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Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241/855) was renowned for his knowledge of hadith (The Prophet’s sayings). His school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), Hanbali, became one of the four madhahib [schools of thought] followed by Sunni Muslims. The others are Hanafi after Imam Abu Hanifah, Shafi’i after Imam Shafi’i and Maliki after Imam Malik.
Ibn Hanbal’s piety and austerity made him a folk hero, especially after his principled resistance to the attempts of two Abbasid caliphs to force him to accept rationalist doctrine. His subsequent imprisonment and flogging became one of the most dramatic episodes in mediaeval Islamic history. Ibn Hanbal’s resistance influenced the course of Islamic law, the rise of Sunnism, and the legislative authority of the caliphate.
Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal is a translation of the biography of Ibn Hanbal, one of the most influential Muslims in history, by the Baghdad preacher, scholar, and storyteller, Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597/1201).
The first volume includes insights into Ibn Hanbal’s childhood, travels, and teachings, as well as descriptions of his way of life. This second and final volume recounts Ibn Hanbal’s confrontation with the Abbasid caliphate as he refused to accept rationalist doctrine.
The book includes his love of poverty and his affection for the poor, his humility, his fear of God and his standing up to the Abbasid Caliphs al-Ma’mun and al-Mu’tasim who tried to impose the view that the Qur’an was created. For this, he was persecuted by being imprisoned and brutally flogged in an open court in front of al-Mu’tasim.
Ibn Hanbal had to debate with various scholars in the court of Mu’tasim and argued that none of them convinced him that the Qur’an was created. “It’s (Qur’an) the speech of God, uncreated,” he argued and believed in.
Under the rule of Caliph al-Mutawakkil, he was closely watched to see whether he had any relationship with or sympathy for Alids [followers of Imam Ali, the fourth Caliph], as al-Mutawakkil, like his predecessors, was afraid of the followers of the Imam and persecuted them. Al-Mutawakkil razed the shrine of Imam al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, grandson of the Prophet, in Karbalāʾ.
Al- Mutawakkil changed the view that the Qur’an was created, and so Ibn Hanbal was able to preach his beliefs without hindrance after the death of al-Mu’tasim.
He suffered because of his beliefs under these two Caliphs. Ibn Hanbal died of illness in 241 at the age of 77. Michael Cooperson’s editing and translation are excellent; the book is an easy read. Ibn al-Jawzi’s book gives a comprehensive account of Ibn Hanbal’s life and experiences.
Abdul Adil
