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Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal (rahimahullah) (32)
Marroozi (rahimahullah) mentions:
I once saw Abu ‘Abdillah, Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal (rahimahullah), stand to complete his ma’mool (apportioned amount) of tahajjud after approximately half the night had passed. He then remained engaged in completing it until it was close to the time of sehri. I also saw him performing nafl salaah (i.e. the sunnah of awwaabeen) between maghrib and ‘esha.
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol. 11 pg. 223)
Abu Bakr Marroozi (rahimahullah) once explained the character of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) by mentioning the following:
Abu ‘Abdillah, Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal (rahimahullah), would not behave ignorantly, and if any person behaved ignorantly towards him, he would exercise tolerance and forbearance and would say, “Allah Ta‘ala is sufficient for me.” He would not harbor malice for anyone, nor would he act on impulse. He was extremely humble, displayed excellent character and was always seen smiling. He was soft in his approach when interacting with people and was never found to be harsh. If he liked any person, then his love would be for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala, and if he disliked some person, then his dislike would be for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala. If any aspect of Deen was violated, he would become extremely angry for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala. He would tolerate and endure the harm and inconvenience which was caused to him by his neighbors.
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa 11/220-221)
Abu Sa‘eed Al-Mu’addib once mentioned the following to ‘Abdullah (rahimahullah), the son of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah):
I would come to your father and he would give me three dirhams. Sometimes he would give me a little more than that and sometimes he would give me a little less than that. He would sit with me and speak to me. On some occasions, he would give me something and would thereafter mention, “I have given you half of what we have with us.”
Marroozi (rahimahullah) mentions:
I did not see poor people honored in any majlis (gathering) more than they were honored in the majlis of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah). Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) was more inclined towards the poor than the rich and wealthy. He was blessed with the quality of tolerance and forbearance, and would not act on impulse or haste. He was extremely humble at all times, and was an embodiment of dignity and respect. When he would sit in his majlis after ‘Asr to attend to people’s problems and answer their deeni queries, then he would not speak until a question was posed to him. When he would proceed to the musjid, he would not walk ahead of people (showing himself to be distinguished and different from the people).
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol. 9 pg. 460)
Marroozi (rahimahullah) mentions:
When Abu ‘Abdillah (Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal (rahimahullah)) would remember death, he would cry so excessively that he would be choked by tears. Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) would say, “At times, fear of the Hereafter prevents me from eating and drinking. When I think of death, every affair and difficulty of this world becomes easy for me to endure. The life of this world is nothing more than passing phases, wherein a person consumes one meal after the next and wears one set of clothing after the next. The life of this world only remains for a few days. I do not regard anything as virtuous (in assisting one to the Hereafter) as possessing less of the world. If I was able to, I would have not associated with people so that nobody would speak about me.”
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol. 9 pg. 459)
The Abstinence of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) – Part Two
Written by user2Imaam Ishaaq bin Raahwayh (rahimahullah) once mentioned, “When Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) was travelling to study Hadith under Imaam ‘Abdur Razzaaq (rahimahullah), his wealth depleted and ran out. He thus hired himself to some camel drivers (and worked for them while travelling) until he reached San‘aa. The companions of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) had offered to share their wealth with him, but he had refused to accept it.
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol. 9 pg. 458)
Emulation and Love for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)
Written by user2Hazrat ‘Abdullah (rahimahullah), the son of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah), narrates the following, “I saw my father take a strand from the blessed hair of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), place it on his lips and kiss it. I also remember seeing him place it on his eyes, and place it in water after which he drank the water, hoping for shifaa (cure and blessings).”
Hazrat Sulaimaan bin Shaazakooni (rahimahullah) narrates the following:
I once witnessed an incident that highlights the Taqwa and caution of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah). I was present in Makkah Mukarramah when he left a bucket with a grain seller as collateral so that he could purchase some grain from him (on credit) to sustain himself.
After some time, Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) returned to the grain seller and paid him for the grain, securing the release of his collateral. The grain seller presented two buckets to Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) and said, “Look at these buckets and see which belongs to you.” Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) replied, “I cannot identify which of the buckets belongs to me. Hence, I absolve you of my bucket as well as the money that I paid you for the grain (i.e. you may keep the bucket and the money for the grain).” Saying this, Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) refused to take any of the buckets.
The grain seller thereafter remarked, “By Allah! I knew which bucket belonged to him, but I merely wished to test his Taqwa!”
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa 9/451)
There was once a Muhaddith who possessed a kitaab of Hadith that was handwritten by none other than Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal (rahimahullah). Narrating the incident that led to him acquiring this kitaab, he mentioned:
We studied Ahaadith under Imaam Sufyaan bin ‘Uyainah (rahimahullah) for a period of one year. Once, Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) was absent from the lessons of Hadith for a few days. I wished to visit him, and so I made enquiries and was directed to where he was residing. When I arrived at the place to which I was directed, I found that Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) was residing in a cave in the area of Ajyaad (an area of Makkah Mukarramah near Safaa).
‘Ali bin abi Haraarah (rahimahullah) narrates:
My mother had been crippled for twenty years. One day, she said to me, “Go to Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal (rahimahullah) and ask him to make du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala for me (to be cured).”
I thus went to the home of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) and knocked on the door. Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) was in the house, close to the door, and did not open the door. Rather, he called out, “Who is it?” I replied, “I am a person who lives in such-and-such area. My mother, who is crippled, asked me to request you to make du‘aa for her (to be cured).”
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‘Abdullah (rahimahullah), the son of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah), narrates the following:
I was seated beside my father when he was about to pass away. He would lose consciousness until we would think that he had passed away, then he would regain consciousness and exclaim by gesturing with his hand, “Not Yet! Not yet!” When He repeated this for the third time, I asked him, “O my father! What is this that you are repeatedly doing at this critical moment?” In reply, he asked, “My son! Do you not know?” When I replied in the negative, he said, “Iblees – may the curse of Allah befall him! – was standing beside me, biting his fingertips and exclaiming, ‘O Ahmed! You have escaped me!’ and so I was replying, ‘Not yet, until I have left this world! (i.e. I have only escaped you after I pass away with Imaan).’”
(Hilyatul Awliyaa 9/194)
Faatimah (rahimahallah), the daughter of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah), narrates the following:
A fire once broke out in the home of my brother, Saalih. He had married just recently, and so his wife’s family had brought gifts to his home worth approximately four thousand Dinaars (gold coins). When the fire broke out, it destroyed all these gifts. When the fire was burning, Saalih said, “I am not grieved by anything that was burned, except for the garment of my father, Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah). My father would perform salaah in this garment, and I thus kept it so that I may derive blessings from it and also perform salaah in it.” After the fire was extinguished, they entered the home and found the garment of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) on a bed. The fire had consumed everything around the garment, but the garment itself was intact and unburned.
Ibnul Jowzi (rahimahullah) narrates a similar incident from the Head Qadhi, ‘Ali bin Husain Al-Zainabi. He mentioned that a fire once broke out in their home and destroyed everything, except for a kitaab which contained a few pages on which Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) had personally written.
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol. 11 pg. 230)
Marroozi (rahimahullah) narrates the following incident:
I once ushered Ebrahim Al-Husri (rahimahullah), who was a pious man, into the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah, Imaam Ahmad bin Hambal (rahimahullah). When he met Imaam Ahmad (rahimahullah), Ebrahim Al-Husri (rahimahullah) mentioned, “My mother saw a dream relating to you. She saw such-and-such in her dream, and she also mentioned seeing you in Jannah.” When Imaam Ahmad (rahimahullah) heard this, he replied, “O my nephew! People would narrate similar dreams to Sahl bin Salaamah, whereas he was a person who was involved in murder and bloodshed.” Imaam Ahmad (rahimahullah) then explained, “A good dream should please one, but should not deceive one (through causing him to feel complacent of his piety and righteousness).”
(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol. 11 pg. 227)
Maimooni (rahimahullah) mentions that Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) said the following to him, “O Abul Hasan! Beware discussing any mas’alah of Deen in which you do not have any senior to follow.”
‘Abdur Rahmaan At-Tabeeb narrates the following:
On one occasion, Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal (rahimahullah) and Bishr bin Haarith (also known as Bishr Haafi (rahimahullah)) were sick. When I would go to Bishr (rahimahullah), I would ask him, “How do you find your condition?” When replying, he would first praise Allah Ta‘ala and thereafter inform me of his condition. Hence, he would reply, “I praise Allah Ta‘ala to you. I find my condition to be such-and-such.”