and it became clear that brooding over it would only demean a person himself.

Al-Marwadhī said: I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh mention the character of those who are truly scrupulous, whereupon he exclaimed, “I ask Allah not to detest us—where are we in comparison to such people?!”

Al-Abbār related: I heard a man ask Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, “I have sworn an oath, but I do not know to what.” He replied, “If only, when you come to know, I could know as well.”

Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī said: Aḥmad would accept invitations to weddings and circumcision feasts and would eat there.

Another narrator added that Aḥmad would sometimes excuse himself from attending.

If he saw a silver vessel or anything else objectionable, he would leave at once.

He loved obscurity and keeping out of people’s sight; he would visit the sick, disliked walking through the markets, and preferred solitude.

Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Sarrāj said: I heard Fath ibn Nūḥ relate that he heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal say, “I long for what cannot be: I long for a place where there is not a single human being.”

Al-Maymūnī reported that Aḥmad said, “I have found seclusion to be the most restful thing for my heart.”

Al-Marwadhī said: Aḥmad told me, “Tell ʿAbd al-Wahhāb: keep your name obscure, for I myself have been afflicted with notoriety.”

Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Hārūn said: I observed that when Abū ʿAbd Allāh walked along the road, he disliked anyone’s following behind him.

I say: Preferring obscurity, embracing humility, and living in constant awe [of Allah] are among the signs of piety and success.

Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad said: Whenever someone prayed for him, my father would respond, “Deeds are judged by how they end.”