219 - Muhammad ibn Abi Harun informed me that Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to them, saying: I asked Abu 'Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal] about the hadith of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): 'Align closely, for I see you from behind me just as I see you from before me.' What is its interpretation? Abu 'Abd Allah said: 'He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sees them from behind him just as he sees them from before him.' He said: 'Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He) says: "And your movement among those who prostrate" [Ash-Shu'ara: 219]. This is its interpretation.'