Fahima Ali
Imam Hanbal, born in 164 AH (or 789 CE) in Khorasan (modern day Turkmenistan), was the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh (jurisprudence).
In spite of all the present animosity among adherents of different madhabs, it is interesting to note how the Imams themselves never belittled each other – in fact they learnt from each other. This is also true for Imam Hanbal, whose full name, by the way, is Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Shaybani. He started his career by learning fiqh from the Hanafi judge Abu Yusuf, who was a famous student and companion of Imam Abu Hanifah. Later Imam Hanbal would narrate 414 ahadith from Imam Shafi’I, who was also one of his teachers. All the Imams repeatedly exhorted their students not to blindly follow any ruling they gave, if anything different came up from authenticated sources of the quran and sunnah, they were to follow that. Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Shafi’I both said, “When a hadith is found to be saheeh, then that is my madhab”.
At the age of 15 years, Imam Hanbal began travelling around the Islamic world in pursuit of hadith. He is said to have been a brilliant student who impressed his teachers with his keen memory and dedication. However, he did not limit himself to being a scholar – though that alone would have been a great contribution – he is said to have been a soldier at the Islamic frontiers, guarding its borders, and is also said to have completed Hajj five times, twice on foot. Anybody who has travelled on foot from even Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar will understand the intense heroism involved in this act!
Even at a young age, Imam Hanbal proved himself to be of pure heart. His uncle was an informant of Baghdad – he would report on the inner goings-on of the people of the city to the ruling classes. One day, he handed over a bag of dispatches to young Hanbal and told him to deliver it. His nephew however took the bag and threw it into the river, later explaining that he could not deliver the bag when he knew it would be wrong to pass on the information it contained!
After 40 years as a student, he assumed the position of mufti. He had 1 million ahadith memorized – not only the text of the hadith (i.e. the matan) but also the chain of narration (i.e. the isnad)! By then he was a scholar of his own right, having mastered six or seven Islamic disciplines. He left behind the huge hadith encycloapedia – al-Musnad – which is still in use today. Even though he was bilingual, Imam Hanbal was also an expert in Arabic language, poetry and grammar. When he taught, there would be more than 5000 students attending his classes but surprisingly there would be pin drop silence – that’s how interesting a teacher he was!
At that time in Baghdad, a deviant group – the mu’tazilite – had gained prominence especially amongst the ruling classes. The Caliph al-Mamun ar-Rashid used their warped theological arguments to set up an Inquisition (Mihna) to establish control over the juristic classes. Failure to pass the test resulted in dismissal from public office, imprisonment, flogging and even execution. Many scholars acquiesced to the Caliph’s commands, not so Imam Hanbal. Clapped in irons for the crime of being a detractor, Imam Hanbal and another scholar, Muhammad ibn Nuh, were sent to the Caliph for punishment. On the way, Imam Hanbal prayed to Allah so he wouldn’t have to meet al-Mamun. His prayers were answered when al-Mamun died suddenly. Muhammad ibn Nuh died on the journey and Imam Hanbal was the only one to carry out the burial rites for him.
However, the Mihna was continued by al-Mamun’s successors, al-Mu’tasim and then al-Wathiq. Al-Mu’tasim had Imam Hanbal detained, had his arms stretched until they were dislocated and flogged over and over again until he lost consciousness and al-Wathiq later banished him from Baghdad. But no amount of torture could move him even an inch from his beliefs.
Does that mean he developed a grudge against his torturers and cursed them? No! One of the deepest wounds inflicted on him was on his back. It needed surgery, and there were no anesthetics at the time. The surgeon who operated on him reports that every time pain would shoot up Imam Hanbal’s back during the surgery, the words repeatedly on his lips were, “Allaahu maghfirlil Mu’tasim” – “Oh Allah, forgive Mu’tasim!” After the surgery, the astounded physician asked Imam Hanbal, “I have operated on many wounded people, they always cursed their torturers, why were you asking for his forgiveness instead?” Imam Hanbal responded, “Mu’tasim is a descendent of Abbas (r), a descendent of the family of the Prophet. If I don’t forgive him now, on the Day of Judgement, I don’t want to be seen as an opponent of one of the members of the family of the Prophet.” That’s how much he loved the Prophet (pbuh)!
His humbleness is legendary. During his trial and subsequent flogging, he showed such unswerving faith and fortitude, that people from even far away places started praying for him. When this reached his ears, he prayed, “Oh Allah, don’t make this a source of trial for me! Don’t make me feel that I’ve got a guaranteed place so I stop striving in your path.” A soldier returning from battle against the Byzantine Empire in Tarsus reported, “During the heat of battle at one point I heard all around me fighting soldiers praying for blessings on Imam Hanbal in Baghdad”. Upon hearing this Imam Hanbal said, “When a man knows his true worth, no amount of adulation can deceive him”.
At one point, a Christian doctor was brought to treat his wounds. He said, “I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long! Not only me, my fellow Christians too. We believe you are a mercy not only for Muslims, but for mankind.” Imagine a non-Muslim speaking in such terms about a Muslim – how truly great that Muslim must have been! May Allah make us all like him.
The Caliph to assume office after al-Wathiq was al-Mutawakkil, a nephew of al-Mamun. He turned out to be a kind caliph who rejected the mu’tazilite philosophy and held Imam Hanbal in high esteem. Imam Hanbal said at that time, “The trials I underwent under the previous caliphs are nothing to the one I’m undergoing now under Mutawakkil!” This was because Mutawakkil tried to shower gifts on the Imam and house him and feed him – and Imam Hanbal just didn’t want that! He liked to live a humble life.
Imam Hanbal died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday, 12th of Rabiul Awwal, 241 AH at the age of 77. His funeral was attended by the whole of Baghdad, an overwhelming 800,000 men and 60,000 women. He taught us to stand up for the truth. To have unswerving faith in Allah and his Messenger and to reject any innovation (bid’ah) in the path of Allah. He once said, “The graves of the sinners from the people of sunnah are gardens, while the graves of the pious ascetics from the people of innovation are barren pits. The sinners among ahlus sunnah are the friends of Allah, while the pious among the ahlut bid’ah are the enemies of Allah”.