his Sunnah, and He was pleased with him for the establishment of His proof and the victory of His word when people were unable to do so.
Bishr ibn al-Harith (50) was asked when Ahmad was beaten: "O Abu Nasr, if you were to come out and say: 'I hold the position of Ahmad ibn Hanbal?'"
Bishr replied: "Do you want me to stand in the position of the Prophets? Indeed, Ahmad ibn Hanbal (51) has stood in the position of the Prophets."
'Ali ibn Shu'ayb al-Tusi said: "Ahmad ibn Hanbal was to us the example of what the Prophet -may Allah bless him and grant him peace- said: 'There will be in my nation what was in the Children of Israel, to the extent that a saw will be placed upon the parting of one of their heads, yet that will not turn him (52) away from his religion (53).' If Abu 'Abd Allah Ahmad [ibn Muhammad] (54) ibn Hanbal had not stood for this matter, it would have been a shame and a disgrace upon us until the Day of Resurrection, that a people were questioned and none of them stood forth."
His merits and what the Imams said in his praise are numerous, and this (55) is not the place for an exhaustive account of them. Many of the Imams have authored separate books about him; our purpose here is merely to point to a core aspect of his virtue, and to mention his lineage, his birth, and the length of his life, for it does not befit one who adheres to his school and studies jurisprudence according to his methodology to be ignorant of this amount of knowledge concerning his Imam.
(50) Abu Nasr Bishr ibn al-Harith al-Marwazi the ascetic, known as Bishr al-Hafi, died in the year 227. Al-'Ibar 1/399. (51) Omitted from MS M. (52) In MS M: "yasudduhu" (it does not hinder him), while the version confirmed in the original (MS A) and sources of extraction, except what al-Bukhari narrated in the Book of Coercion (Kitab al-Ikrah), is "yasudduhu". (53) The specification of "Children of Israel" did not appear; rather, it was reported as "those who were before you" in an absolute sense, or in the story of the People of the Trench (Ashab al-Ukhdud). It was recorded by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter on what the Prophet -may Allah bless him and grant him peace- and his companions encountered from the polytheists in Mecca, from the Book of Merits, and in the Chapter on whoever chooses beating, killing, and humiliation over disbelief, from the Book of Coercion. Sahih al-Bukhari 5/57, 9/26. And by Muslim, in: Chapter on the story of the People of the Trench, from the Book of Asceticism. Sahih Muslim 4/2300. And by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter on the captive who is coerced into disbelief, from the Book of Jihad. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/44. And by al-Tirmidhi, in: Interpretation of Surat al-Buruj, from the Book of Tafsir. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 12/241. And by Imam Ahmad, in al-Musnad 5/109-111, 6/17, 395. (54) Omitted from the original (MS A). (55) In MS M: "ha huna" (here), while the version confirmed in the original (MS A) is "laysa hadha" (this is not).
سُنَّتِه، ورَضِيَه لإِقامةِ حُجَّتِه، وَنَصْرِ كلامِه حين عَجَز عنه الناسُ.
قيل لبشر بن الحارث (٥٠)، حين ضُرِب أحمد: يا أبا نصر، لو أنَّك خرجْتَ فقلتَ: إنَّى علَى قَوْلِ أحمد بن حنبل؟
فقال بشر: أتُرِيدون أن أقومَ مقامَ الأنبياء؟ إنَّ أحمدَ بن حنبل قد (٥١) قام مقامَ الأنبياء.
وقال علىُّ بن شُعَيْب الطُّوسِىّ: كان أحمدُ بن حنبل عندنا المثلَ، الذي قال النبيُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-: "إنَّهُ كَائِنٌ في أُمَّتى مَا كَانَ في بَنِى إسْرَائِيلَ، حَتَّى إنَّ الْمِنْشَارَ لَيُوضَعُ عَلَى مَفْرِقِ رَأْسِ أَحَدِهِمْ ما يَصْرِفُهُ (٥٢) ذَلِكَ عَنْ دِينِهِ (٥٣) "، ولولا أن أبا عبد اللَّه أحمدَ [بن محمد] (٥٤) بن حنبل قام بهذا الشَّأْن لَكان عارًا وشَنارًا علينا إلى يوم القيامة، أنَّ قومًا سُئِلُوا فلم يخرُجْ منهم أحَدٌ.
وفضائلُه، وما قالَه الأئمَّةُ في مَدْحِهِ كثيرٌ، وليس هذا (٥٥) مَوْضِعَ اسْتِقْصائِه، وقد صنَّف فيه غيرُ واحدٍ من الأئمَّة كُتُبًا مُفْردَة، وإنما غرضُنا ها هنا الإِشارةُ إلى نُكْتةٍ مِن فضلِه، وذِكْرِ نَسَبِه، ومَوْلِدِه، وَمَبْلَغِ عُمْرِه، إذْ لا يحسُن مِن مُتَمَسِّكٍ بمذهبِه، وَمُتَفَقِّهٍ علَى طَريقتِه، أن يجهلَ هذا القَدْرَ من إمامِه.
(٥٠) أبو نصر بشر بن الحارث المروزي الزاهد، المعروف ببشر الحافى، توفى سنة سبع وعشرين ومائتين. العبر ١/ ٣٩٩.(٥١) سقط من: م.(٥٢) في م: "يصده"، والمثبت في: الأصل، ومواطن التخريج عدا ما رواه البخاري في كتاب الإكراه، ففيه: "يصده".(٥٣) لم يرد تخصيص ذلك ببني إسرائيل، وإنما ورد فيمن كان قبلكم، على إطلاقه، أو في قصة أصحاب الأخدود.وأخرجه البخاري، في: باب ما لقى النبي -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- وأصحابه من المشركين بمكة، من كتاب المناقب، وفى باب من اختار الضرب والقتل والهوان على الكفر، من كتاب الإكراه. صحيح البخاري ٥/ ٥٧، ٩/ ٢٦. ومسلم، في: باب قصة أصحاب الأخدود، من كتاب الزهد. صحيح مسلم ٤/ ٢٣٠٠. وأبو داود، في: باب في الأسير يكره على الكفر، من كتاب الجهاد. سنن أبي داود ٢/ ٤٤. والترمذي، في: تفسير سورة البروج، من كتاب التفسير. عارضة الأحوذى ١٢/ ٢٤١. والإمام أحمد، في المسند ٥/ ١٠٩ - ١١١، ٦/ ١٧، ٣٩٥.(٥٤) سقط من: الأصل.(٥٥) في م: "ها هنا"، والمثبت في: الأصل.
