[Ṣāliḥ:] Bir kuni uyga kelsam, otam kecha meni chaqirgani haqida eshitdim. Uning oldiga borganimda, u shunday dedi: “Kecha bu yerga shunday bir kishi keldiki, men uni sen bilan tanishtirmoqchi edim. Peshin vaqti edi; men shu yerda o‘tirgan edim va eshikda bir kishining ovozini eshitdim.

[Ṣāliḥ:] One day I came home and heard that my father had sent for me the day before. When I found him, he said, “There was someone here yesterday I wanted you to meet. It was around noon; I was sitting here and I heard a man at the door.

Qandaydir unga tortilganimni his edim. Men o'rnimdan turib, eshikni ochdim. Eshik oldida quyoshda kuygan bir kishi turardi. U ustiga mo'ynali chopon kiygan, boshiga esa yirtiq mato o'ragan edi. Chopon ostida ko'ylagi yo'q edi, qo'lida charm suv sag'anasi ham, tayoq ham yo'q edi. Men uni ichkariga taklif qildim va u dahlizga kirdi. 18.1

Somehow I felt drawn to him. I got up and opened the door. Standing there was a sunburned man wearing a cloak of fur and a ragged piece of cloth on his head. He had no shirt on under the cloak, and he wasn’t carrying a leather water bottle or a staff. I invited him in and he came into the anteroom. 18.1

— Qayerdan kelyapsiz? — deb so‘radim.

“‘Where are you coming from?’ I asked.

“Sharqdan,” dedi u, “sohilga yo‘l olyapman. Agar sizning oldingizga kelmaganimda, shaharga kirmagan bo‘lardim, lekin hurmatimni bajo keltirmoqchi edim.” “Shunday kiyinib sayohat qilasizmi?” “Ha.” So‘ng u menga shunday savol berdi: “Dunyodan voz kechish deganda nimani tushunasiz?” “Hech narsani o‘z-o‘zidan tayinlab qo‘ymaslik,” deb javob berdim, hayron bo‘lib.

“‘From the east,’ he said, ‘and I’m heading for the coast. If not for you, I wouldn’t have come into the city, but I wanted to pay my respects.’ “‘Do you travel dressed like that?’ “‘I do.’ Then he asked me: ‘What do you understand by renunciation of the world?’ “‘Not taking anything for granted,’ I answered, surprised.

«Shunda men o‘zimga dedim: “Unga berishim uchun menda na kumush, na oltin bor”. Shunday qilib, uyga kirdim, to‘rtta non topdim va ularni olib chiqdim.

“Then I thought to myself, ‘I have no silver or gold to give him.’ So I went into the house, found four loaves of bread, and brought them out.

“Gumonim yo‘q, oltin-kumush ham yo‘q, lekin mana shu narsani yeyman”, dedim men unga. “Agar ularni olsam, sizga yoqadimi?” — dedi u. “Ha”, dedim men. Shunda u ularni oldi, qo‘ltig‘iga qisib qo‘ydi va: “Endi al-Raqqagacha yetadigan ovqatim bor deb o‘ylayman. Xayr!” — dedi. Men uy eshigidan chiqib ketguncha unga tikilib qarab turdim. Keyinchalik otam uni tez-tez eslab gapirardi.

“‘I have no silver or gold,’ I told him, ‘but this is what I eat.’ “‘Would it make you happy if I took them?’ “‘Yes,’ I said. So he took them and put them under his arm and said, ‘I think now I’ll have enough food to get me TO al-Raqqah. Good-bye!’ “I couldn’t stop staring at him until he left the house.” Afterward my father spoke of him often.

[Ibn Sāfirī:] Biz yosh bo‘lganimizda, Atirchi masjidida ibodat qilar va riyozat chekar edik. Ba’zilarimiz xurmo tolasidan to‘qir, ba’zilarimiz tikanak yasar edi, va shunga o‘xshash ishlar qilardik. Guruhimizdagi bir kishi baquvvat yigit edi, u bizga shu hikoyani aytib berdi. “Biz Dujayl atrofida baliq ovlardik”, dedi u. “Bir kuni kech tushayotgan paytda ustiga eski kiyim kiygan bir odam o‘tib ketdi. Men uning orqasidan yugurdim, lekin ushlay olmadim. Shunda uni chaqirdim. 18.2

[Ibn Sāfirī:] When we were young, we used to pray and practice austerities at the Perfumer’s Mosque. Some of us would weave palm fibers, others would make spindles, and so on. One member of the group was a strapping young man who told us this story. “We used to fish around Dujayl,” he said. “One day, as it was getting dark, a man dressed in rags walked by. I ran after him but couldn’t catch him. So I called him over. 18.2

“Hey you!” dedim. “Siz Badallardan birimisiz?”108

“‘Hey you!’ I said. ‘Are you one of the Substitutes?’108

“‘Ha.’ “‘Qayerga ketyapsan?’ “‘Shomga.’ “‘Qayerdan kelyapsan?’ “‘Ahmad ibn Hanbalnikidan.’ “‘U yerda nima qilgan eding?’ “‘Undan bir savol so‘rash uchun,’ dedi u. ‘Ahmad bizdan biri, lekin hammamizdan ko‘proq biladi.’ “Shom namozi vaqti bo‘lgan edi, shu namozni o‘qidik, so‘ng xufton namozini ham o‘qidik. U namozini tugatgach, men dedim: ‘Mana bu baliqdan tanovul qiling; uni biz o‘zimiz ovlaymiz.’109

“‘Yes.’ “‘Where are you going?’ “‘Syria.’ “‘Where are you coming from?’ “‘Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s.’ “‘What were you doing there?’ “‘Asking him a question,’ he said. ‘Aḥmad is one of us, but he knows more than any of us.’ “It was time to pray the sunset prayer, so we did, and then prayed the evening prayer. When he finished, I said, ‘Have some of this fish; we catch it ourselves.’109

"'Biz ovqat yemaymiz,' deb javob berdi u va shu zahoti yer yutib yuborgandek g'oyib bo'ldi." [Al-Marrūdhī:] Bir kuni bizning oldimizga bir zohid keldi va men uni Ahmadning huzuriga olib kirdim. U yirtiq mo'ynali chakmon kiyib, boshiga bir parcha mato o'ragan edi va qattiq sovuqqa qaramay, oyoqlarida poyafzal yo'q edi. Ibn Hanbal unga salom berdi, u esa shunday javob qaytardi: "Men uzoq yo'l bosib keldim, lekin maqsadim faqat hurmat bajo keltirish. Men 'Abbodonga ketyapman, agar u yerdan qaytsam, yana sizning oldingizga kelishni istardim." 18.3

“‘We don’t eat,’ he replied, and then vanished as if the earth had swallowed him up.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] One day a renunciant approached us, and I took him in to see Aḥmad. He was wearing a ragged cloak of fur and a scrap of cloth on his head, and wore no shoes despite the bitter cold. Ibn Ḥanbal greeted him and he replied, “I’ve come a long way, but all I want to do is pay my respects. I’m heading for ʿAbbādān, and if I return from there, I’d like to come and see you again.” 18.3

"Agar qaytsang, unda," dedi Ibn Ḥanbal.

“If you return, then,” said Ibn Ḥanbal.

Odam o'rnidan turdi va o'tirgan Ahmadga xayrlashdi.

The man rose and said good-bye to Aḥmad who was sitting down.

Bu, Ahmadning o‘rnidan turishidan oldin kimdir o‘rnidan turib ketganini ko‘rganim yagona marta edi.

It was the only time I ever saw anyone get up and leave before Aḥmad had stood up.

“U bir abdollardan biriga o‘xshaydi, shunday emasmi?” dedi Ahmad; yoki, “U menga abdollarni eslatadi”. So‘ng u unga to‘rtta non bo‘lagini olib chiqdi — ular ichiga fermentlangan don xamiri solingan edi. “Agar sizga yana biror narsa berishim mumkin bo‘lganida, berardim”, dedi u. [Ismoil al-Daylamiy:] Men Ahmad ibn Hanbalning huzurida edim, kimdir eshikni taqillatdi. Men kim ekanini ko‘rish uchun chiqdim va yirtiq sochli ko‘ylak kiygan bir yigitni ko‘rdim. 18.4

“He looks like one of the Substitutes, doesn’t he?” said Aḥmad; or perhaps, “He makes me think of the Substitutes.” Then he brought some food—four loaves split and filled with fermented grain paste110—out to him. “If I had anything more to give you,” he said, “I would.” [Ismāʿīl al-Daylamī:] I was at Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s when someone knocked on the door. I went out to see who it was and found a young man wearing a ragged hair shirt. 18.4

“Sizga nima kerak?” — deb so‘radim.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Men Ahmad ibn Hanbalni xohlayman”, dedi u.

“I want Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal,” he said.

Men Ahmadga ustida yirtiq jun ko'ylak kiygan bir yigit uni so'rab kelganini aytganimda, u tashqariga chiqdi va unga salom berdi.

When I told Aḥmad that there was a young man in a ragged hair shirt asking for him, he went out and greeted him.

“Ahmad,” dedi o‘sha odam, “menga dunyodan voz kechish nima ekanligini ayt.” “Men Sufyon al-Zuhriydan rivoyat qilganini eshitganman: dunyodan voz kechish — hech narsani o‘z-o‘zidan tayyor deb hisoblamaslikdir.” “Yana gapir”, dedi yigit, u o‘zi oldida soya bo‘lagi turgan bo‘lsa-da, quyoshda turardi.

“Aḥmad,” the man said, “tell me what renunciation of the world means.” “I heard Sufyān report, citing al-Zuhrī, that renunciation of the world means not taking anything for granted.” “Tell me more,” said the young man, who was standing in the sun even though there was a patch of shade directly in front of him.

"Bu quyosh nurini tark etsang, soyaga yetib borguningcha yashashingni hech qachon aniq bilmaslik degani." Odam o'girildi va ketmoqchi bo'ldi, lekin Ahmad, "To'xta!" dedi. U uyga kirib ketdi va qaytib kelganida qo'lida kichkina bir bo'g'imni uzatib turardi.

“It means never being sure that if you leave the sun you’ll live long enough to reach the shade.” The man turned to leave, but Aḥmad said, “Wait!” He went into the house and came back holding out a little bundle.

“Soyaga yetib borishimga umid qilmayman”, dedi odam. “Buning nima keragi bor?” So‘ng u orqasiga o‘girilib, ketib qoldi.

“I don’t count on living long enough to reach the shade,” said the man. “What would I need that for?” Then he turned and walked away.

[Ahmad:] Erta tongda men tashqariga chiqdim va yuzini mato bilan yopib olgan bir odamga duch keldim. U menga bir parcha qog'oz uzatdi. Yorug'lik ko'rish uchun yetarlicha kuchayganda, uni olib, unga yozilganini o'qidim: 18.5

[Aḥmad:] Early one morning I went out and came across a man with a cloth over his face. He handed me a slip of paper. When the light had grown strong enough to see by, I took it out and read what was written on it: 18.5

Har bir zavq ortidan dunyo bir dard olib keladi, U kambag'alning kulbasiga ham, boyning darvozasiga ham; Ilm talab qilganlar esa O'rganish uchun emas, Balki o'zini ko'rsatish va behuda bahslar bilan hamkasblarini ranjitish uchun o'qiydilar.111

For each delight, the world brings a grief To the pauper’s hut and the rich man’s gate; While those who study Seek not to learn, But to vaunt, and vex their peers with vain debate.111

Men Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā l-Dhuhlī qog‘ozni menga bergan deb o‘ylagandim. Keyinroq esa Muḥammadni topib, bu haqda so‘radim, u esa: “Men sizni hech ko‘rmaganman va sizga hech qanday qog‘oz bermaganman”, dedi. Shundagina men she’r pand-nasihat bo‘lganini angladim.

I thought it must have been Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā l-Dhuhlī who had handed me the paper. Later, though, I found Muḥammad and asked him about it, and he said, “I never saw you and I never gave you a piece of paper.” It was then that I realized that the poem had been an admonition.