Memoirs from the life of Imam Ahmad

By Muhammad al-Sharîf

In an interesting book, Wadâ' ar-Rasul li `Ummatihi, Shaykh Al-Qahtâni recalls the final words that Rasul Allâh said on his deathbed. After living a life of Jihad, Da'wah, and Ibâdah, Rasul Allâh (sallalahu alayhi wasalam) gathered the people around him on his deathbed and said,

“I have left two things that you shall not go astray after them so long as you stick to them: the Book of Allâh and My Sunnah.”

After Rasul Allâh (sallalahu alayhi wasalam) moved onto Ar-Rafîq al-`Alâ, the Ummah was tested with humans that tried to corrupt, discredit, or amputate the Sunnah from Islam.

And from the depths of the Ummah's men and women, Allâh ta'ala – from His mercy to the Ummah of Muhammad - raised up warriors that would stand in the face of the most vicious of the enemies of the Sunnah.

From those people that Allâh ta'ala raised was a young boy named Ahmad. Ahmad lived in Baghdad over a thousand years ago. On those cold wintry nights, his mother – the blessed Mu'minah that she was – would wake long before Fajr to warm the water for her son. Then – again long before Fajr – she would wake him to make Wudu, then she would wrap him in shawls and off through the molten dark alleys of Baghdad they would carefully make their way to the Masjid.

There was no male to escort him (he was an orphan), so Ahmad's mother would take him that early so that he could get a good seat in the Hadith halaqah after Fajr. Then she would wait for him long after the sun rose to safely escort him back home. Her son grew up to be one of these warrior defenders of the Sunnah, one of the four Imams of this Dîn, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

In his collection, al-Musnad alone, he narrated from over 280 teachers. He grew up under the shade of the Sunnah and he lived the Sunnah. It was reported that he said,

"I've never written a hadith that I did not try to implement."
And he raised his children like this too. When you see other fathers throwing a baseball with their young Muslims that Allâh entrusted them with, remember this example: Abdullâh, Imam Ahmad's son, taught his students that when he was young his father would play with him,

"Take any chapter you wish from the Musannaf of Wakî'. Ask me any hadith and I'll tell you the chain of narrators, or tell me any chain of narrators and I'll tell you the hadith!"
He was challenged in his Dîn like few other humans have been challenged. His name remains engraved in our admiration till today - across hundreds of years, across thousands of miles, across thousands of nations – because of his love for the Sunnah and his stand against those that would seek to corrupt it. Reading through his life, I came across an event that brought back sad memories. How do you feel when your father is swore at in public. Imam Ahmad once prayed Asr and he sat with his son in the Masjid alone with another man by the name of Muhammad ibn Sa'îd Al- Khuttalî. Al-Khuttalî then remarked,

"Did you (O Ahmad) tell the people to boycott Zayd ibn Khalaf?"
Imam Ahmad replied,

"I received a letter from his people asking about his affair, so I replied explaining his Madhhab and what he has innovated (in the Sunnah) and commanded that they not sit with him.."
Al-Khuttalî exploded in Imam Ahmad's face, red with anger,

"I'm going to make sure you go back to prison. I'm going to have them crush your ribs…"
The vulgarity grew louder and louder. Imam Ahmad turned to his son,

"Don't reply to what he says and don't speak to him."
Imam Ahmad took his sandals - al-Khuttali swearing from behind his back - and told his son,

"Tell the neighbors to not speak to him nor to reply him."
Imam Ahmad stepped away as Al-Khuttali continued in the background cursing and shouting profanity. When the Khalifah al-Mu'tasim heard that Imam Ahmad had not agreed with him and his court Muftis on a specific issue, they brought him and questioned him in the courtyard of the Khalifah. They would debate with him and like a gladiator with a spear he would hit back with bigger and stronger arguments. The Muftis would shout, "O khalifah, he has done Kufr!" Until the Al-Mu'tasim was convinced and in came the executioners. They stripped Imam Ahmad and each of the strongest guards would take turns lashing Imam Ahmad until he fell unconscious. Regardless of his state, they continued the lashing. The sun went down that day and Imam Ahmad had not relented in his faith. That day he became an icon for all followers of Sunnah. Qutaybah said,

"If you ever see someone that loves Imam Ahmad, know that they are a follower of the Sunnah."
Al Hasan ibn Arafah narrated,

"I visited Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal after he was whipped and tortured. I said to him, "O Abu Abdillâah, you have reached the station of the Prophets!" He said, "Keep quiet. Verily, I saw nothing more than people selling their Dîn. And I saw scholars that were with me sell their Faith. So I said to myself, `Who am I, what am I. What am I going to say to Allâh tomorrow when I stand in front of Him and He asks me, "Did you sell your Dîn like the others did?" So I looked at the whip and the sword and chose them. And I said, "If I die I shall return to Allâh and say: `I was told to say that one of Your Characteristics was something created but I did not.' After that, it will be up to Him - either to punish me or forgive me."
Al-Hasan ibn Arafah then asked,

"Did you feel pain when they whipped you?"
He said

"Yes, I felt the pain up to 20 lashes then I lost all feeling (They whipped him over eighty times). After it was over I felt no pain and that day I prayed Dhuhr standing."
[In fact he prayed as the blood soiled his clothes.] Al-Hasan ibn Arafah started weeping when he heard what had happened. Imam Ahmad questioned him,

"Why are you crying? I did not lose my Iman. After that why should I care if I lose my life." [Qul lan yusîbana illa mâ kataballâhu lana, huwa Mowlâna, wa ala Allâhi falyatawakkalil mutawakkilun.]

Before – when Imam Ahmad was being led off to the Khalifah – people had tried to dissuade him from a most certain execution. His student: Al-Marrudhî had told him, "O teacher, Allâh says, [Do not kill yourselves]." Imam Ahmad had replied, "O Marrudhî, go outside and tell me what you see." Al-Marrudhî went to the wall of the Khalifahs court and saw an ocean of students with their pens and scrolls in their hands.

Al-Marrudhî asked some of them, "What are you waiting here for?" They said, "We are waiting to see what Ahmad will say and then transcribe it." Al-Marrudhî went back to Imam Ahmad and told him what he had seen. "O Marrudhî,"he said, "what shall I gain by misguiding all those people?"

Imam Ahmad lived a life of poverty. When others eat lavishly remember there were days – as Abdurrazzaq recalls – that Imam Ahmad would make a mistake in Salah. When Abdurrazzaq inquired further he learnt that Imam Ahmad had not eaten for 3 days.

In this life of poverty, hardship and trials, Abdullah asked his father one day, "Abi when will we ever relax?" His father, one of the greatest revivers of the Sunnah, a role model for all Muslims, looked him in the eye and said, "With the first step we take into Jannah."

Rahim Allâhu Al-Imam Ahmad.

This is just a clip of one of the greatest imams that has ever lived. SubhanaAllah look at how he chose the whip and sword over changing his beliefs. this is true iman my brothers and sisters, standing firm on the truth no matter what. the topic they were debating on was, "Is the Qur'aan created". Imam Ahmed stood firm on the truth that the Qur'aan is the speech of Allah and the speech of Allah is not created.

May Allah makes us all as strong as Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal Ameen.

Benefits from reading this:

“I have left two things that you shall not go astray after them so long as you stick to them: the Book of Allâh and My Sunnah.”- from knowing this we know that we have to stick to the quran and Authentic sunnah and if we dont we will go astray.

understanding the love of one's mother to her son. as Imam ahmed's mother would wake long before fajr to warm the water so that her son would do wudhu with warm water. she would take him to the masjid early so that he can have a good seat in the halaqa after fajr.

"I've never written a hadith that I did not try to implement." - that Imam ahmed will practise what he preeches. this will inshaAllah encourage us to do what we say.

raising your child and playing with him. Imam ahmed will play with his son an amazing game about hadiths. this will inshaAllah encourage the child to be steadfast in the deen and grow up to be a scholar.

keeping ones distance from the innovators.

Imam ahmed's patience when al-khuttali was swearing and cursing him.

when in a debate always try to come back with something bogger and better.

standing firm on the truth- imam ahmed was lashed and lashed till he became on unconscious all knowing that this is for the sake of Allah and that he shall have a good answer when he is questioned, "Did you sell your Dîn like the others did?"

the love of his companions to imam ahmed. they would cry when they heard his story.

Abdullah asked his father one day, "Abi when will we ever relax?" His father, one of the greatest revivers of the Sunnah, a role model for all Muslims, looked him in the eye and said, "With the first step we take into Jannah." - knowing that this life is full of hardship and struggles and our time to relax in gardens were rivers are flowing beneath will never let ones head drop. this will keep inshaAllah every believer from climbing this mountain.

I pray that Allah keeps us all strong on the truth. Ameen

HOLD BACK YOUR TONGUE…

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah in whose hand my soul lies in, the One who created the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them.
Oh slaves of Allah, take heed of what your tongue says, for that may determine your fate between Jahannam and Jannah. One of the grave problems which is taken very lightly by the Ummah at this present time, are the words that we utter. Never do we think twice before we talk. We indulge ourselves into dirty, flithy and forbidden acts. Among these forbidden things which people take often lightly are gheebah (backbiting), buhtaan (slander) and nameemah (malicious gossip).

Worst of all, we backbite about our very own brothers and sisters in Islam. And I swear by Allah this is such a dirty and deadly sin that we are falling into without even realizing it.
For Allaah subhana wa t’ala says (interpretation of the meaning):
“neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful”[al-Hujuraat 49:12]

Gheebah or backbiting means speaking about a Muslim in his absence and saying things that he would not like to have spread around or mentioned. Buhtaan or slander means saying things about a Muslim that are not true, or in other words telling lies about him. Nameemah or malicious gossip means telling one person what another said in order to cause trouble between them.

I do not understand how we even dare to talk about the sins of other people, and indulge ourselves in the discussion of the lives of people, when our life itself is so crooked. People hardly pray, or even if they do, then they pray Fajr at the time of Dhuhr, Dhuhr at the time of ‘Asr, and so forth, and one of their excuse for missing or delaying their Salah is, “I cannot find the time to pray”, but yet we find a lot of time for chit chatting about people.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do you know what gheebah (backbiting) is?” They said, “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Saying something about your brother that he dislikes.” It was said, “What if what I say about my brother is true?” He said, “If what you say is true then you have backbitten about him, and if it is not true, then you have slandered him.” Narrated by Muslim, 2589

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by two graves and said, “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for anything that was difficult to avoid. One of them used to walk about spreading malicious gossip (nameemah), and the other used not to take precautions to avoid getting urine on himself when he urinated.” Then he called for a green branch, which he split in two and planted a piece on each grave, and said, “May their torment be reduced so long as these do not dry out.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 213; Muslim, 292

Know Oh muslims that our tongue will be a witness against us on the day of Judgement. It’s the day where is there no refuge, but except in Allah Subhana wa T’ala. And if Allah Subhana wa T’ala does not look at you, then there is nothing that can save you. And it is a day where if Allah gives your records in your left hand, then everything that will come after that will be bad. Do you want to lose your hard earned good deeds within a few seconds? Do you really want to exchange your salah, saum (fasting) and charity for a big pile of bad deeds? If you do want to, then go ahead and insult people, go ahead and slander against people, for on the Day of Judgement all the people who suffered by your tongue will be rewarded with your good deeds.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)reported:
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) said, "Do you know who is the bankrupt?'' They said:"The bankrupt among us is the one who has neither money with him nor any property".
He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Saum and Sadaqah (charity), (but he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he insulted others, slandered against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire". [Muslim].

Prophet Muhammed sallallahu alaihi wa salam said: “When the son of Adam gets up in the morning all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say: Have taqwa of Allaah for our sake, for we are dependant on you, If you are straight/upright, we are straight and If you are crooked, we are crooked.” Hasan - narrated by at-Tirmidhee, lbn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibbaan from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree marfoo'aan and authenticated by al-Albaanee in (( Saheeh ul-Jaami')) [351]

So brothers and sisters control your tongues as much as possible, and do no speak ill of people, either in front of them nor behind them. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa salam said: “If anyone guarantees me whats between his jaws and between his legs, I shall guarantee him Jannah” Saheeh - narrated by al-Bukhaaree from Sahl lbn Sa'd marfoo'aan.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah rahimullah said:
Whoever wrongs a person by slandering him, backbiting about him or insulting him, then repents, Allaah will accept his repentance, but only if the one who was wronged finds out about that, he has the right to settle the score. But if he slandered him or backbit about him and the person did not hear of that, then there are two views according to the scholars, both of which were narrated from Ahmad, the more correct of which is that he should not tell him that he spoke against him in his absence. It was said that he should rather speak well of him in his absence just as he spoke badly of him in his absence, as al-Hasan al-Basri said: the expiation for gheebah is to pray for forgiveness for the person about whom you backbit.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 3/291

Remember the wounds of a sword may heal one day, but the wounds of the tongue - they never may, for it may leave a mark in the heart of a person forever. So let me tell you my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, fear Allah as much He should be feared and stay steadfast in your religion. This is a reminder to firstly myself, and then to all of you. Inshallah May Allah Subhana wa T’ala help us control our tongues and maintain unity within ourselves, ameen.


And our Lord the most high knows best

"Indeed Allaah enjoins upon you justice, kindness and the giving of good to relatives and near ones. And He prohibits you from all shameful and evil deeds, oppression and transgression. Thus He admonishes you, that you may take heed and be reminded." [Soorah an-Nahl, 16:90]

I Want...I Want...I Want!!!

"I want Jannah man!"; "I wanna study overseas..."; "I want to bring peace to the world..." and so on. We all have these hopes, but do we really want them to come true?

At the recent Light Upon Light class in New York, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi marvellously summarised the relationship between our wants and salaatul tahajjud:

"If you want something and don't pray tahajjud, you don't really want it."

Perplexed, you might be thinking:

“What is that supposed to mean? I don’t pray tahajjud, but I still want Jannah.”

A closer examination of the Qur’anic text and Prophetic traditions reveals the truthfulness behind Shaykh Yasir’s genuinely enlightening statement. In describing His righteous servants, Allah subhanahu wa ta’aala says: “Verily, the Muttaqoon (the pious) will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs (in Paradise), taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily, they were before this Muhsinoon (good-doers). They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord and praying, with fear and hope].” [adhDhariyaat: 15-17]

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) beautifully described the golden opportunity awaiting those who forsake their beds at night: "Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?" [alBukhari]

It is also reported by Imam Ahmad that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whenever a Muslim goes to bed in a pure state (with wudhu), falls asleep while mentioning Allah and then wakes up during the night and asks Allah for anything good, He grants it to him.”

So, if you really want something you will strive hard and get up in the middle of the night to ask Allah for it at that time when He is waiting to answer your prayers, and forgive your sins. If you are not willing to sacrifice some sleep, then you don’t really want it.

Think about the people who camp outside stores for a week when the new video game system is released. Why? Because they really want it, and they are doing whatever it takes to ensure that they get it, even if it means skiving off work or school.

The reasons and virtues of praying tahajjud are too numerous to mention here so Insha’Allah the aforementioned verse and hadeeth will suffice. In any case, the best way to learn about the blessings of tahajjud is to experience it yourself. Instead, the rest of this brief reminder will be better served providing helpful guidelines to facilitate the night prayer for yourself and family.

Sincerity

Every action begins with the proper intention. What makes the night prayer so beautiful is the sincerity that is innate to this act of worship: waking up in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping solely for the sake of Allah, weeping over your sins, seeking His Forgiveness and asking of His Infinite Bounties. Similar to fasting, nobody but Allah would know about it unless you went out of your way to advertise it, i.e. "Uncle, I'd definitely like to discuss my rishta (proposal) for your daughter, but I can't make it after midnight because I gotta pray tahajjud."

The salaf were very keen to conceal their acts of worship such as qiyaam al-layl. A man asked Tameem ibn Aws al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased with him), ‘How do you pray at night?’ He got very angry and said, ‘By Allaah, one rak’ah that I pray in secret in the small hours of the night is more beloved to me than praying the whole night long and then telling people about it.’

Ayyoob al-Sakhtiyaani used to spend the entire night in prayer, then when dawn approached, he would go back to bed and lie down, and when dawn came, he would raise his voice as if he had just woken up.

Ibn al-Qayyim brilliantly summarised the importance of sincerity: "The degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intention, drive, aim and hopes. Help from Allah comes to people in proportion to their drive, intention, hopes and fears, and failure comes to them in like manner."

Therefore, the greater your sincerity in praying tahajjud, the easier Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will make it for you to wake up and perform it, and the more you will benefit from it.

Avoid Sins

Sins deaden the heart and prevent it from receiving the Mercy of Allah, thus depriving a person the opportunity to stand before Allah and ask of His Infinite Blessings. A man said to Ibraaheem ibn Adham, "I cannot pray qiyaam al-layl, so tell me the cure for this." He said, "Do not commit sin during the day, and He will help you to stand before Him at night, for your standing before Him at night is one of the greatest honours, and the sinner does not deserve that honour."

A man said to al-Hasan al-Basri: “”O Abu Sa’eed, I sleep in good health, and I love to pray qiyaam al-layl, and I prepare water with which to purify myself, so why can I not get up?” Al-Hasan said: “Your sins are restricting you.” He said, may Allaah have mercy on him, “The slave who commits a sin will be denied the opportunity to pray qiyaam at night and to fast during the day.”

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “If you cannot pray qiyaam al-layl, or fast during the day, know that you are indeed deprived and restricted, chained by your sins.”

Fear of Punishment, Hope for Mercy, Fearing the torment that awaits the inhabitants of the Hellfire will surely wipe out your sleep, as will the prospect of having your sins forgiven by Allah who is waiting in the lowest heaven for your repentance. ‘Amri ibn al ‘Aas used to say ‘Weep, and if you cannot weep, then pretend to weep. I swear by Him in Whose hand my life is, that if any of you really knew, you would plead until your voice went, and pray until your back was broken’. When Allah forgives you of your sins, Allah puts Noor in your face. Hassan al-Basri was once asked, “Why are those people who pray the night prayer so beautiful?” He responded, “Because Allah beautifies them with His light while others are sleeping in the dark.”

`Abdullah bin Rawaaha said: "Verily, when the servant of Allah is reminded of Paradise, his longing for it increases, and when he is reminded of the Fire, his sleep immediately disappears."

Daytime Nap

Taking an afternoon nap is a sunnah that has been practiced by our own Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), his companions and scholars of all times. Even if for only 20 or 30 minutes, you will find this time-out to be vital to your ability to get up for tahajjud. It is reported by at-Tabarani that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Take a nap, for the shayaateen do not take naps.” Ishaaq ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Taking a nap is one of the deeds of good people. It revitalizes the heart and helps one to pray qiyaam al-layl.”

Sleeping on Time

This point may seem elementary, but it deserves mention because it is often overlooked. Although sleeping abilities vary from person to person, it is safe to say that if you stay up until 1:00am partying, you will have difficulty waking up to pray tahajjud.

Sunnahs of Sleeping & Waking

Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When you want to go to bed, do wudoo’ as for prayer, then lie down on your right side.” Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “There is a reason for his lying on his right side, which is that the heart is located on the left, so if a person lays on his left side, he will sleep too deeply, because the heart’s position will be too comfortable, but if he sleeps on his right side, he will not be too settled, so he won’t sleep deeply.” There are many other sunnahs related to sleeping and waking up that you can easily find and should adhere to, as they will keep you in a state that is conducive for praying tahajjud.

Avoid Excessive Eating

Ever go to a wedding and eat two plates of biryani, two ladoos, and drink three mango lassis? You probably slept the night away and felt like a massive ogre afterwards. Overeating causes laziness and promotes sleep, both of which are factors that hinder the night prayer. Therefore, to help yourself pray tahajjud, it’s best to follow the sunnah of eating only as much as you need to. Imam Sufyaanal-Thawri said: “You should eat little, so that you will be able to pray qiyaamal-layl.”

Striving

Praying tahajjud requires determination because it’s not easy to leave your soft pillow-top mattress and cosy blanket. Always remember that the more you strive, the more Allah will assist you, as He says: “And as for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allaah is with the muhsinoon (good-doers).”
[al‘Ankabut: 69]

Shaykh Yasir’s encouragement for the night prayer is further emphasised by the following statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “When a man from my ummah gets up to pray at night, striving against his own self to get up and purify himself, there are knots on him. When he washes his hands in wudoo’, one knot is undone. When he washes his face, another knot is undone. When he wipes his head another knot is undone. When he washes his feet, another knot is undone. Then Allaah says to those who are veiled (in the Unseen): ‘Look at this slave of Mine, he is striving against his own self and asking of Me. Whatever My slave asks of Me shall be his.”

One of greatest blessings that a person can have is the honour of speaking to his Lord in the depths of the night. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity, or are you sleeping
away the time about which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The closest that the Lord is to His slave is in the later part of the night, so if you can be one of those who remember Allaah at that time, then do so.” [at-Tirmidhi]

So before you go to sleep tonight ponder the following: in the middle of the night, Allah will be there waiting for you; the question is: will you be there to meet Him?

When the night is completely dark,
It finds them staying up in the night
Fear has chased away their sleep
So they stay up
While those who feel secure in this life
Quietly sleep on.

Ibn al-Mubarak (part of a poem from 'purification of the soul')