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Ahmad b. Hanbal
The tomb attributed to Ahmad b. Hanbal in Baghdad
The tomb attributed to Ahmad b. Hanbal in Baghdad
Full NameAhmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani
EpithetImam al-Muhaddithin
Birth164/780
Place of BirthMerv or Baghdad
Places of ResidenceBaghdad
Death241/855
Burial PlaceBaghdad
Known forProgenitor of one of the Four Sunni Schools of Law
ProfessorsMuhammad b. Idris al-Shafi'i
WorksMusnad al-Imam Ahmad, Fada'il al-Sahaba, Fada'il Amir al-Mu'minin (a)


Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal (164–241/780–855) was the founder of the Hanbali school of law and is regarded as one of the four preeminent Sunni jurists and hadith scholars. Hanbali jurisprudence is distinguished by its strict adherence to the literal meaning of hadiths attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (s) and the reports of the Sahaba. Among his most notable teachers were Muhammad b. Idris al-Shafi'i and Hushaym b. Bashir.

Ahmad b. Hanbal is also a primary narrator of the Hadith al-Ghadir and numerous other traditions concerning the virtues of Imam Ali (a). He reportedly memorized thirty thousand hadiths regarding the virtues of Imam Ali (a), whom he considered unrivaled in this regard. Ahmad played a pivotal role in affirming the position of Ali (a) as the fourth legitimate caliph (the Theory of al-Tarbi), a principle that contributed to defining Sunni orthodoxy in contrast to the Uthmaniyya sect.

The most defining event of Ibn Hanbal's life, which contributed significantly to his legacy, was his steadfast stance during the Incident of Mihna (the Inquisition) wherein he endured severe hardship and persecution for refusing to accept the doctrine that the Qur’an was created. Later, during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil, he attained high social status and became the figurehead of the anti-Inquisition movement.

Numerous works are attributed to him, including Musnad Ahmad b. Hanbal, Fada'il al-Sahaba, and Fada'il Amir al-Mu'minin Ali b. Abi Talib (a). Modern Wahhabism, adhering to the Salafiyya movement, regards Ahmad b. Hanbal as its primary ideological authority.

Status and Significance

Ahmad b. Hanbal, known by the kunya Abu Abd Allah,[1] was the last of the four major Sunni Imams.[2] He was the leader of the Hanbalis, a major traditionist,[3] and a leading figure among the Ahl al-Hadith.[4] He devoted himself to the collection and preservation of traditions,[5] with some sources claiming he had memorized one million hadiths,[6] earning him the title "Imam al-Muhaddithin" (Leader of the Traditionists).

He placed immense value on the Sunna of the Prophet (s) and the sayings of the Sahaba and the Successors (Tabi'un). He adhered to the literal meanings of verses and hadiths, opposing allegorical interpretation (ta'wil).[7] It is suggested that he even acted upon weak and mursal traditions when no other evidence was available.[8]

In doctrinal matters, Ahmad relied exclusively on narrations and did not consider reason (aql) a valid source of theological knowledge; an approach some believe facilitated the growth of anthropomorphic (tajsim) and similitudinary thought. [9]

Position in Jurisprudence

Some scholars maintain that no one was more knowledgeable in fiqh than Ahmad.[10] However, others note that he did not author a specific treatise on jurisprudence or legal theory (usul).[11] Some also categorized him strictly as a traditionist (muhaddith) rather than a jurist (faqih).[12] Reports suggest he frequently avoided issuing fatwas, preferring to refer inquiries to other jurists.[13]

Hanbali jurisprudence represents the most tradition-bound (ta'abbudi) approach among the Sunni schools, prioritizing the literal text more than the Hanafi, Maliki, or Shafi'i schools.[4] While his followers were initially few, the school eventually became dominant in regions such as the Hejaz, Qatar, Palestine, and Bahrain.[14]

Leadership of Salafiyya and Wahhabism

Modern Wahhabism, emerging from the Salafiyya movement, identifies itself with the Hanbali school of thought.[15] Ahmad's literalist methodology contributed to this affiliation with Wahhabis citing him regarding theological issues such as the attributes of God and the prohibition of visiting graves.[16] Nevertheless, many traditional Hanbalis do not recognize Salafis as true followers of Ahmad and have historically been their most vocal opponents.[17]

Views on Imam Ali (a)

Ahmad b. Hanbal is among the narrators of the Hadith al-Ghadir.[18] In his book Fada'il al-Sahaba, he narrated other virtues of Imam Ali (a), such as the Hadith al-Manzila and the pact of brotherhood with the Prophet (s).[19] Ahmad regarded Imam Ali (a) as unmatched in virtue among the Sahaba[20] and claimed to have memorized 30,000 hadiths concerning the merits of Imam Ali (a).[21] His work Fada'il Amir al-Mu'minin Ali b. Abi Talib (a) contains 439 narrations about the Imam (a) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

Ahmad upheld the theory of "Tarbi'" (accepting Imam Ali (a) as the legitimate fourth caliph after Uthman b. Affan).[22] Some historians regard him as the most influential figure in moderating Sunni thought to include Ali (a) as a rightly guided caliph; particularly in opposition to the "Uthmani" school of thought which was prevalent among the general populace at the time.[23] Despite this, Ibn Hanbal maintained a strict stance against the Shi'a, often viewing them as being outside the fold of Islam.[24]

Biography

Ahmad was born in Rabi' al-Awwal 164/780 in Baghdad.[25] Prior to his birth, his family had resided in Iran where his father, Muhammad b. Hanbal, served as the governor of Sarakhs in Greater Khorasan.[26] His mother traveled from Merv to Baghdad while pregnant with him.[27] Orphaned at the age of three, Ahmad was raised by his mother.[28]

He had two sons, Salih and Abd Allah. Salih served as a judge in Isfahan and died in 266/879–80.[29]

Death

Ahmad b. Hanbal died at the age of 77 in 241/855 in Baghdad.[18] His funeral was exceptionally large, with some estimates citing 800,000 men and 60,000 women in attendance.[30] His grave in Baghdad remained a site of pilgrimage for centuries, though some reports suggest it was destroyed during a flood of the Tigris river.[31]

Teachers and Students

Ahmad began his studies at the age of 15 or 16 and travelled extensively to centers such as Kufa, Basra, Mecca, Medina, Yemen, and Syria to collect hadiths.[32]

His teachers numbered in the hundreds. He was a distinguished student of Muhammad b. Idris al-Shafi'i.[33] Other notable teachers included Sufyan b. Uyayna, Yahya al-Qattan, Abu Bakr b. Ayyash, and Waki.

Ahmad established his own teaching circle around the age of forty. Numerous scholars narrated from him, including al-Bukhari and Muslim (the authors of the Sahihayn), as well as Abu Dawud al-Sijistani.[34]

Leadership in the Face of Mihna

Ahmad b. Hanbal is famously known as the leader of the resistance against the "Mihna" (Inquisition) regarding whether the Qur'an was created.[35] His staunch refusal to accept that the Qur'an was created, a doctrine held by the Mu'tazilites, eventually led to his imprisonment[36] and public flogging.[37]

The Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun initiated the policy in 218/833, and it was continued with greater severity by al-Mu'tasim. Ahmad was imprisoned in 220/835 and tortured for his refusal to acknowledge the Qur'an as created.[38] During the reign of al-Wathiq, he remained under house arrest or in hiding. However, with the accession of al-Mutawakkil, the policy was reversed, and Ahmad became a close advisor to the caliph.[39]

Works

Ahmad b. Hanbal authored numerous works, the most famous being:

  • Musnad Ahmad b. Hanbal: A massive hadith collection containing between 27,000 and 40,000 traditions. Ahmad died before its final compilation, which was completed by his son Abd Allah.[40]
  • Fada'il Amir al-Mu'minin: A collection of 439 narrations regarding the virtues of Imam Ali (a).
  • Other titles: al-Zuhd, al-Tafsir, al-Nasikh wa al-Mansukh, and al-Radd 'ala al-Zanadiqa.

References

  • Anṣārī, Ḥasan. "Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal". In Dāʾirat al-maʿārif-i buzurg-i Islāmī. Vol. 1. Tehran: Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, 1374 Sh.
  • Dhahabī, Shams al-Dīn al-. Tārīkh al-Islām. Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1413 AH.
  • Gurjī, Abū l-Qāsim. Tārīkh-i fiqh wa fuqahā. Tehran: SAMT, 1421 AH.
  • Ibn al-Jawzī, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad. Edited by ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-Turkī. Dār Hajar, 1409 AH.
  • Ibn Ḥanbal, Aḥmad. Faḍāʾil al-ṣaḥāba. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Risāla, 1403 AH.
  • Ibn Kathīr, Ismāʿīl. Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1407 AH.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir. Biḥār al-anwār. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Mawsūʿat ṭabaqāt al-fuqahā. Qom: Imam Sadiq (a) Institute, [n.d].
  • Ziriklī, Khayr al-Dīn al-. Al-Aʿlām. Beirut: Dār al-ʿIlm li-l-Malāyīn, 1989.

Template:Sunni Islam

  1. ↑ Ziriklī, Al-Aʿlām, vol. 1, p. 203; Subḥānī, Mawsūʿat ṭabaqāt al-fuqahā, vol. 3, p. 89.
  2. ↑ Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, vol. 1, p. 64; Shahristānī, Wuḍūʾ al-Nabī (s), vol. 1, p. 408.
  3. ↑ Samʿānī, Al-Ansāb, vol. 4, p. 280.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jamʿī az Muʾallifān, Majalla-yi Fiqh-i Ahl al-Bayt (a), vol. 46, p. 189.
  5. ↑ Gurjī, Tārīkh-i fiqh wa fuqahā, p. 85.
  6. ↑ Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, vol. 1, p. 64; Dhahabī, Tārīkh al-Islām, vol. 18, p. 67.
  7. ↑ Anṣārī, "Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal", vol. 1, p. 722.
  8. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Dāʾirat al-maʿārif-i fiqh-i muqāran, p. 141.
  9. ↑ "Ahmad b. Hanbal wa 'Aqa'id", Thaqalain Website.
  10. ↑ Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, vol. 5, p. 181.
  11. ↑ Shahristānī, Wuḍūʾ al-Nabī (s), vol. 1, p. 410; Subḥānī, Maṣādir al-fiqh al-Islāmī, pp. 416–417.
  12. ↑ Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, Intro, p. 22.
  13. ↑ Subḥānī, Mawsūʿat ṭabaqāt al-fuqahā, vol. 3, p. 42.
  14. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Dāʾirat al-maʿārif-i fiqh-i muqāran, p. 142.
  15. ↑ Maghribī, Wahhābiyyat dar āyīni-yi tārīkh, pp. 42–43.
  16. ↑ "Ahmad b. Hanbal, pīshwā-yi fikrī-yi Wahhābiyyat", Thaqalain Website.
  17. ↑ "Tabārshenāsī, majalla-yi Salafī-garī wa Wahhābiyyat", al-Wahabiyah Website.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Subḥānī, Mawsūʿat ṭabaqāt al-fuqahā, vol. 3, p. 90.
  19. ↑ Ibn Ḥanbal, Faḍāʾil al-ṣaḥāba, vol. 2, pp. 610–617.
  20. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 104, p. 87.
  21. ↑ Ḥusaynī Tihrānī, Imām shināsī, p. 14.
  22. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 10, p. 328.
  23. ↑ Jaʿfariyān, "Naqsh-i Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal dar taʿdīl-i madhhab-i Ahl-i Sunnat", p. 150.
  24. ↑ Shahristānī, Wuḍūʾ al-Nabī (s), vol. 1, p. 409.
  25. ↑ Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, vol. 1, p. 64; Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 1, p. 352.
  26. ↑ Ziriklī, Al-Aʿlām, vol. 1, p. 203.
  27. ↑ Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, vol. 1, p. 63.
  28. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 10, p. 326.
  29. ↑ Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, vol. 1, p. 65.
  30. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 7, p. 253; Ibn al-Jawzī, Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad, p. 557.
  31. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 1, p. 352.
  32. ↑ Dhahabī, Tārīkh al-Islām, vol. 18, p. 65.
  33. ↑ Gurjī, Tārīkh-i fiqh wa fuqahā, p. 85.
  34. ↑ Ibn ʿImād al-Ḥanbalī, Shadharāt al-dhahab, vol. 3, p. 186.
  35. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 10, p. 335.
  36. ↑ Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, vol. 1, p. 64.
  37. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 10, pp. 334–335.
  38. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 7, p. 365.
  39. ↑ Ziriklī, Al-Aʿlām, vol. 1, p. 203; Shahristānī, Wuḍūʾ al-Nabī (s), vol. 1, p. 408.
  40. ↑ Shahristānī, Wuḍūʾ al-Nabī (s), vol. 1, pp. 409–410.
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