[Al-Marrūdhī:] I brought Ibrāhīm al-Ḥuṣarī, who was a righteous man, to meet Aḥmad. Ibrāhīm told him that his mother had dreamed of him and said something about the Garden. “Brother,” said Aḥmad, “People used to say the same kind of thing about Sahl ibn Salāmah, but he went on to shed blood.”12 He added, “A believer should find joy in dreams but never trust them.”
٤،٥٦
قال المَرُّوذي:
وسمعتُ محمّد بن حازم يقول: كنتُ عند أبي عبد الله فأتاهُ رجل شيخ فقال: يا أبا عبد الله مررتُ بقوم فذكروك فقالوا: أحمد ابن حنبل من خير الناس. فما اكترث لذلك.
Al-Marrūdhī reports that he heard Muḥammad ibn Ḥāzim say:
[Muḥammad ibn Ḥāzim:] Once when I was at Aḥmad’s an elderly man came to see him. “Aḥmad,” he said, “I overheard some people talking about you and saying you were among the best.” Aḥmad ignored him.
٥،٥٦
قال المرُّوذي:
وسمعتُ أبا عبد الله يقول: الخوف يمنعني من أكل الطعام والشراب فما أشتهيته.
قال المرُّوذي: واراد أبو عبد الله أن يبول في مرضه الذي مات فيه فدعا بطَسْت فجئتُ١ به فبال دمًا عَبيطًا فأريتُه عبد الرحمن المتطِّبب فقال: هذا رجل قد فتّت الغمّ – أو قال: الحزن – جوفه.
١ ش: جيئ.
Al-Marrūdhī reports that he heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say:
[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once heard Aḥmad say, “I’m too fearful of God to eat or drink, and now I don’t want to eat at all.”
During his final illness, Aḥmad needed to urinate, and called for a basin. I brought one, and saw that his urine was bright red. When I showed ʿAbd al-Raḥmān the physician, he said, “That’s a man with innards torn apart by worry”—or “by sorrow.”
٦،٥٦
وبلغنا عن أبي بكر المرُّوذي قال:
دخلتُ على أحمد يومًا فقلت: كيف أصبحت؟ فقال كيف أصبح مَن ربّه يُطالبه بأداء الفرض ونبيّه يطالبه بأداء السنّة والملكان يطالبانه بتصحيح العمل ونفسه تطالبه بهواها وإبليس يطالبه بالفَحشاء وملَك الموت يطالبه بقبض روحه وعياله يطالبونه بالنفقة؟
We have heard it said that Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī said:
[Al-Marrūdhī:] One morning I went in to see Aḥmad and asked him how he was.
“How can a man be,” he answered, “with his Lord imposing obligations, his Prophet demanding that he follow the sunnah, his two angels waiting for good deeds, his soul clamoring for what it wants, the Devil goading him to lust, the Angel of Death seeking his life, and his family asking for money?”
الباب السابع والخمسون
في ذكر غلَبة الفكر والهمّ على قلبه
Chapter 57
His Preoccupation and Absentmindedness
١،٥٧
أخبرنا محمّد بن أبي منصور أخبرنا عبد القادر بن محمّد قال: أنبأنا إبراهيم بن عمر قال: أنبأنا عبد العزيز بن جعفر قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمّد الخلّال قال:
أخبرنا أبو بكر المَرُّوذي قال: دخلتُ موضعًا وأبو عبد الله مُتوكِّئ على يدي١ فاستقبلتنا امرأة بيدها طُنْبور مكشوف فتناولتُه منها فكسرتُه وجعلتُ أدوسه وأبو عبد الله واقف مُنكَّس الرأس إلى الأرض فلم يَقُل شيئًا وانتشَر أمر الطنبور فقال أبو عبد الله: ما علمتُ بهذا ولا علمت أنك كسرت طنبورًا بحضرتي إلى الساعة.
١ ش: عليَّ.
We cite Muḥammad ibn Abī Manṣūr, who cites ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn 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 Abū Bakr al-Marrūdhī report:
[Al-Marrūdhī:] I once went out with Aḥmad leaning on my arm. We were approached by a woman carrying a long-necked lute13 out in the open. I took it from her, broke it, and started stamping on it. The whole time, Aḥmad stood there staring at the ground and saying nothing. Soon everyone knew about the incident—everyone except for Aḥmad, who said, “I have no recollection of you ever breaking a lute in my presence.”
الباب الثامن والخمسون
في ذكر تعبّده
Chapter 58
His Devotions
١،٥٨
أخبرنا المحمّدان: ابن عبد الملك وابن ناصر قالا: أخبرنا أحمد بن الحسن المعدّل قال: أنبأنا ابن شاذان قال: أخبرنا ابن عَلَم قال:
سمعتُ
