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Imam Ahmad (Rahimahullāh)
was born in the year 164 A.H. and he passed away in the year 241 A.H.
Imam Ahmad (Rahimahullāh)
began his quest for the knowledge of hadith at the age of 16. He set
out for Kufah in the year 183 A.H. and to Basra in 186 A.H. and to
Sufyaan bin 'Uyaynah in Makkah in 187 A.H. and he went to Imam Abdur
Razzaq in San'aa –together with Imam Yahya bin Ma'een- in the year
197 A.H.
He is quite renowned due to his
celebrated work known as: "Musnad Imam Ahmad". Ibnul Jawzi (Rahimahullāh)
states: “Imam Ahmad travelled the world twice and thereafter he
compiled his Musnad"
Imaam Ahmad (Rahimahullāh) says:
" I travelled in search of knowledge and hadith to: Shaam, Morocco,
Aljazaair (Algeria), Makkah, Madinah, Yemen, 'Iraq, Persia and
Khurasaan and then returned to Baghdad. And when I went to Kufah, at
one stage I only had a brick as my pillow!” [Ibid]
Imaam Yahya ibn Ma'een (Rahimahullāh)
narrates a few outstanding incidents that occurred during his journey
with Imaam Ahmad (Rahimahullāh)
to Sana’a in Yemen for the sake of benefiting from Imaam Abdur Razzaq
(Rahimahullāh) – the author of Musannaf 'Abdul Razzaq.
He says: “When we set out for
Yemen to meet Imaam Abdur Razzaq, we first went for Haj. One day
whilst I was in tawāf, I spotted Imaam Abdur Razzaq. So I greeted him
and said to him: “Here is your brother Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal" He
replied: " May Allah keep him alive and steadfast for verily I have
heard only good about him". I then said to Imaam Ahmad (Rahimahullāh):
"Allah has shortened our distance, granted us abundance of wealth and
he has saved us from a month long journey". Imaam Ahmad said: "In
Baghdad I had intended to hear (hadith) from Imaam Abdur Razzaq (Rahimahullāh)
in San'aa, by Allah I shall never change my Intention".
Imaam Yahya (Rahimahullāh)
says: "When we went to San'aa, Imaam Ahmad’s (Rahimahullāh) wealth
became exhausted. Imaam Abdur Razzaq (Rahimahullāh) offered him a
large sum of money but he refused to accept it. Then he asked him to
take it as a loan, he still refused. He also refused our wealth that
we had offered him. When we checked on him we found that he used to
sell belts and consume the profit.”
Imaam Ibnul Jawzi (Rahimahullāh)
states in his book: "Manaaqibul Imaam Ahmad" that once Imaam Abdur
Razzaq mentioned Imaam Ahmad (in his gathering) and tears came to his
eyes. He then said: "He came to us and stayed for approximately 2
years. I once came to know that his allowance had finished so I took
him by his hand behind the door and when we were alone, I said to him:
"Verily I do not accumulate a lot of wealth. When we sell the crops,
the money gets used up in something or the other, yet I have found 10
dinaars by the women folk of the house, so take it and I hope that
before you spend it, we would have acquired more. He replied: “O Abdur
Razzaq ! If I ever accepted anything from people, I would have
accepted from you."
Imaam Ibnul Jawzi (Rahimahullāh)
then narrated from Imaam Ishaaq ibn Raahuyah (1) that:" When Imaam
Ahmad went to Imaam Abdur Razzaq and his expenditure became exhausted,
his compatriots offered to assist him but he refused and instead he
hired himself out as a porter until he reached San'aa."
Imaam Ahmad bin Sinaan Al-Waasity
(Rahimahullāh) says: "I have heard that Imaam Ahmad (Rahimahullāh) on
one occasion pawned his shoes by a baker in lieu of food that he had
taken from him!”
Haafiz Ibn Katheer (Rahimahullāh)
while discussing the hardships that Imaam Ahmad undertook during his
student days mentions: "His clothes were stolen while he was in Yemen
so he stayed in his room. When his companions became aware of this,
they offered him gold coins but he refused. In fact he only took 1
Dinaar with the condition that he will become their scribe! He took it
as a payment for his service.
The lesson to learn from this
aspect of the life of such a great Imaam is that he had remained
independent from everyone besides Allaah Ta'ala.
Let us also follow his footsteps,
in that if poverty befalls us, we would rather earn our livelihood
through our own effort, by placing total reliance on Almighty Allaah.
After all, in this way he became
"Imaamul Muslimeen" (These are the words of Imaam Yahya ibn Ma'een
Rahimahullāh).
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