Sirat al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal - li-Ibnihi Salih
- Author died
- 265 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Daʿwah
Sirat al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Biography of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal) is a biographical work compiled by Abu al-Fadl Salih ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 265 AH / 878 CE; another report gives 266 AH) documenting the life, character, trial, and death of his father, Ahmad ibn Hanbal (164–241 AH / 780–855 CE) .
Scope and Contents
The book provides a firsthand chronological narrative of Imam Ahmad's life, divided across several major phases:
- Early Life and Education: Salih recounts his father's birth in Baghdad in Rabi' al-Awwal 164 AH—having been carried from Merv while his mother was pregnant—and his upbringing as an orphan after his father died young, followed by his initial pursuit of hadith studies .
- Asceticism and Daily Conduct: The text documents reports illustrating Ahmad's piety, poverty, and ascetic lifestyle .
- The Inquisition (al-Mihna): Salih provides an extensive account of the theological inquisition concerning the createdness of the Quran, its conclusion, and the subsequent interactions between Imam Ahmad and the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil .
- Final Illness and Demise: The work concludes with a detailed record of Ahmad's final illness, his death, the washing of his body, and his funeral prayer .
Scholarly Standing and Reception
The work is considered among the earliest and most authentic biographical sources dedicated to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, as it was composed by his eldest son, an intimate contemporary recognized for precision, probity, and trustworthiness . The text exerted a significant influence on subsequent biographical literature and historical studies of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, with extensive excerpts cited directly throughout later biographical compendia .
Manuscripts and Publications
Manuscripts of the text are preserved in several collections, including the Şehid Ali collection (No. 2763/2, dated 669 AH), the Hasan Husni Abd al-Wahhab collection (No. 18503, copied in the 7th century AH), and the Egyptian National Library in Cairo .
The work was edited by Fu'ad 'Abd al-Mun'im Ahmad and printed in two parts within a single volume . It was published in Alexandria (Mu'assasat Shabab al-Jami'ah, 1401 AH / 1981 CE; Dar al-Da'wah, 1404 AH / 1984 CE) and later in Riyadh by Dar al-Salaf (1415 AH) .
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