Ishaq ibn Rahwayh (d. 238 AH), may Allah have mercy on him. [This will follow under entry no. 21].
Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH), may Allah have mercy on him. [This will follow under entry no. 15].
Harb ibn Isma‘il al-Kirmani (d. 280 AH), may Allah have mercy on him.
Al-Kirmani, may Allah have mercy on him, stated in his famous Masa’il—which he transmitted from Ahmad, Ishaq, and others, and in which he included reports from the Prophet (peace be upon him), his companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and others whom he mentioned—a major work authored in the style of the Muwatta and similar compilations, saying:
“Chapter: The Statement on the Creed: This is the creed of the imams of knowledge, the people of Hadith (ashab al-athar), and the people of the Sunnah who are known by it and followed in it. I found those whom I encountered among the scholars of Iraq, the Hijaz, al-Sham, and others adhering to it. Thus, whoever opposes any part of these doctrines, or disparages them, or finds fault with the one who states them, is an innovator who has left the community (jama‘ah) and strayed from the path of the Sunnah and the way of truth. This is the creed of Ahmad, Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Makhlad, ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr al-Humaydi, Sa‘id ibn Mansur, and others among those with whom we sat and from whom we took knowledge. Their statement was—”
—Then he mentioned their statement regarding faith (iman), predestination (qadar), the divine threat (al-wa‘id), the imamate (al-imamah), what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) informed regarding the signs of the Hour, the matters of the Barzakh (the intermediate state), the Resurrection, and other matters—
—until he said: “...and He, Glorified is He, is distinct (ba’in) from His creation; no place is devoid of His knowledge. Allah has a Throne, and the Throne has bearers who carry it. He has a boundary (hadd), and Allah knows best His boundary. Allah is upon His Throne—exalted is His mention and majestic is His greatness—and there is no deity besides Him.” [See: al-Sunnah by Harb (55 and 56)].
