Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal: Volume One

Chapter 4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge and the Journey He Undertook for That Purpose

٣٣ 33 4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge Ismāʿīl al-Warrāq report that Yaḥyā ibn Ṣāʿid reported to him and to others that he heard Abū Bakr al-Athram report, citing someone who had studied Hadith with Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: [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!” Chapter 4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge and the Journey He Undertook for That Purpose32 Aḥmad began his studies with the learned men of Baghdad. He then traveled to Kufa, Basra, Mecca, Medina, Yemen, Syria, and northern Iraq, writing down what he acquired from the men of learning in each region he visited. We cite Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad al-Qazzāz, who cites Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites al-Azharī, who heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar report that he heard Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yaʿqūb report that his grandfather reported that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say: [Aḥmad:] The first teacher whose Hadith I wrote down was Abū Yūsuf.33 We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad, who cites Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ, who said that he heard Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report that his father said: [Aḥmad:] I started learning Hadith when I was sixteen. When Hushaym died, I was twenty. I first heard Hadith from him in 179 [795–96]. We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Samarqandī, who cites ʿUmar ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baqqāl, who cites Abū l-Ḥusayn ibn Bishrān, who cites ʿUthmān ibn Aḥmad al-Daqqāq, who 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 ٣٤ 34 $X §   $XÀ9°̄F01 k‚ ,v wx@ / #  ê9–›/œ  * +  ,   $X" AB# ?‘#P˜ i™   * +  ,  » w  x-#P@ / #  f ?@ / #  Žv w  çìop01» wÚab „  $X`ìop  * +  ,   _  ݑ7:  HI/ #    dê9–›/œ :  ` d      " #  * D Yç w x- - $ % &'# ( )01¤£ " # . /     f :. /  v=µ     °̄F AB |  :      _  ݑ7:  HI/ #    dê9–›/œ  $X`ìop . /  01 " #  * +­É01  $X`ìop  ÁP _“abò )  üop   # AB " #01 .  AB  F     .  $X`ìabc@ / # à99†B  * +  ,   îb „ " #    à9†@ /   f01  * D Ev‰ ! ø     P@ / # ( )01  $X !\  ]^! ¡ ( )    ¢  =Úop  f01¶ AB |  :       íª«I/   AB ¼   #  FP@ / # ( ) ( )   g ? h iij 01 .  $X"e01  Žv wÚab „01 ¢©ª _ Å  $X`ìop wÚop    * D    Ì 01 :. /   » w x-F " #  $X`ìop  ÁP“‹ [ ?@ /   AB  fP€    ¢©ª«¬9`op    Þ w媫ÿp :. / 01  á= TB $ % &'# ( )   AB " #  Þ w媫ÿp 01 .—  Z [Š£ " #  * D  YZ [ \ 01 ! G  HI/ #P“Ë )  * + ,- " #  01  $X`ìabc@ / # à99†B  * +  ,   k l! F9O ) ¢ \· w¡  >?@ / #  * + ,- " #  01  Žv wÚab „01     P@ / # ( ) t už`ab ¡ Ð 01¤£ !" # AB¦Ž^°̄ " # $X ! –›/œ ã  Ì  f#P¡ S=T@ / #     `aÇ  HI/ #  * + ,- " #  f g? h iij  * +  ,    f " #P  â   :. /    F01ÊZ [e  * + ,- " #    7  JKL M  AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. /     * +!  ,-   :  \• ! s aÇ !‹‰ŠI/ #  `aÇ  HI/ #      * + ,NO ) _ ?‘  7°̄ ¢! F       7  JKL M  AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. /    ¢#F \ ‰! ø .  Žv w  çìop01» wÚab „  $X`ìop _  ݑ7:  HI/ #    dê9–›/œ :  ` d      " # . /    ( )    k‚ ´É#P  " # _ ?‘  7°̄ :. /    $ % &'# ( )     " # AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. /     " #     AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. /     " #     ( ) ©ª«ÿp " # AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. / 01  á= TB  f01¤£ " #      AB  F  Þ w媫ÿp :. /     * +  ,1 ! á= !_ >?@ / # ¼   : •sØp " #    7  JKL M  _ ?‘  7°̄ :. /    ¼   : •sØp " #    $ % &'# îÇê9 :    ¸^’‘ " #01  Žv w  çìop01» wÚab „  $X`ìop _  ݑ7:  HI/ #    dê9–›/œ :. / 01  á= TB   ` d      " #  Þ w媫ÿp .  Žv w  çìop01» wÚab „  $X`ìop  ` dê9O ) k l   01 k l      01 öF  í / #   # :. /    ¼    FF     " #    7  JKL M  AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. /     ݑ_ AB      * + ,NO )     " # AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. /     F#  P  S=T@ / # 7  JKL M      P@ / # ( ) AB¦Ž^°̄ " #    $ % &'# ( ) _ ?‘  7°̄ :#01¤@ /    ¢# \  !     P  S= w ¹      " #01 š   # 01ÊZ [Š@ / #      * + ,NO )01¤£ " #01  * D!  Y ! Z›/œ¡ ã  HI/ #   * + ,NO )     ( ) ©ª«ÿp " # AB¦Ž^°̄ " # :. /      ` d      " #  $X`ìop . / 01 " #  * +  ,    Žv w  çìop01» wÚab „  $X`ìop  AB !¦ ! Ž^†@ / #    k‚ _ ÿpvÉ      * + ,NO )  ¡  Þ w媫ÿp :  * + ,- " # . /     f  * D  Y@ / #  $X`ìabc@ / #  * +­É01  f    01 ١P € æ 2 3 4 5 6 # îÇê9 :  ; / #  * +  ,   $X?@ / " #  fO )  k‚ _ƒ _  ݑ7:  HI/ #    dê9–›/œ .îb „ " #    à9†@ /  v‰ §   .    :   ١ ٥،٤ ٦،٤ ٧،٤ ٣٥ 35 4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge heard Ḥanbal ibn Isḥāq report that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh, meaning Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, say: [Aḥmad:] I started in ’79 [795–96], when I...