Tashreeh Al Asedi

IMAM AHMED IBN HANBAL (رحمتہ اللہ علیہ)

Imam Aḥmad Ibn Hanbal (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ) (241-164 AH / 780-855 CE) was the founder of Hanbali School of thought in Islamic Jurisprudence. He also compiled a book of Hadith collections titled Musnad Ahmad.

BLESSED BIRTH

Imam Abu Abdullah Aḥmad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn Ḥanbal ( وُب ْح َم أ َعْبد ٱهلل د َ ُم َح ابْن بَل أ ابْن َّمد َ wasَ ) حنۢ born in the month of Rabia I, 164 AH (780 CE) in Baghdad, Iraq. Imam’s family was originally from Basra, Iraq, and belonged to the Arab tribe, Banu Shayban. This is the reason is also known as Al-Shaybani. It is reported that his father was an officer in Abbasid Army in Khurasan and later settled in Baghdad where the Imam was born. Imam’s mother name was Safiya Bint Maimoona and she also belonged to the tribe of Shayban from the clan of Banu Amir. It is reported that Imam’s grandfather was the governor of Sarkhas during the Umayyad rule.

EARLY LIFE

Imam Ahmad (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. His father Mohammad died at the age of thirty and Imam was, therefore, raised as an orphan. This is the reason he learned to be self-reliant from his childhood. It is reported that as a kid, the Imam was very pious and sincere.

EDUCATION

Imam’s early education was in Baghdad. After completing elementary education, he began to attend study circles for higher learning at the age of 14. A year later in 179 AH (795 CE), he started focusing his attention on Prophet’s (وسلم آله و عليه للا صلى (Ahadith. He studied Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) under renowned Hanafi Judge Abu Yusuf who was the student of Imam Abu Hanifa (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ .(He also studied Fiqh under Imam Shafi’i (عنہ تعالی للا رضئہ .(It is reported that he travelled to other parts of Iraq, Syria and Arab lands and collected over three hundred thousand Ahadith from 414 Hadith narrators. Later he compiled his Hadith collection book titled Musnad Ahmad.

TEACHERS

The Imam studied under many scholars of his time, prominent among them are, (i) Yaqub Ibn Ibrahim Al-Ansari (better known as Imam Abu Yusuf), (ii) Imam Al-Shafi'i, (iii) Hushaim Bin Basheer, (iv) Ibrahim Ibn Saad, (v) Yahya Bin Sa’eed Al-Qattan, (vi) Abu Moḥammad Sufyan Ibn Uyaynah, (viii) Yazeed Bin Haroon, (ix) Waki Ibn Al-Jarah, etc.

STUDENTS

Imam Ahmad (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (was a very popular teacher during his time. People loved the way he taught, and they were impressed by his vast knowledge in various Islamic subjects. Most prominent among them are, (i) Abu Al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad AlMawardi, (ii) Abu Bakr Al-Athram, (iii) Salih Bin Ahmad (Imam’s son), (iv) Abdullah Bin Ahmad (Imam’s son), (v) Abu Dawood Sulayman (Imam Abu Dawood), (vi) Hambal bin Ishaaq, etc.

BOOKS

Imam Ahmad (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (wrote many books. Important among tham are, (i) AlMusnad Ahmad containing 30,000 Ahadith, (ii) Risala As-Salah, (iii) Masa’el (collection of his Fatawas), (iv) Al-Ashriba, (v) Fadhail Al-Sahabah, (vi) Usool as-Sunnah, (vii) Kitab al-Ilal wa Ma‘rifat al-Rijal, (viii) Kitab al-Manasik, (ix) Kitab al-Zuhd, (x) Kitab al-Iman, (xi) Kitab Tha’ah al-Rasul, (xi) Kitab al-Fara’id, (xii) Kitab al-Radd ala al-Zanadiqa wa’lJahmiyya, (xiii) Tafsir, (xiv) Kitab Mansukh, etc. Among all his books, his Hadith collection titled Musnad Ahmad (أحمد مسند (is most famous.

PERSECUTION AT THE HANDS OF THE RULERS OF HIS TIME

The ordeal regarding the createdness of the Quran, known as Mihnat Ḵẖalaq Al-Quran (القرآن خلق محنة ,(refers to the period of religious persecution by the Abbasid rulers for 18 long years during 833-851 CE, spread over the reign of 4 rulers, (i) Al-Ma’mum, (ii) AlMu’tasim, (iii) Al-Wathiq and (iv) Al-Mutawakkil. During this period, religious scholars were persecuted, imprisoned, and often killed unless they conformed to Mu’tazila doctrine of the creation of the Quran. After 4 years of his rule, Al-Mutawakkil stopped the persecution after realizing his folly.

Al-Mamun had become the follower of Mu’tazila sect and following their doctrine declared the Quran to be the creation of Allah in 833 CE. Anyone who opposed, was prosecuted. This became an ordeal for many scholars of that time. Imam Ahmad (للاہ رضئ عنہ تعالی (opposed this doctrine and consequently, he was arrested. He was taken in chains by the security personnel to be presented to the ruler. On their way, as they reached ArRaqqa area, they heard the news of the death of Al-Ma’mun in (218 AH/833 CE).

The new ruler Al-Mutasim followed the example of his predecessor and the Imam remained imprisoned. He was flogged severely in the prison. In view of torture, it is reported that the Imam often used to get unconscious. The news of the torture of the Imam in the prison spread like wildfire and it is reported that there was an upheaval in the state and the ruler was forced to release the Imam.

After the death of Al-Mu’tasim, Al-Wathiq became the ruler. He also continued the persecution of the scholars and banished the Imam from Baghdad. The Imam was allowed to go back to his hometown on the outskirts of Baghdad and live there. Thus, the Imam remained isolated from the people, confined to his house till the death of AlWathiq in 232 AH, (847 CE).

After the death of Al-Wathiq, Al-Mutawakkil became the ruler. For the first 4 years of his rule, he also continued the practice of his predecessors. Later he realized his mistake and the policy of persecution of the scholars was eventually stopped in 851 CE.

During those testing times, the Imam is reported to have made a promise to Allah (ز َّعَ َو َج َّل ) that he would not narrate any Hadith, in complete form, to anyone until his death, even though he remained active in discussing issues of religious knowledge. It is reported that the Imam stopped teaching Hadith and did not narrate Ahadith to anyone except to his two sons, Salih and Abdullah and his paternal cousin Hanbal bin Ishaq.

HISTORICAL VIEW

Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (was the student of Imam Shafi’i (تعالی للا رضئ عنہ ,(but he was more inclined towards the traditionists' point of view in certain respects. Therefore, he gave more emphasis on Ahadith of Prophet Mohammad ( آله و عليه ہللا صلى وسلم (than on ‘opinion and analogical reasoning’. However, he did not yield fully towards the traditionists point of view.

Imam Ahmad's (عنہ تعالی للا رضئہ (observations on Quranic verses that depict Allah's ( ز َّعَ َو َج َّل ) attributes are misrepresented by Salafis/Wahhabis/Deobandis. They quote Imam Ahmad (عنہ تعالیہ للا رضئ (to draw literal/textual meanings of these verses, to mean that Allah (ل َّج َو َز َّع ( َhas hands, face, eyes, and other limitations.

What Imam Ahmad (عنہ تعالی للاہ رضئ (said was 'not to ponder much on these verses and related Ahadith and let them be as they are and let us belief in the purport of Allah ( ز َّعَ َو َج َّل ) and His Apostle (وسلم آله و عليه ہللا صلى .'(His statements did not mean that people take the literal/ textual meanings of these verses and claim hands, eyes and face and .( َع َّز َو َج َّل) Allah for l

Some people claim that Imam Ahmad (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (was textualist. This is misrepresentation of facts and false allegation on the Imam. If Imam Ahmad statements really meant, what Salafis claim, then he would have easily accepted Quran as the creation of Allah (ل َّج َو َز َّع ( َand saved himself from the physical torture of the then rulers who wanted him to declare Quran as a creation of Allah ( ز َّع َل َّج َوَ ).

This is a consensus opinion of the Muslim nation that after Imam Hanbal (تعالیہ للا رضئ عنہ ,(the nation did not produce Muslim Jurists of the caliber of the 4 accepted Imams. Therefore, whatever research is done in Islamic Jurisprudence, it is done within the borderlines of the 4 Imams’ points of view.

SCHOLARLY VIEWS

(i) Imam Ali Ibn Madini, the teacher of Imam Bukhari (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ ,(wrote, ‘truly Allah َو َج َّل َع َّز ) ) supported this religion with Abu Bakr (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (during ‘Apostasy wars’ ر ُح ُروب ِّدَّة) ٱل ,( and he supported it with Ahmad Ibn Hanbal during Mihnat Ḵẖalaq Al-Quran .(محنة خلق القرآن)

(ii) Imam Shafi’i (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (said, ‘I left Baghdad and did not leave behind me anyone more virtuous, more learned, more knowledgeable than Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.’

(iii) Abdul Malik Al-Maimooni said, ‘my eyes never saw anyone better than Ahmad Bin Hanbal and I have never seen anyone among the scholars of Hadith who shows more respect for the sacred limits of Allah ( ز َّع َل َّج َوَ ) and the Sunnah of His Prophet (عليهہ للا صلى وسلم آله و ,(if (a report) is proven to be Saheeh, and I have never seen anyone more keen to follow the Prophet’s (وسلم آله و عليه للا صلى (Sunnah than him.’

(iv) Qutaibah bin Saeed reported that Imam An-Nawawi said, when Al-Thawri died, piety died; when Al-Shafi’i died, proper adherence to the Sunnah died; when Ahmad died, innovation (bidah) emerged.

DEATH

Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal (عنہ تعالی للا رضئ (died on Friday, 12 Rabia I, 241 AH (August 3, 855 CE) after a brief illness of 9 days. His funeral was attended by over a million people. He was buried in Baghdad.

His grave is in an old alley with dilapidated houses in Hyder Khana locality, next to Al-Midan Square, at the entrance of AlRasheed Heritage Street, on an area of 300 square meters. There is a small door, a single dome, a dilapidated wall, a small courtyard, and a shrine that is rarely opened to visitors. It is reported that the mortal remains of the Imam were transferred from the cemetery of Bab Harb in the vicinity of the city of Kadhimiya to its present location in view of flooding of Tigris River in 1937 CE.