正如我们之前提到的，我们的榜样艾哈迈德出生于巴格达，并在那里长大。

Our exemplar Aḥmad was born in Baghdad, as we have mentioned, and grew up there.

在城中跟随各位教师和圣训学者学习之后,他又动身前往别处求学。3.1

After studying with the teachers and Hadith scholars of the city, he set out to seek learning elsewhere as well. 3.1

[Ibn Kurdī:] 艾哈迈德·伊本·罕百勒的住所后面紧挨着独眼底格里斯河。3.2

[Ibn Kurdī:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s house had the One-Eyed Tigris15 directly behind it. 3.2

[Abū ʿAfīf:] 艾哈迈德小时候还在古兰经学校的时候就和我们在一起。

[Abū ʿAfīf:] Aḥmad was with us in Qurʾan school when he was just a little boy.

即便如此，他依然脱颖而出。当时，哈里发住在拉卡（al-Raqqah），那些随他前往那里的近臣开始写信给他们在巴格达的家人。

Even then he stood out. At that time, the caliph was living in al-Raqqah and the courtiers who joined him there began writing letters to their families in Baghdad.

当他们想回信时，他们的女眷会请我们的教书先生把艾哈迈德·本·罕百勒派到她们家里去。老师便派他出去，他就动身前往，目不斜视地盯着地面。女人们常常口述一些淫秽的词语，但他不肯把它们写下来。3.3

When they wanted to reply to a letter, their womenfolk would ask our schoolmaster to send Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to their homes. The teacher would send him out and off he’d go, looking carefully at the ground. The women often dictated obscene words but he wouldn’t write them down. 3.3

[Abū Sirāj:]当我们和艾哈迈德一起在古兰经学校读书时,有些妇女会给教师捎口信说:“请派伊本·罕百勒来替我们写信,好让我们回复收到的信件。”每当他进到妇女们所在的地方,他都会低着头,以免看到她们。

[Abū Sirāj:] When we were in Qurʾan school with Aḥmad, women would send messages to the schoolmaster saying, “Send Ibn Ḥanbal to write for us so we can reply to the letters we’ve received.” Whenever he went in to where the women were, he would keep his head down so as not to look at them.

[Al-Marrūdhī:] 阿布·希拉只（Abū Sirāj）还说，他的父亲（其名字他已提及）对艾哈迈德的良好品行印象深刻：“有一天，我父亲对我们说：‘我花钱请导师教导我的孩子们，希望他们学会规矩，但似乎毫无效果。再看艾哈迈德·伊本·罕百勒：他是个孤儿，可他的表现多么出色！’”16 他惊叹了许久。3.4

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Abū Sirāj also said that his father, whose name he gave, was impressed by how well Aḥmad conducted himself: “One day my father said to us, ‘I spend money to hire tutors for my children hoping they’ll learn to behave properly, but it doesn’t seem to do any good. Then take Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: he’s an orphan, but look how well he’s turned out!’16 He went on marveling for some time.” 3.4

[Al-Marrūdhī:] 艾哈迈德对我说：“我小时候去过古兰经学校，十四岁时开始承担职责。”17 3.5

[Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad told me, “When I was a boy, I would go to the Qurʾan school, and then when I was fourteen I took up duties.”17 3.5

[Abū l-Munabbih:] 我们最初听说艾哈迈德·本·罕百勒，是因为他的叔叔收到了当局的一封信。他写了回信，交给艾哈迈德，让他转交等在门口的信使。但艾哈迈德没有交出去，而是把信放进了家里的一个壁龛中。信使来要信时，叔叔回答说他已经发出去了。于是他问艾哈迈德：“我让你交给门口那个人的信在哪里？”3。6

[Abū l-Munabbih:] The first we heard of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was when his uncle received a letter from the authorities. He wrote a reply which he gave to Aḥmad, who was supposed to pass it on to a courier who was waiting for it. But instead of handing it over, Aḥmad put it inside an alcove18 they had in the house. When the courier asked for it, the uncle replied that he had already sent it out. He then asked Aḥmad, “Where’s the letter I asked you to give the man at the door?” 3.6

“他穿的是一件长袖长袍，”19他回答道，“你的信就在壁龛里。”20

“He was wearing a long-sleeved gown,”19 he replied. “You’ll find your letter in the alcove.”20

[阿拔斯:] 达乌德·本·比斯塔姆告诉我:“有一次，巴格达的汇报迟迟未到。我便去信给艾哈迈德的叔叔，说我希望把所有的报告整理好转呈哈里发，但他的那一份还没有到。他回复说，他已经派遣侄子去送了。随后他把艾哈迈德叫了来，当时艾哈迈德还只是个少年。3.7

[Al-ʿAbbās:] Dāwūd ibn Bisṭām told me: “Once when the briefing from Baghdad was delayed, I sent word to Aḥmad’s uncle telling him I was hoping to write up all the dispatches to forward to the caliph but his still hadn’t arrived. He replied that he had sent his nephew to deliver it. Then he sent for Aḥmad, who was only a boy at the time. 3.7

“‘我不是叫你去送我的报告吗？’他问道。”

“‘Didn’t I tell you to deliver my report?’ he asked.

“是的，”艾哈迈德回答道。

“‘Yes,’ replied Aḥmad.

“‘那你为什么没有这样做？’‘我以前也曾经传递过这些报告，但现在不再传了。21 我把它扔进了水里。’”伊本·比斯塔姆随后诵读了：《我们确是真主所有，我们确要归于真主》22，并补充道：“一个少年尚且有这样的戒慎，那我们又该如何自处呢？”23

“‘Why didn’t you, then?’ “‘I used to carry those reports but not any more.21 I threw it into the water.’” Ibn Bisṭām then recited «We are of God, and to Him we return!»22 adding: “When a boy has such scruples, where does that leave us?”23

[Yūnus al-Muʾaddib:] 我见到艾哈迈德·本·罕百勒时，忽沙伊姆还在世，那时他已经备受尊敬。3.8

[Yūnus al-Muʾaddib:] I saw Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal while Hushaym was still alive, and even then he was already well respected. 3.8

【الْمَرُّوذِيّ】：我听到艾哈迈德说：“当胡沙伊姆去世时，我二十岁。” Note: I have translated the bracketed label as 【】 and used Chinese quotation marks.24

[Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “When Hushaym died I was twenty years old.”24

【一位同道求知圣训者】：艾哈迈德总是与众不同。有一天，我在伊斯玛仪·本·欧莱耶家中等候他。当时，艾哈迈德还不到三十岁。但他一进来，众人便争相为他让出位置，纷纷喊道：“来这边坐！”3.9

[A fellow Hadith-seeker:] Aḥmad always stood out. One day, I was waiting for him at Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayyah’s. At the time, Aḥmad was not yet thirty. But when he came in, everyone tried to clear a space for him, calling out, “Come sit over here!” 3.9