艾哈迈德——愿真主喜悦他——从父亲那里继承了一些出租屋和他居住的房子。他把出租屋租了出去，靠租金生活，无需向任何人伸手求助。208 40.1

Aḥmad—God be pleased with him—inherited from his father some tenements and the house where he lived. He rented out the tenements and lived off the rents, without having to ask anyone for anything.208 40.1

[穆罕默德·伊本·乌拜德·安拉:] 艾哈迈德·伊本·罕百勒告诉我说:"每年我都会对我所居住的房屋进行丈量,并依照欧麦尔·伊本·哈塔卜关于伊拉克黑土地所说的话,缴纳天课。"209

[Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh:] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal told me, “Every year I survey the house I live in and pay the alms-tax on it, following what ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said about the Black Land in Iraq.”209

艾哈迈德住在这处房产的一部分，并把另一部分出租给他人。艾哈迈德·本·贾However 注意：原文 "Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar" 应保留原名。 艾哈迈德住在这处房产的一部分，并把其中一部分出租给他人。艾哈迈德·本·贾法尔（Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar）转述说，有人问他，他是如何知道自己才是这处房产合法所有者的。

Aḥmad lived in one part of the property and rented part of it out to others. Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar reported that someone asked him how he knew that he was the rightful owner.

“这是我从父亲那里继承来的，”他回答道，“如果有人来证明这是他的，我就搬出去，把它交还给他。”[阿尔-马鲁宰]：我听见艾哈迈德说：“这块地产不足以养活我们，但我会守着它，直到它有所收益。”210 40.2

“It’s something I inherited from my father,” he replied. “If anyone comes and proves it’s his, I’d move out and give it to him.” [Al-Marrūdhī:] I heard Aḥmad say, “This property doesn’t support us, but I’m staying with it until it yields something.”210 40.2

我说:“我听有人建议,他若把这笔产业交出去,让一位朋友替你管理,他会更满意。”艾哈迈德说:“那是灾祸的邀请。”或者他说的是:“那可不好。”他接着说:“一旦习惯了那种安排,你就离不开它了。”他又补充道:“比起其他任何方式,我宁愿这样。”他说这话时指的是那处产生收入的产业。最后他对我说:“你知道,这些收入养不活我们。我只是不得已才拿它。”[阿尔-巴拉得ī:]有一次,我和艾哈迈德坐在一起,他的一位租户给他送来一个半迪拉姆。钱一到他手里,他就起身,把我留在原地,带着高兴的神情走进了屋里。我感觉他是需要这笔钱去办什么要紧的事。40.3

I said, “I heard someone suggest that he’d like it better if you gave it up and let a friend manage it for you.” “That’s an invitation to disaster,” said Aḥmad, or perhaps what he said was, “That’s no good.” He continued: “Once you get used to that sort of arrangement you can’t live without it.” He added, “I’d rather have it this way than any other,” referring to the property that generated the income. Finally he said to me, “You know the income doesn’t support us. I only take it because I have to.” [Al-Baladī:] Once, when I was sitting with Aḥmad, one of his tenants brought him a dirham and a half. As soon as it fell into his hands, he got up, leaving me where I was, and went into his house looking pleased. I had the feeling he needed it for something important. 40.3

艾哈迈德有时非常贫困，以至于不得不去田里拾取遗落的谷穗。211 40.4

Aḥmad was sometimes so needy that he had to glean from the fields.211 40.4

[Al-Ṭarasūsī:] 为艾哈迈德提供住处的那个人告诉我：“他来这里住的时候，出去拾麦穗。他回来时只捡到一点点。我对他说：‘你吃的比你捡的还多！’” 他说：“我看到他们做了一件我无法做到的事：他们拾麦穗时是四肢着地爬行。而我是坐着拖着身子走。” [Al-Marrūdhī:] 艾哈迈德告诉我：“我步行到边境，我们去拾麦穗。我看到有人在翻动田地。但任何人都不应未经允许跨入他人的土地。”40.5

[Al-Ṭarasūsī:] The man who gave lodging to Aḥmad told me: “When he came to stay here he went out to glean. He came back having collected only a little. I said to him, ‘You’ve eaten more than you gleaned!’ “He said, ‘I saw them doing something I couldn’t bring myself to do: when they gleaned, they would crawl on all fours. But I dragged myself along sitting down.’” [Al-Marrūdhī:] Aḥmad told me, “I walked out to the frontier on foot and we went gleaning. I saw people tearing up the fields. But no one should cross onto another’s land without permission.” 40.5

他还对我说:“我一路走到了塔尔苏斯。我们过去常常出去拾取遗落的谷穗。”

He also told me, “I walked all the way to Tarsus. We used to go out and glean.”

艾哈迈德有时贫困到不得不为了报酬而抄写手稿。为了在旅途中支付开销，他曾经受雇于一些驼夫。这段经历将在下一章中叙述，蒙神许可。40.6

Aḥmad was sometimes so poor that he had to copy manuscripts for a fee. To meet his expenses while traveling, he once hired himself out to some camel drivers. This episode will be described in the next chapter, God willing. 40.6