ibn-hanbal

Ibn Hanbal
احمد بن محمد

Arabic: احمد بن محمد بن حنبل ابو عبد الله الشيباني

Decorative Lines

 Islamic Jurisprudence

Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani (780 – 855 CE / 164 – 241 AH) (Arabic: احمد بن محمد بن حنبل ابو عبد الله الشيباني‎) was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). Imam Ahmad is one of the most celebrated Sunni theologians, often referred to as “Sheikh ul-Islam” or the “Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah,” honorifics given to the most esteemed doctrinal authorities in the Sunni tradition.

Imam Ahmad personified the theological views of the early orthodox scholars, including the founders of the other extant schools of Sunni fiqh, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik ibn Anas, and Imam ash-Shafi`i.

Islamic scholar

  • FullName: Abu Abdillah Ahmed ibn Muhammed ibn Hanbal al-Shaybani
  • Title: Sheikh ul-Islam – Imam Ahl al-Sunnah
  • Born: 780 CE/164 AH Baghdad, Iraq
  • Died: 855 CE/241 AH (aged 74-75) Baghdad, Iraq
  • Ethnicity: Arab
  • Era: Islamic Golden Age
  • Region: Iraq
  • Madh’hab: Ijtihad
  • School tradition: Athari
  • Main interest(s): Fiqh, Hadith, Aqeedah
  • Notable idea(s): Hanbali madhhab
  • Notable work(s): Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Biography | Early life and family

Legal writings, produced October 879.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s family was originally from Basra, Iraq, and belonged to the Arab Banu Shayban tribe. His father was an officer in the Abbasid army in Khorasan and later settled with his family in Baghdad, where Ahmad was born in 780 CE.

Ibn Hanbal had two wives and several children, including an older son, who later became a judge in Isfahan.

Education and Work

Ibn Hanbal studied extensively in Baghdad, and later traveled to further his education. He started learning jurisprudence (Fiqh) under the celebrated Hanafi judge, Abu Yusuf, the renowned student and companion of Imam Abu Hanifah. After finishing his studies with Abu Yusuf, ibn Hanbal began traveling through Iraq, Syria, and Arabia to collect hadiths, or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. Ibn al-Jawzi states that Imam Ahmad had 414 Hadith masters whom he narrated from.

With this knowledge, he became a leading authority on the hadith, leaving an immense encyclopedia of hadith, the al-Musnad. After several years of travel, he returned to Baghdad to study Islamic law under al-Shafi. He became a mufti in his old age, but is remembered most famously, as the founder of the Hanbali madhab or school of Islamic law, which is now most dominant in Saudi Arabia, Qatar as well as the United Arab Emirates.

In addition to his scholastic enterprises, ibn Hanbal was a soldier on the Islamic frontiers (Ribat) and made Hajj five times in his life, twice on foot.

Death

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal died in 855 CE in Baghdad, Iraq.

The Mihna:

Ibn Hanbal was famously called before the Inquisition or Mihna of the Abassid Caliph al-Ma’mun. Al-Ma’mun wanted to assert the religious authority of the Caliph by pressuring scholars to adopt the Mu’tazila view that the Qur’an was created rather than uncreated. According to Sunni tradition, ibn Hanbal was among the scholars to resist the Caliph’s interference and the Mu’tazila doctrine of a created Qur’an – although some Orientalist sources raise a question on whether or not he remained steadfast

Due to his refusal to accept Mu’tazilite authority, ibn Hanbal was imprisoned in Baghdad throughout the reign of al-Ma’mun. In an incident during the rule of al-Ma’mun’s successor, al-Mu’tasim, ibn Hanbal was flogged to unconsciousness. However, this caused upheaval in Baghdad and al-Ma’mun was forced to release ibn Hanbal. After al-Mu’tasim’s death, al-Wathiq became caliph and continued his predecessors policies of Mu’tazilite enforcement and in this pursuit, he banished ibn Hanbal from Baghdad. It was only after al-Wathiqu’s death and the ascent of his brother al-Mutawakkil, who was much friendlier to the more traditional Sunni dogma, that ibn Hanbal was welcomed back to Baghdad.

Works

The following books are found in Ibn al-Nadim’s Fihrist:

  • Kitab al-`Ilal wa Ma‘rifat al-Rijal: “The Book of Narrations Containing Hidden Flaws and of Knowledge of the Men (of Hadeeth)” Riyad: Al-Maktabah al-Islamiyyah
  • Kitab al-Manasik: “The Book of the Rites of Hajj”
  • Kitab al-Zuhd: “The Book of Abstinence” ed. Muhammad Zaghlul, Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi, 1994
  • Kitab al-Iman: “The Book of Faith”
  • Kitab al-Masa’il “Issues in Fiqh”
  • Kitab al-Ashribah: “The Book of Drinks”
  • Kitab al-Fada’il Sahaba: “Virtues of the Companions”
  • Kitab Tha’ah al-Rasul : “The Book of Obedience to the Messenger”
  • Kitab Mansukh: “The Book of Abrogation”
  • Kitab al-Fara’id: “The Book of Obligatory Duties”
  • Kitab al-Radd `ala al-Zanadiqa wa’l-Jahmiyya “Refutations of the Heretics and the Jahmites” (Cairo: 1973)
  • Tafsir : “Exegesis”
  • The Musnad

Quotes

It is said that, when told that it was religiously permissible to say what pleases his persecuters without believing in it at the time of mihna, Ahmad said “If I remained silent and you remained silent, then who will teach the ignorant?”.

 With regard to innovation within religion, Ahmad said “The graves of sinners from People of Sunnah is a garden, while the graves of the pious ascetics from the People of Innovation is a barren pit. The pious among Ahlus Sunnah are the Friends of Allah, while the sinners among Ahlul-Bidah are the Enemies of Allah.”

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 [al-Duri]: “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.’