Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
Imam Ahmad's nickname was Imam of Ahle Sunnah Wal Jammah
He was a Mujadid
Allah gave honor to this religion through Abu Bakr and Imam Ahmad
When people refused to pay zakah in time of Abu Bakr
Imam Ahmad went through fitna with deviant Khalifah
Who almost did away with important aqeedah of this deen
Imam Ahmad was a proof that Allah established against the people of this earth
Ahmad sacrificed himself for Islam
Imam Muzani wrote a virtue on Khalifahs
He said Islam shined on 4 days
Abu Bakr on day of apostsy
Umar on the day he became Khalifa
Uthman on day his house under siege
Ali on the day of battle of sifeen
Imam Ahmad on the day of fitna
He said anyone who loves Imam Ahmad loves sunnah
Whoever hates Ahmad hates the Ummah
Imam Ahmad was born in year 164 AH in Baghdad 14 years younger than Imam Shafi
In Bahdad at that time it is the capital of the Khalifah
the center of philosophy and fitna
Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal bin kilal ibn Shaibani
He is from the tribe of Shayban
the deepest in lineage of tribes of Arabs
strong tribe in Arabs and a very noble tribe
the tribe guards its neighbors
there were more ulema and judges from this tribe
Ahmad never would take pride in his lineage
One time Ahmad's students said you are from the true Arab
Ahmad looked away and said we are all poor people in the sight of Allah
His father was Muhammad bin Hanbal and general of army that opened Khursan
His grandfather was Emir in the Ummayah Khalifah
When Abbasi came to power he was beaten and had head shaven
His mother raised him by herself because his father died when he was 2
His mothers name was Safiyah bint Maymuna bin Abdul Malik
Ahmad would talk about her very fondly
She would leave him notes in his clothes encouraging him
She would take him to the masjid before anyone else was there
She would wait outside until all the men left than she went in and got him
She would take him to all the halaqa
People would spend money on people to teach their children adab
Imam Ahmad had such nobility and manners
People asked who taught him Adab
His mother taught him that Adab no one else
She would take him to masjid before fair and take him back after isha
Imam Ahmad was based out of Basra in Iraq
His father decided to move the family to Baghdad where Ahmad was born
His mother said to Ahmad do not travel by sea
He honored that request until the age of 40 years old
Ahmad told the people this is the not sunnah it is between him and his mother
Ahmad did not marry until the age of 40 years old when she passed away
People would send proposals to Ahmad and he would turn it away
At age 40 he married Ayesha bint Al Fadl
He had a son by name of As Saleh
He Kunya was Abu Abdullah
He stayed married to her alone for 30 years
Ahmad and his wife never had a argument
on their wedding night Ahmad gave her a khutba
They exchanged really nice words
One time there was an argument and Ahmad was wrong
She passed away when she was 70 years
He married another woman named Rehana and had Abdullah
Then he married Husun and had Hassan and Hussein who died at birth
Then He had three other kids
Saleh and Abdullah became Ulema
Sayed became the judge of Kufa
Ahmad memorized the Quran at the age of 10 years old
He wanted to bring income to his house
He had beautifully handwriting so people would hire him to write letters
One time Ahmad's uncle worked for the Khalifah and informed him
He told Ahmad to write this letter and he finished Ahmad crumbled it
His uncle said why and he said I do not agree with this oppression
His uncle said this young man has more taqwa than us
179 AH he seriously dedicated himself to studying Hadith When Malik passed away
Ibn Bashir taught Imam Malik Ash Shaibi and Imam Ahmad
Ahmad went to him and spent the last 4 years of his life
He collected from him 3000 Hadith
Ibn Bashir was always in a state of tasbeeh
He never asked him a question out of fear of him except two times
He passed away when Imam Ahmad was 20 years
Al Qadhi Abu Yusuf teaches Imam Ahmad the student of Abu Hanifa
He gathered Hadith from him
He spent 2 years with him
186 to 203 AH Imam Ahmad traveled the world
He went to Basra, Makkah, Madinah, Yemen, Shaam
He met the major scholars around the world
he travelled walking most of the time
He was too poor to afford camel or horse
He made Hajj 5 times
3 of those 5 Hajj he did walking from Baghdad to Makkah
Sometimes he gets lost on the way to hajj
In Makkah he met Sufyan ibn Hunaian a great scholar
Ahmad would focus on scholars of Hadith
Ahmad came in late one time
He showed Ishaq his teacher Ash Shafi
Ahmad meets Shafi in Makkah for the first time
Then later in Iraq
Ahmad did not wait for people to validate his teachers
He would just go learn from who he thought would benefit him the most
There are 20 Hadith from Shafi he learned
The beautiful chain of Hadith was Ahmad narrates from Shafi who narrates from Malik who narrates from Zuhuri who narrates from Abdul Rahman ibn Kab who narrates from his father who narrates from the Prophet
The souls of the believers are in birds and they hang from trees in Jannah
Shafi left Baghdad with someone who has taqwa, understanding of fiqh and very knowledgeable and he is a authority in different fields
Ahmad is an Imam of Hadith, Fiqh, Arabic, Quran, Poverty, Spirituality, leaving doubtful, Sunnah
Imam Shafi considered Ahmad greater than him and told him if you know a Hadith write me a letter and tell me
Shafi considers Ahmad a teacher as well
Shafi would ride his mule and Ahmad would run to him with his pen and paper
Ahmad would learn from Shafi all night on their midnight stroll
Shafi stayed at Ahmad’s house
Ahmad prepared all the children
One of his daughters was interested in fiqh too
She heard what a great person Shafi was
Shafi came after Isha and Ahmad shows him his room
Shafi does not pray tahhajud
Shafi does not make wudu from home
Shafi ate to his fill
Ahmad’s daughter said this is the Shafi with not much salah or zikr
Ahmad asked Shafi and he laughed
He said Shafi debated with himself an issue of the deen and the answer came in deen
His wudu did not break
He ate a lot because he knew his food was the purest
Ahmad was very poor and Shafi tried to give him money
Ahmad refused over and over again
Shafi said let me get you a job
Ahmad said ok and he spoke with the Khalifah to be judge of Yemen
Ahmad said no
Ahmad made Hajj then after Hajj he went to Yemen on foot
He went while carrying people’s luggage to meet the scholars
Abdul Razzaq ibn Asmani a scholar from Yemen
He was a great scholar there
When they got to Hajj Abdul Razzaq was there
Ahmad intended to meet him at Hajj and follow him to Yemen
Abdul Razzaq said yes
Ahmad meets him in Yemen to learn from him
It takes him a few months to get to Yemen
He stayed outside the house of Abdul Razzaq
He came out after Maghreb
Ahmad ran to him
Abdul Razzaq felt shy and he hugged Ahmad
Ahmed collected Hadith from Abdul Razzaq
When ever Abdul Razzaq heard of Ahmad he would cry
Ahmad would not eat while with Abdul Razzaq
After Ahmad passed away people would show letters written by him and tell stories
Ahmad was wrapped in blanket one time because someone stole his clothes
Ahmad refused to take loan from people
Ahmad took clothes and in exchange he wrote letter
Ahmad had over 415 teachers
He had already attained ijaza from people to give fatwa
He became the mufti of Baghdad
He was well known around the world
He goes to Shaam and sleeps in masjid and finds out what lectures are there
In masjid guard tells him he has to leave I have to lock up
Ahmad argues loke a normal person
The guard takes his legs and pulls him out of the masjid
There was a man who had a bakery and invites Ahmad not knowing it is him
Ahmad watches him and he sees him baking bread
As he was baking his bread he makes tasbeeh throughout the night
Ahmad was fascinated and asked him how long as he done
Baker said Allah answers all his duas except that Imam Ahmad should see him
Ahmad said that is me
Baker cries and embraces him
Ahmad said Subhanallah Allah brought me to you dragging me by my feet
Ahmad memorized all the Hadith
Ahmad was teacher of Imam Bukhari
He was an Imam of spirituality and wrote a book about it
Ahmad’s circle was the largest in Baghdad
5000 people would gather in it at one time
The people would repeat what he said until it reached the end of the gathering
Ahmad would observe people of good adab
He made sure his students would not write his opinions only Hadith
But his students still wrote his fatwas
Ahmad loved the poor
Circles of Hadith were like the circles of elite
So Ahmad brought the poor people in the circles and weddings
Ahmad would order that the poor were served the food before the ulema and princes
He hated praise
He wished to be in a complete isolation
Ahmad was praised one time and he said what did I do
Rather he said what did he do for me
Ahmad would pray 300 rakahs a night
When he was sick he split it in half
Ahmad would write down any one who asked to make dua
Then at night he would make dua for them
One day mother of a man was sick and he asked Ahmad to make dua
He told him your dua is better and your mother dua is even better
But Ahmad made dua anyway for his mother and she was cured
Ahmad revived leaving that which is doubtful
Someone backbited Ahmad and asked for his forgiveness
He forgave him as long as he does not do it again so he avoids the sin
The fitna starts with Al Mamoon who is the son of Haroon Rasheed
Ahmad lived through 8m Abbasi Khalifah
This fitna about creation of Quran was started by Jaad ibn Dirham
The idea was Allah does not speak
Denial of Allah’s attributes
Hesham ibn Abdul Malik excecuted Jared
Than Jahl ibn Sufyan brought the idea back into the Ummah
The group is called Jahmiyyah who made it popular
Haroon Rasheed sent order to kill Jahl
Then Mamoon took over and found Jahl
Mamoon was convinced by Jahl
Mamoon comes across a scholar from another deviant group
Ahmed ibn Duaad
For a few years Mamoon did not come out with his belief
Then he comes out publicly
Ahmad bin Hanbal refutes the idea
Imam Ahmad did not want anything to do with government
Mamoon had the statement written on gates of Masjid
Mamoon says to guard to force upon the people this deviant group
He would kill those who refused it
Some scholars went into hiding and felling Iraq
Out 700 scholars only 2 refused to give in including Imam Ahmad
Rabi ibn Suleiman student of Shafi who accompanied Shafi
Shafi handed him a sealed letter and sends him back to Iraq
He has to give it to Ahmad and brin back the answer
He went back to Baghdad with the letter and Ahmad was found at Fajr
After Fajr he gave the letter
He said it was from your brother Shafi
Ahmad broke the seal and read it
His face changed colors and his eyes fled with tears
After he read it he put his hand on his chest
Shafi said in the letter he saw Prophet in a dream
Prophet told Shafi in the dream to write this letter
And to give him Prophet’s salaam
He will be tested and told Quran is a creation
Prophet said do not respond to them and Allah will raise you to a high place
Ahmad said go to Shafi and give him my salaam
He said He will not give in and to keep making dua for him to have sabr
Ahmad was asked about Quran and he said it is the word of Allah and not the creation
They chained up Ahmad in a humiliating way
They spit at him and cursed him
The other scholar who said no died along the way
It was just Imam Ahmad going to see Mamoon
A Bedouin said stay on the truth you will die anyway
Ahmad received words on consolation
The guards said to Imam Ahmad Mamoon is waiting with his sword
Imam Ahmad made dua that Mamoon would not see him and he will not see Mamoon
Mamoon died in natural causes
Mamoon appointed his brother to carry on what he was doing
Mutasim was his brother who was an idiot brutal and wild
Mutasim assumed Khalifah and he was asked about Imam Ahmad
Mutasim left him in jail for three years
Imam Ahmad is visited by everybody and they tell him to give up
His uncle even comes to him and says hide your belief
He said your scholars have done it already
Imam Ahmad was very sad to hear this
The 700 scholars are concealing the matter
Imam Ahmad said he betrayed by Yahya the scholar who concealed it
Ahmad grabs his uncles hand and said look outside
Outside were all the people waiting for Ahmad to say what they wanted him to say
He feared Allah punishing him for giving up on this matter
Ahmad’s son came and had no shoes
Ahmad said to his son be patience Allah will give you something better
Mutassim had Ahmad brought to him
They grab Ahmad’s beard and threw him to Mutasim
Mutasim said I am just asking for one word
Ahmad said prove to me that statement is from Allah
Mutasim got mad and beat Imam Ahmad
Imam Ahmad was encouraged by the prisoners
The drunk man said if I can survive prison and torture for a sin you can survive it with love of Allah
Imam Ahmad gave dawah to other prisoners
All the prisoners were scholars by the time they left
Ahmad refused to drink from the oppressor
Ahmad was given strength by Allah for his torture
Ahmad made dua not to allow his shalwar to fall and show his private
One of the guards saw the cloth would never come off
Every Jummuah Ahmad would clean himself and make ghusl and beg the guard to let him know
Mutasim looked at some of scholars and said if he should let him go
They were all afraid
Mutasim brought a deviant scholar to debate Imam Ahmed
Deviant shaykh said did Allah not say He created everything and Quran is a thing
Ahmad said Allah also said He will destroy everything so you are saying Allah will destroy Quran
They said did Umar not say that Allah created zikr
Ahmad said no he said he revealed the zikr
Ahmad said Allah wrote down the zikr
Imam Ahmad said Allah will bring out the truth and it will show in one of ours Janazas
Mutasim was told to beat him publicly
They tried to rip his shirt off
Imam Ahmad had a shirt with blessed hair of the Prophet sewed on to it
Ahmad made dua for it not to be torn off
They took off his shirt and they said what is this
He said it is the blessed hair of the Prophet
They said we will burn him with shirt on but then they said no
They flogged him very severly
People screamed duas at him
A doctor came and said if an elephant was beat this much it would have died
After 19th beating Ahmad went into Coma and he woke up during 25th of Ramadan
His skin was falling off and his legs were broken
Imam Ahmad did not feel any of the torture
Imam Ahmad continued to fast despite he was sick
Ahmad made dua to Allah for relief
Ahmad cried and remember the torture of Abu Hanifa
Ahmad had to have several surgiers
Mutasim said he saw a dream that there were 2 lions and they were gonna tear me apart
Then two angels guarded the lions from attacking him
They took him to Ahmad’s cell and asked Ahmad what do you say about the Quran
He said the word of Allah but not created
Imam Ahmad goes back to the Sahaba to the Prophet all in his dream
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
Abdul Razzaq As Sanani
Mamar
Imam Al Zuhuri
Urwa ibn Zubair
Ayesha bint Abu Bakr
Prophet Muhammad bin Abdullah
Jibril
The Preserved Tablet
Qalam
Allah
Allah said all the above have spoken the truth in his dream
Mutasim lets Imam Ahmad go
Imam Ahmad said do you forgive them and he said yes
The torture lasted for several years
Imam Ahmad said if I get back at them than I was not truly patience
227 AH Mutasim passes away
Another oppressor comes to power and he is on the same ideology
Ahmad al Kuzayi was on the Madhab of Imam Ahmad
Wasiq asks him what do you say about the Quran
Ahmad said it is word of Allah
Wasiq crucifies Ahmed ibn Kuzaiy
Imam Ahmad went into hiding for 4 years
Imam Ahmad almost died out of hunger
Prophet said all what remains in this world is tests and trials
Imam Ahmad was found and Wasiq dies
Mutakil takes over 232 AH and he is a righteous man
He tells Imam Ahmad is free to go
Mutakil publicly apologizes to Imam Ahmed and the deviant ideology is gone forever
Imam Ahmad fears the test of blessing more than fitna
He said he was afraid things will be too easy
Ahmad made dua O Allah if you will accept if someone will sacrifice themselves for the disobedient ones make my sacrifice as a ransom for them
Mutawakil sends money to the sons of Imam Ahmad
When Imam Ahmad found out he did not eat at their house
Imam Ahmed goes back to teaching
Imam Ahmad compiled his Musnad
Imam Ahmad lives the rest of his life under Mutawakil
Mutawakil praises Imam Ahmad and continues to support his sons
Imam Ahmad was a famous scholar of Ahle Sunnah wal Jamah
One of his Halaqas reached 50,000 people
Oner of the largest gatherings in Baghdad
As Ahmad reached the end of his life
Some one asked him to take a break
Ahmad said I will stay writing and studying until my grave
When Ahmad fell ill he just wanted to pray Qiyam ul Lail
When he got to his salah he lost in his legs
He would lean on his son
He prayed sitting down
Ahmad never maoned and complained when he was in pain
The crying or the moaning of those who are sick is from complaining to Allah
Not from people of patience
Ahmad had a child 50 days before his death and he named him happy (Saeed)
He had another son named Muhammad
Waseeah of Ahmad was that he wanted to buried from his own finances
And nothing from the government
Ahmad said there is no rest until you take your first step in Jannah
Shaytan came to Ahmad in a dream and said I gave up on you
Ahmad passes away on day of Jummuah 12th Rabi Awwal 241 AH at 77 years old
His Janaza there were 100 people from Banu Hashem who did his Ghusl
The muslim world came from all over
Ahmad passed away he had largest janaza in Islam
Atleast 1.3 million people prayed his janaza
10,000 non muslims accepted Islam because of the funeral of Ahmad
The truth will show in our janaza
Ahmad bin Dua no one wanted to wash him or pray on him
Imam Ahmad killed the deviant movement
Ahmad had three hairs from hairs of the Prophet
One was put on his tongue and one on each of his eyes
Because he did not see or say anything but the Sunnah
Allah had forgiven Ahmad and took him to Jannah and gave two sandles of gold
Its because he said the Quran is the word of Allah
O My Lord Everything is in your power upon everything
Forgive me for Everything
So you don’t ask me about anything
His biography is over 700 pages
Ahmad has multiple students
There were over 70 books published on his Fiqh
He was able to interact to all schools of thought
His grave in his Baghdad
Usool 1 the text Quran and Sunnah with no differentiation
Usool 2 opinions of the sahaba with some consitions