Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Bushanji said: They relate that al-Muʿtaṣim softened (1) toward Ahmad once he had been suspended on the two boards and the Caliph saw his steadfastness (2), resolution, and unyielding firmness. Then Ahmad b. Abi Duʾad egged him on, saying, “Commander of the Faithful, if you release him people will say, ‘He has forsaken al-Maʾmun’s doctrine and shown displeasure with his view.’” That provoked him to have Ahmad beaten.

Salih said: My father narrated: When the whips were brought, al-Muʿtaṣim looked at them and said, “Bring me others.” Then he said to the executioners, “Step forward.”

One of them would come up and strike me with two lashes, and he would say to him, “Strike hard—may Allah sever your hand!” The man would then step aside; another would advance, strike me twice, and throughout it he kept repeating, “Strike hard—may Allah cut off your hand!”

When I had received seventeen (3) lashes, al-Muʿtaṣim himself came over to me and said, “Ahmad, why are you destroying yourself? By Allah, I feel compassion for you.”

ʿUjayf kept prodding me with the butt of his sword, saying, “Do you want to outdo all of them?”

Some of those present were saying, “Woe to you! Your imam (4) is standing right over your head.”

Another said, “Commander of the Faithful, his blood is on my neck—kill him.”

They kept urging, “Commander of the Faithful, you are fasting and standing in the sun!”

He said to me, “Woe to you, Ahmad, what do you say?”

I replied, “Produce something from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and I will adopt it.”

He went back, sat down, and said to the executioner, “Advance and strike hard—may Allah cut off your hand.”

Then he rose again and kept saying, “Woe to you, Ahmad! Answer me.”

They crowded around me, saying, “Ahmad, your imam is standing over your head!”

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān kept asking, “Which of your companions has done what you are doing in this matter?”

And al-Muʿtaṣim kept saying, “Give me any reply (5)…"