the Worshipper said, “I was at Bishr’s and someone came in saying, ‘Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s been struck seventeen lashes so far.’ At that, Bishr stuck out his foot and said, ‘How ugly my leg looks without a fetter on it in defense of that man!’” 13.46
Ḥanbal added: One of my teachers, who was himself a Worshipper, told me, “When they took Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, I went to Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith and said, ‘Come on, let’s go help the man.’ He replied, ‘That’s what a prophet does; I can’t.’”
[Ibrāhīm ibn Hāniʾ al-Naysābūrī:] Once when I was praying with Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, I lifted my hands. After the prayer leader had signaled the end of the ritual prayer, Bishr said, “Abū Isḥāq, I’m surprised that you and your teacher Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal lift your hands. I heard Hushaym report, citing Mughīrah, that Ibrāhīm used to tell people to let their hands drop when they pray.”83 13.47
I went to Aḥmad and told him what Bishr had said. He replied, “Seventeen of the Emissary’s Companions used to lift their hands.” Then he recited, «Let those who go against his order beware»84 and remarked, “Lifting one’s hands makes the ritual prayer more beautiful.”
So I went back to Bishr and told him what Aḥmad had said. “Who am I compared to him?” he exclaimed. “Who am I compared to him? He knows better. He knows better!”
[Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar:] I heard Ibrāhīm report, citing his uncle al-Jahm al-ʿUkbarī, who used to attend both Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, the following: “One day I went to see Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. He had draped his breechclout85 over one shoulder but it had slipped down, revealing his scars.” He may have added, “My eyes filled with tears.” He continued: “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal saw me looking and pulled the garment back up. 13.48
“Later I went to see Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith and told him the story. ‘If only you knew!’ he exclaimed. ‘With the hurt and pain they brought him,86 Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal has flown high in Islam.’”
I repeated this story to Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī, who liked it and wrote it down.
[Ibrāhīm ibn Ishāq al-Ḥarbi:] I heard Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith say that he heard al-Muʿāfā ibn ʿImrān say that Sufyān al-Thawrī was asked to explain what futuwwah is. Sufyān replied as follows: “Futuwwah is mindfulness and modesty. It starts with self-discipline, and it gains luster by the cultivation of forbearance and good manners. In its highest form, it demands religious knowledge and the scrupulous avoidance of dubious activities. A man of futuwwah prays regularly, treats his parents and relatives kindly, spends freely, and cares for his neighbor. He is not overbearing, nor does he diverge from common practice; he maintains his dignity and avoids looking at things he shouldn’t. He speaks gently, greets others cheerfully, and supports any other right-thinking fityān who know what God wants them to do and not to do. He speaks the truth and avoids swearing oaths. He is friendly, cheerful, convivial, and a good listener. He knows how to keep a secret, to conceal the shortcomings of others, and to take good care of whatever is entrusted to him. He stabs no one in the back and he keeps his word. He keeps silent in company, though he can hold his own if he must, and walks humbly even when he need not do so. He respects his elders, treats younger people kindly, and does whatever he can to help his fellow Muslims. When things go badly, he suffers patiently; when things go well, he remembers to be grateful. The full perfection of futuwwah is fear of God, mighty and glorious, and anyone who posesses these virtues is a true fatā.” 13.49
Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith then said, “According to Sufyān, then, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was a fatā, since he did have all those virtues. Not only that: he wore a breechclout of twisted cloth.”87
AL-ḤĀRITH AL-MUḤĀSIBĪ88
[ʿAbd Allāh:] Al-Fatḥ ibn Shakhraf wrote to me in his own hand, saying that when someone mentioned Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in the presence of al-Ḥārith ibn Asad al-Muḥāsibī, he—that is, al-Fatḥ—had cited ʿAbd al-Razzāq, who heard Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah say that Ibn ʿAbbās was the greatest scholar of his age, al-Shaʿbī of his, and al-Thawrī of his. Then al-Fatḥ added, “And, in his age, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal,” to which al-Ḥārith replied, “He suffered more than al-Thawrī or al-Awzāʿī ever did.” 13.50
DHŪ L-NŪN AL-MIṢRĪ (OF EGYPT)
[Al-Marrūdhī:] When we were in Samarra,89 I went to see Dhū l-Nūn, who was in prison. He asked me, “How is our master?” meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. 13.51
ABŪ ZURʿAH AL-RĀZĪ
[Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Layth:] I once heard someone say to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, “There’s a man called Abū Zurʿah who recites Hadith in Rey. Should we write down what he says?” 13.52
“You’re asking about Abū Zurʿah?” said Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, incredulous. “May God guard Abū Zurʿah, and protect him, and ennoble him! May He grant him victory over his enemies!” He went on to recite a lengthy prayer for him.
Some time later, after I had joined Abū Zurʿah, I mentioned this incident to him. “Every time I’m in trouble,” he said, “I remember that prayer and I say, ‘God, now that Aḥmad has prayed for me, keep me safe, and keep those people from harming me!’”90
[Abū Zurʿah:] I’ve never seen anyone match Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal in the different branches of Hadith-learning, nor seen anyone stand up the way he did. 13.53
[ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm:] I heard Abū Zurʿah say, “I never saw anyone like Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.” 13.54
“You mean you never saw anyone who knew more?”
“Not just that. I’m talking about learning, and renouncing the world, and understanding the law, and having real knowledge, and every other good thing you can think of.”91
[Ibn Abī Ḥātim:] I heard Abū Zurʿah say, “People still talk about Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. They say he’s better than Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn, ʿAlī l-Madīnī, and Abū Khaythamah. And it’s true: I can’t think of anyone his age who has more insight into the law, or anyone who knows more different things than he does.” 13.55
“What about Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh?”
“Aḥmad knows more and understands it better. I knew the scholars of old, and none of them brought together all the qualities he has—self-denial, learning, insight, and so many other things—as fully as he does.”
ABŪ ḤĀTIM MUḤAMMAD IBN IDRĪS AL-RĀZĪ
[ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim:] I asked my father whether ʿAlī l-Madīnī or Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal had memorized more Hadith. 13.56
“They had memorized more or less the same number of reports,” he said, “but Aḥmad understood them better.”
I also heard my father say, “If a man loves Ibn Ḥanbal, you can be sure that he knows the sunnah.”
I also heard him say, “I used to see Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd going about his business in Mecca with no one writing down his reports. So I said to the Hadith-men, ‘How can you ignore Qutaybah after Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal sat in his circle?’
“When they heard that, they made a beeline for him and copied down his reports.”
[Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī:] “If a man loves Ibn Ḥanbal, you can be sure that he knows the sunnah. He’s the test that marks us off from the purveyors of reprehensible innovations.” 13.57
ABŪ IBRĀHĪM ISMĀʿĪL IBN YAḤYĀ L-MUZANĪ, THE ASSOCIATE OF AL-SHĀFIʿĪ
[Al-Muzanī:]