Ahmad Ibn Hanbal - Historical Views

Historical Views

• Imam Abu Dawood, who was a collector of prophetic hadith stated: "The lectures of Ahmad were sittings of the Hereafter. He would not mention in them anything of the worldly affairs; and I never saw him mention this world."

• The Hanafi scholar Yahya ibn Ma'in stated: “I have not seen the like of Ahmad, we have accompanied him for fifty years, and he never boasted about anything from the good which he was characterized with.”

• When Abdul-Qadir Gilani was asked whether there existed a person who was a wali of Allah who was upon a creed other than the creed of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Gilani answered: "That has not occurred and will never occur.”

• Harmala said: “I heard Al-Shafi‘i say: ‘I left Baghdad and did not leave behind me anyone more virtuous, more learned, more knowledgeable than Ahmad ibn Hanbal.’”

• Abu Ubayd said: "The Science at its peak is in the custody of four men, of whom Ahmad ibn Hanbal is the most knowledgeable."

• Yahya ibn Ma'in said, as related by Abbas : "They meant for me to be like Ahmad, but by Allah! I shall never in my life compare to him."

• Muhammad ibn Hammad al-Taharani said: "I heard Abu Thawr say: Ahmad is more learned or knowledgeable than Sufyan al-Thawri.’"

• Ibrahim al-Harbi said: "I held Ahmad as one for whom Allah had gathered up the combined knowledge of the first and the last."

• Qutaiba ibn Said noted that if Ahmad were to witness the age of Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik, al-Awzai and Laith ibn Sa'd, he would have surpassed them all.

• ‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani Said: "Four leaders in the field of Hadith journeyed to us from Iraq (they were): "Ash Shazakooni, who was the one with the greatest knowledge of hadith, Ali ibn al-Madini who was the most knowledgeable regarding differences therein, Yahya Ibn Ma'in, who was the most knowledgeable of them in the field of narrators and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, who was the one with the most knowledge in all of these fields.

• Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawood Said: "Ahmad ibn Hanbal is Superior to every person whoever held a pen and inkwell (i.e. in his time)

• Abu Zur'ah said: "I have not seen Ahmad ibn Hanbal's like in the various fields of knowledge and none has contributed what he has contributed.'