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The four Imam's - Imam Abu Hanifa,
Imam Malik, Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal and
Imam Shafi - are the main figures who's
interpretation of the Hadith and
Qur’an are followed by the majority of
Sunni Muslims all over the world. They
are therefore of great importance to the
correct practice of Islam.
Imaam Ahmad ibn Mohamed Ibn Hanbal, Abu
`Abd Allah al-Dhuhli Al-Shaybani al-Marwazi
al-Baghdadi (d. 241).
Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (780 - 855) was
among the great Muslim scholars and
theologians. He is the founder of the
Hanbali school of fiqh. His full name
was Ahmed bin Muhammad Hanbal.
Imam Hanbal was born in Central Asia to
Arab parents in 780. After his father
died, he moved to Iraq and studied
extensively in Baghdad, and later used
his travels for further education. He
was mainly interested in the science of
Hadith and traveled extensively through
Iraq, Syria, and Arabia studying
religion and collecting traditions of
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
His travels lasted several years. Upon
returning home, he studied under Imam
Shafi on Islamic law. Imam Hambal was
very devoted to traditional views and
was opposed to innovations in Islamic
law.
Imam ibn Hanbal became very well known
all, and his teachings spread worldwide.
His learning, piety and unswerving
faithfulness to traditions gathered a
lot if admirers around him.
From the biographical
notice on Imam Ahmad in the Reliance of
the Traveler:
"Out of piety, Imam Ahmad never
gave a formal legal opinion (fatwa)
while Imam Shafi`i was in Iraq, and when
he later formulated his school of
jurisprudence, he mainly drew on clear
texts from the holy [Qur’an], Hadith,
and scholarly agreement, with relatively
little expansion from analogical
reasoning (qiyâs). He was probably the
most learned in the sciences of Hadith
of the four great Imams of Sacred Law;
Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Al Shafi`i`, Imam
Malik, and him Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.
His students included many of the
foremost scholars of Hadith. Abu Dawud
said of him: ‘Ahmad’s gatherings
were gatherings of the afterlife:
nothing of this world was mentioned.
Never once did I hear him mention
this-worldly things.’
... Imam Ahmad never once missed praying
in the night, and used to recite the
entire [Qur’an] daily. Imam Ahmad was
imprisoned and subjected to various
forms of torture for twenty-eight months
under the Abbasid caliph al-Mu`tasim in
an effort to force him to publicly
support the [Mu`tazila] position that
the Holy [Qur’an] was created, but the
Imam refused to give up the belief that
the [Qur’an] is the uncreated word of
Allah, after which Allah delivered and
vindicated him.
… When Imam Ahmad died in 241/855, he
was accompanied to his resting place by
a funeral procession of eight hundred
thousand men and sixty thousand women,
marking the departure of the last of the
four great mujtahid Imams of
Islam."
Al-Dhahabi describes him saying:
"The true Sheikh of Islam and
leader of the Muslims at his time, the
Hadith master and proof of the Religion.
He took Hadith from Hushaym, Ibrahim ibn
Sa`d, Sufyan ibn `Uyayna, `Abbad ibn `Abbad,
Yahya Ibn Abi Za’ida, and their layer.
From him narrated al-Bukhari [two
Hadiths in the Sahih], Muslim [22], Abu
Dawud [254], Abu Zur`a, Mutayyan, `Abd
Allah ibn Ahmad, Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi,
and a huge array of scholars. His father
was a soldier one of those who called to
Islam and he died young."- Al-Dhahabi
continues.
Ibn al-Jawzi relates in al-Manaaqib (p.
192):
"Imaam Ahmad was the foremost
among the Imams in collecting the Sunnah
and sticking to it."
`Abd Allah ibn Ahmad said:
"I heard Abu Zur`a [al-Razi]
say: ‘Your father had memorized a
million Hadiths, which I rehearsed with
him according to topic.’"
Hanbal said:
"I heard Abu `Abd Allah say:
‘I memorized everything which I heard
from Hushaym when he was alive.’"
Ibrahim al-Harbi said:
"I held Ahmad as one for whom
Allah had gathered up the combined
knowledge of the first and the
last."
Imam al-Shafi`i said:
"You (addressing Imaam Ahmad ibn
Hanbal) are more knowledgeable about
Hadith than I, so when a hadith is sahih
(correct), inform me of it, whether it
is from Kufah, Basrah or Syria, so that
I may take the view of the hadith, as
long as it is sahih.
Related by Ibn Abi Haatim in Aadaab ash-Shaafi'i
(pp. 94-5),
Harmala said:
"I heard Imaam al-Shafi`i say:
‘I left Baghdad and did not leave
behind me anyone more virtuous (afdal),
more learned (a`lam), more knowledgeable
(afqah) than Ahmad ibn Hanbal.’"
`Ali ibn al-Madini said about Imam Ahmed
Ibn Hanbal:
"Truly, Allah reinforced this
Religion with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq the day
of the Great Apostasy (al-Ridda), and He
reinforced it with Ahmad ibn Hanbal the
day of the Inquisition (al-Mihna)."
Abu `Ubayd said:
"The Science at its peak is in
the custody of four men, of whom Ahmad
ibn Hanbal is the most
knowledgeable."
Ibn Ma`in said, as related by `Abbas
[al-Duri]:
"They meant for me to be like
Ahmad, but by Allah! I shall never in my
life compare to him."
A lot of great scholars who followed the
approach (Madhab) of Imam Ahmad Ibn
Hanbal.
Ibn ul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah says in his
book Imam Bukhari, Imaam Muslim and
Imaam Abu Dawood were strong followers
of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hambal. Among other
great Imams who followed the teachings
of Imam Ahmad include Shaikh-ul-Islam
Taqi ad-Deen Ibn Taymiyyah, Abdul Qadir
Jillaani, Ibn ul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah,
Al-Haafidh Zaynud-Deen Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali,
Imam Muhammed Bin Abdul Wahab and Imam
Ibn ul Jawzi.
Ibn al-Jawzi narrates from Bilal al-Khawass
that the latter met al-Khidr and asked
him: "What do you think of al-Shafi`i?"
He said: "One of the Pillar-Saints
(Awtâd)." " What about Ahmad
Ibn Hanbal?" "He is a Siddiq."
Ibn al-Jawzi also narrates that Imam
Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:
"Whoever rejects a statement of
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is on the brink
of destruction." and was the
foremost in sticking to the Sunna and
sahih hadith.
Among Imam ibn Hanbal’s works is the
great encyclopedia of Traditions called
Musnad, collected by his son from his
lectures and amplified by supplements -
containing over twenty eight thousand
traditions. Other works include
Kitab-us-Salat, on the Discipline of
Prayer and Kitab-us-Sunnah, on the
Traditions of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Main sources: al-Dhahabi,
Siyar A`lam al-Nubala’ 9:434-547 #1876
and Tadhkira al-Huffaz 2:431 #438.
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