[ʿUbayd al-Qāriʾ:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbalning amakisi bir kuni uning oldiga borib, uni iyagini kaftiga tiragan holda o‘tirganini ko‘rdi. — Jiyan, nima seni xafa qilyapti? Nega bunchalik g‘amgin o‘tiribsan? 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

“Amakivoy,” dedi Ahmad, “baxt shu bo‘ladiki, Alloh sizni hech kim eshitmasligini ta’minlaydi.” [Abū Ḥātim:] Otam aytdi: “Ahmad ibn Hanbalga qarashning o‘zi kifoya edi, u o‘zini zohid qilib ko‘rsatishni xohlamasdi. Men uning Qur’on o‘qiydiganlar kiyadigan oyoq kiimlariga o‘xshamaydigan etigini ko‘rganman. Uchi katta bo‘lib, orqaga qayrilgan, kamari bo‘sh osilgan edi. Ular go‘yo bozordan unga sotib olingandek ko‘rinardi. Men uni yana belbog‘siz, ko‘k rangli chiziqli chopon kiyib yurganini ham ko‘rganman.” 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