I said: He would not have spoken like this—despite the strength of his rule and his personal courage—unless the matter was grave indeed. It was as though he feared that Aḥmad might die from the beating and that the common people would then rise up against him. Had the populace of Baghdad revolted, he might well have been unable to control them.

Hanbal reported: When al-Muʿtaṣim ordered Abū ʿAbd Allāh’s release, he presented him with a padded cloak, a tunic, a mantle, a cap and a pair of boots.

We were standing at the palace gate; people filled the parade ground, the alleyways and every other place, and the markets had been shut. Abū ʿAbd Allāh came out riding from al-Muʿtaṣim’s residence wearing those garments, Aḥmad ibn Abī Dāwūd on his right and Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm—the governor of Baghdad—on his left.

When he reached the vestibule, just before going out, Ibn Abī Dāwūd said to them, “Uncover his head.” They removed the mantle from his head and started to lead him toward the parade ground, in the direction of the prison road, but Isḥāq said, “Take him this way,” meaning toward the Tigris.

So they brought him to the boat and conveyed him to the house of Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, where he remained until the noon prayer had been performed. Isḥāq then summoned my father, our neighbors and the elders of the district. When they had gathered and been admitted, he said to them, “This is Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. If any of you already know him, so be it; if not, then know him now.”

Ibn Samāʿah—when the group entered (1)—said to them, “This is Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. The Commander of the Faithful has examined his case and released him; here he is.” A horse belonging to Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm was brought for him at sunset, and he proceeded to his house, accompanied by the officials and the people, while he was bent over. When he moved to dismount, I embraced him without realizing, and my hand fell on the very spot where he had been struck. He cried out, so I withdrew my hand. He dismounted leaning on me, closed the door, and we entered with him. He flung himself face-down and could not move except with great effort.