Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal. Ibn al-Jawzi
to say, “O guide to the errant! Lead me to the path where the truthful walk, and make of me a righteous servant.”
The man left. On the road, he ran into some trouble and was separated from his companions. He uttered the prayer Aḥmad had taught him and shortly afterward caught up with the party. Later he came to Aḥmad and told him what had happened.
“Keep it a secret,” said Aḥmad.
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أخبرنا عبد الرحمن بن محمّد قال: أخبرنا أحمد بن عليّ بن ثابت قال: أخبرنا أبو بكر أحمد بن عليّ بن محمّد الأصبهاني قال: حدثنا أبو بكر محمّد بن إبراهيم بن يعقوب البُخاري قال: حدثنا أبو النَّضْر محمّد بن إسحاق الرَّشادي قال:
سمعتُ سعد١ بن مَسْعَدة يقول: سمعتُ طَلْحة بن عُبيد الله البغدادي وكان يسكن مصر يقول: وافق ركوبي ركوب أحمد بن حنبل في السفينة فكان يُطيل السكوت فإذا تكلم قال: اللهمَّ أمِتْنا على الإسلام والسنّة.
١ د: سعيد.
We cite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit, who cites Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Iṣfahānī, who heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Yaʿqūb al-Bukhārī report that he heard Abū Naḍr Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-Rashādī report that he heard Saʿd ibn Masʿadah say:
[Saʿd ibn Masʿadah:] I heard Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baghdādī, who lived in Egypt, report that he and Aḥmad happened to travel by ship together. Aḥmad did not speak except to say, “God, let me die a Muslim and a follower of the sunnah.”
الباب الحادي والستون
في ذكر كراماته وإجابة سؤاله
Chapter 61
His Manifestations of Grace and the Effectiveness of His Prayers
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أخبرنا إسماعيل بن أحمد ومحمّد بن أبي القاسم قالا: أخبرنا حَمْد بن أحمد قال: أخبرنا أحمد بن عبد الله قال: حدثنا أبي قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمّد بن عمر قال:
حدثنا عبد الله بن أحمد بن حنبل قال: رأيتُ أبي حرّج على النمل أن يخرج من داره ثم رأيتُ النمل قد خرجن بعد ذلك نملاً سودًا فلم أرَهم بعد ذلك.
We cite Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad and Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Qāsim, who cite Ḥamd ibn Aḥmad, who cites Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard his father report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar report that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s son ʿAbd Allāh report:
[ʿAbd Allāh:] Once I saw my father threaten some ants and ask them to leave his house. They left in a great dark mass and never returned.
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أخبرنا محمّد بن أبي منصور قال: أخبرنا عبد القادر بن محمّد قال: أنبأنا إبراهيم بن عمر قال: أنبأنا عبد العزيز بن جعفر قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمّد الخلّال قال:
حدثنا محمّد بن عليّ السِّمسار قال: رأيتُ أبا عبد الله بالليل قد جاء إلى منزل صالح وابن صالح تسيل الدماء من منخريه وقد جُمع له الطب١ وهم يُعالجونه بالفتل وغيرها والدم يغلبهم.
فقال له أبو عبد الله: أيّ شيء حالك يا بُنيّ؟
فقال: يا جدّي هو ذا أموت، ادعُ الله لي.
فقال له: ليس عليك بأس. ثم جعل يحرك يده كأنه يدعو له فانقطع الدم وقد كانوا يئسوا منه لأنه كان يَرْعُف دائمًا.
١ هـ ود: هكذا، ش: الطبيب.
We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Abī Muḥammad, who was informed by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUmar, who was informed by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Jaʿfar, who heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khallāl report that he heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Simsār report:
[Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī l-Simsār:] One night Aḥmad went over to Ṣaliḥ’s house because Ṣaliḥ’s son was bleeding from the nose. The doctors29 had come and were treating him with a twisted cord and so on,30 but the blood was coming too fast.
“What’s wrong, son?” said Aḥmad.
“Grandpa, I’m going to die!” said the boy. “Call to God for me.”
“You’ll be all right,” said Aḥmad. He moved a hand as if praying for him and the blood stopped. This was after everyone had given the boy up for dead, since he had been bleeding continuously.
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قال الخلال:
وحدثنا أبو طالب عليّ بن أحمد قال: دخلتُ يومًا على أبي عبد الله وهو يُملي عليّ وأنا أكتب فاندقّ قلمي فأخذ قلمًا فأعطانيه فجئتُ بالقلم إلى أبي عليّ الجعفري فقلت: هذا قلم أبي عبد الله أعطانيه فقال لغلامه: خُذ القلم فضعه في النخلة عسى تحمل. فوضعه في النخلة فحملت النخلة.
Al-Khallāl reports he also heard Abū Ṭālib ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad report:
[Abū Ṭālib:] Once I was taking dictation from Aḥmad and my pen snapped. He gave me one of his own. Later I showed it to Abū ʿAlī l-Jaʿfarī, telling him that it was a pen that Aḥmad had given me. “Take it,” he told his serving boy, “and lay it on the palm tree: let’s see if that will fertilize it.”
The boy did as he was asked and the tree grew fruit.
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