo ni kitu kilichoumbwa?' "Isḥāq alisema, 'Sikiliza, mzee, Amīr wa Waumini anasema atakukatia posho yako, na nikifanya hivyo nami nitakukatia.' "Nilimwambia kwamba Mungu anasema «Riziki yenu iko mbinguni, na pia kile mlichoahidiwa.»464 Hakuwa na jibu la hilo, akaniacha niende. Aḥmad na wale wa wenzetu waliokuwepo walifarijika kwa habari hii.

“When the letter had been read out, Isḥāq asked me to state my position. By way of reply, I recited «Say, He is God, the One, the ṣamad»463 through to the end, then asked, ‘Is that created?’ “Isḥāq said, ‘Listen, elder, the Commander of the Faithful says he’ll cut off your stipend, and if he does I will too.’ “I told him that God says «In heaven is your sustenance, and also that which you are promised.»464 He had no reply to that and let me go.” Aḥmad and those of our associates who were there were heartened by this report.

[Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar:] Katika mikutano yote ya maulamaa niliyowahi kuiona, mkubwa zaidi ulikuwa ule niliouona huko Kufa wakati wa Mtihani (Miḥna). Baada ya barua yenye itikadi hiyo kusomwa kwa sauti, Abū Nuʿaym alinyanyuka na kusema: “Nimepokea hadithi kutoka kwa walimu zaidi ya 870, kuanzia al-Aʿmash na kuendelea, lakini sikuwahi kukutana na mtu yeyote aliyeshikilia msimamo huo”—kwamba Qurʾani ni kitu kilichoumbwa—“wala sikumwona yeyote akiufuata bila kushtakiwa kwa uzushi.” 78.4

[Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar:] Of all the elders’ gatherings I’ve seen, the greatest was the one I saw in Kufa during the Inquisition. After the letter with the doctrine in it was read aloud, Abū Nuʿaym spoke up and said, “I’ve heard reports from 870-some teachers, from al-Aʿmash on down, but I never met anyone who held that view”—that the Qurʾan is a created thing—“nor saw anyone espouse it without being accused of heresy.” 78.4

Aliposikia haya, Aḥmad ibn Yūnus alisimama na kumbusu kichwa cha Abū Nuʿaym, akisema, "Mwenyezi Mungu akulipe kwa niaba ya Uislamu!" [Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] Abū Nuʿaym alipopelekwa kwa gavana, alisema, "Nimewaona wazee wote wa Kufa—ni zaidi ya mia saba, kuanzia al-Aʿmash kuendelea—wakisema kwamba Qur'ani ni kauli ya Mwenyezi Mungu, na shingo yangu ina thamani ndogo kwangu kama kitufe hiki." 78.5

Hearing this, Aḥmad ibn Yūnus rose and kissed Abū Nuʿaym’s head, saying, “May God reward you on behalf of Islam!” [Muḥammad ibn Yūnus:] When Abū Nuʿaym was taken in to the governor, he said, “I’ve seen all the elders in Kufa—that’s more than seven hundred, from al- Aʿmash on down—say that the Qurʾan is the speech of God, and my neck means as little to me as this button.” 78.5

Hapo ndipo Aḥmad ibn Yūnus alisimama, akambusu kichwani, ingawa kulikuwa na uhasama kati yao, akasema, "Mwenyezi Mungu akulipe kwa wema mkubwa uliyo nao kama mzee!" [Ibn Abī Shaybah:] Ilipokuja Mahakama ya Kuhoji (Mihna) mjini Kufa, Aḥmad ibn Yūnus aliniambia niende kumtafuta Abū Nuʿaym na kumjulisha. Nilipomtafuta na kumwambia, alisema, "Ni kupigwa viboko tu." Kisha alichana kifungo kimoja cha vazi lake. "Kichwa changu kina thamani ndogo kuliko kifungo hiki." 78.6

At that, Aḥmad ibn Yūnus rose and kissed him on the head even though there had been bad blood between them and said, “May God reward you for the great elder you are!” [Ibn Abī Shaybah:] When the Inquisition came to Kufa, Aḥmad ibn Yūnus told me to go find Abū Nuʿaym and let him know. When I found him and told him, he said, “It’s just a flogging.” Then he tore a button off his garment. “My head means less to me than this button.” 78.6

[Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq:] Nilimsikia Abū ʿAbd Allāh, yaani Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, akisema: "Wazee wawili walisimama kwa ajili ya Mwenyezi Mungu kuliko mtu mwingine yeyote"—au "karibu kila mtu mwingine"—"kuwahi kufanya: ʿAffān na Abū Nuʿaym." 78.7

[Muḥammad ibn Saʿd:] Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād alitoka Marv. Alifuatilia Hadith kwa kina huko Iraq na magharibi ya Arabia kabla ya kukaa Misri, ambako alibaki hadi alipoitwa Iraq wakati wa ukhalifa wa al-Muʿtaṣim. Aliulizwa kuhusu Qur'ani lakini alikataa kukubali yaliyodaiwa kutoka kwake. Kisha alifungwa jela huko Samarra, ambako alifariki, bado gerezani, mwaka 228 [842–843]. 78.8

[Muḥammad ibn Saʿd:] Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād was from Marv. He pursued Hadith extensively in Iraq and western Arabia before settling in Egypt, where he stayed until he was summoned to Iraq during the caliphate of al-Muʿtaṣim. He was questioned regarding the Qurʾan but refused assent to what was demanded of him. He was then jailed in Samarra, where he died, still in prison, in 228 [842–43]. 78.8

[Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿArafah:] Miongoni mwa waliofariki mwaka wa 228 [842–43] alikuwa Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād, aliyeangamia akiwa amefungwa minyororo gerezani kwa sababu alikataa kusema kwamba Qur'ani ni kitu kilichoumbwa. Alivutwa kwa minyororo yake na kutupwa shimoni, akafa bila kuvikwa sanda wala kuswaliwa na mtu yeyote. Hili lilifanywa na mtu wa Ibn Abī Duʾād.466 78.9

[Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿArafah:] Among those who died in 228 [842–43] was Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād, who perished in chains in a dungeon because he refused to say that the Qurʾan was a created thing. He was dragged by his chains and thrown into a pit, and died without being wrapped in a shroud or having anyone pray over his body. This was the doing of Ibn Abī Duʾād’s man.466 78.9

Alichukuliwa wakati wa Mahakama ya Kuhukumu Imani (Mihnah) na alishinikizwa aikubali dai kwamba Qur'ani ni kitu kilichoumbwa. Alipokataa, alitupwa jela mjini Baghdad na akafia gerezani. Alikuwa mtu wa zuhd, aliyejitenga na anasa za dunia, na mtu aliyeifahamu Sharia. 78.10

He was taken away during the Inquisition and pressured to espouse the claim that the Qurʾan is a created thing. When he refused, he was jailed in Baghdad and died in prison. He was a renunciant and a man who understood the Law. 78.10

[Al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān:] Nilimwona al-Buwayṭī amepanda nyumbu huku shingo yake ikiwa imefungwa pingu na miguu yake ikiwa imefungwa minyororo. Pingu na minyororo vilikuwa vimeunganishwa kwa mnyororo wa chuma. Kutoka kwenye mnyororo huo kulikuwa kumening'inizwa tofali lenye uzito wa pauni thelathini na tano.467 Alikuwa akisema: "Mwenyezi Mungu aliuumba ulimwengu kwa kusema 'Kuwa.' Ikiwa 'kuwa' nako kumeumbwa, basi kitu kimoja kilichoumbwa kimeleta kitu kingine kilichoumbwa kuwepo." Akaendelea: "Naapa kwa Mwenyezi Mungu, nitakufa nikiwa bado nimevaa mnyororo huu, ili pindi nitakapokuwa nimeondoka, watu wajue kwamba wanaume walikufa wakiwa wamefungwa minyororo kwa ajili ya jambo hili. Wakinipeleka mbele yake"—yaani al-Wāthiq—"nitasema waziwazi ninachoamini." [ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad:] Al-Buwayṭī aliishi maisha ya kujinyima kwa ucha wa Mungu. Wakati wa Mateso ya Mahakama ya Kiimani, alipelekwa kutoka Misri hadi Iraq, ambako alikataa kujisalimisha, akafungwa minyororo na kutupwa jela. Alifariki, akiwa gerezani na mnyororoni, mwaka 232.

[Al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān:] I saw al-Buwayṭī mounted on a mule with a manacle around his neck and a fetter on his legs. The manacle and the fetter were joined by an iron chain. Suspended from the chain was a brick weighing thirty-five pounds.467 He was saying, “God created the world by saying ‘Be.’ If ‘be’ is created, then one created thing brought another created thing into being.” He went on: “By God, I’ll die with this very chain still on me, so that when I’m gone, people will know that men died in irons for this cause. If they put me before him”—meaning al-Wāthiq—“I’ll speak my mind.” [ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad:] Al-Buwayṭī lived a life of pious self-denial. During the Inquisition, he was taken from Egypt to Iraq, where he refused to capitulate and was clapped into irons and thrown in jail. He died, in prison and in fetters, in 232

[846–47]. 78.11

[846–47]. 78.11

Soko dogo la Naṣr huko Baghdad limepewa jina la baba yake. Babu yake, Mālik ibn al-Haytham, alikuwa mmoja wa viongozi wa harakati ya mapinduzi ya Abbasi. Ibn Naṣr mwenyewe alikuwa mtu wa uchamungu na uadilifu, aliyewaita wengine kutenda mema. Alisikia Hadith kutoka kwa Mālik ibn Anas, Ḥammād ibn Zayd, na Hushaym, miongoni mwa wengine.

The Little Market of Naṣr in Baghdad is named after his father. His grandfather, Mālik ibn al-Haytham, was one of the leaders of the Abbasid revolutionary movement. Ibn Naṣr himself was a man of piety and rectitude who called upon others to do right. He heard Hadith from Mālik ibn Anas, Ḥammād ibn Zayd, and Hushaym, among others.

Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn na wengine walipokea hadithi kutoka kwake. 78.12

Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and others transmitted on his authority. 78.12

Ibn Naṣr alishtakiwa kwa kutafuta ukhalifa, lakini alipokamatwa na kupelekwa mbele ya al-Wāthiq, huyo wa mwisho alisema, "Usijali kwa nini ulikamatwa.

Ibn Naṣr was accused of seeking the caliphate, but when he was arrested and brought before al-Wāthiq, the latter said, “Never mind what you were arrested for.

"Unasemaje kuhusu Qur'ani?" 78.13

What do you have to say about the Qurʾan?” 78.13

"Ni neno la Mungu," alisema Ibn Naṣr.

“It’s the word of God,” said Ibn Naṣr.

"Lakini je, ni kitu kilichoumbwa?" "Ni neno la Mungu." "Vema basi: je, unaweza kumwona Mungu Siku ya Kiyama?" "Hivyo ndivyo simulizi zinavyosema." "Ha!" alisema al-Wāthiq. "Unamaanisha kwamba atakuwa anaonekana kama kwamba ni kitu chenye mwisho chenye mwili?" Kisha al-Wāthiq aliagiza upanga na mkeka wa ngozi viletwe. Kwa amri yake, Ibn Naṣr, bado amefungwa minyororo, aliketishwa juu ya mkeka huo. Kisha kamba iliwekwa shingoni mwake na akanyoshwa. Hatimaye al-Wāthiq alimwendea na kukata kichwa chake. Kwa amri yake, kichwa kilichokatwa kilipelekwa Baghdad na kuonyeshwa kwa siku kadhaa upande wa Mashariki, kisha upande wa Magharibi.

“But is it a created thing?” “It’s the word of God.” “Well then: Can you see God on the Day of Resurrection?” “That’s what the reports say.” “Hah!” said al-Wāthiq. “You mean He’ll be visible as if he were a finite object with a body?” Al-Wāthiq then called for the sword and the leather mat. At his command, Ibn Naṣr, still in chains, was sat upon. Next a rope was put around his neck and he was stretched out. Finally al-Wāthiq marched up to him and hacked off his head. At his command, the severed head was sent to Baghdad and displayed for several days on the East Side and then on the West.