harass Imām Aḥmad (1); nevertheless, he sent word to him that he was not to reside in any land under his authority, was not to come to him, and that no one was to meet with him. Accordingly, the Imām—may Allah have mercy on him—remained in hiding for the remainder of al-Wāthiq’s life (2).
Despite everything that befell him—may Allah have mercy on him—during the reigns of al-Maʾmūn, then al-Muʿtaṣim, and then al-Wāthiq—lengthy imprisonment, severe beating, and threats and intimidation with death—he faced it all with patience, hopeful of reward from Allah, while holding fast to the Book, the Sunnah, and the path of the Companions and those who followed them with excellence.
When al-Mutawakkil (3) came to power, Allah, through him, made the Sunnah manifest, honored its adherents, suppressed innovation, and humbled its proponents. The caliph wrote to all the provinces forbidding any discussion of the claim that the Qur’an is created, and he instructed the jurists and ḥadīth scholars to convene publicly and narrate the reports that refute the Muʿtazilites and the Jahmites. He also sent orders to his deputy in Baghdad to dispatch Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal to him. The deputy therefore summoned him, honored him, and treated him with great respect, knowing the esteem in which the caliph al-Mutawakkil held him,
In the year 231 AH.
(1) Ibn al-Jawzi states in his Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad (p. 429) that al-Wathiq refrained from targeting Imam Ahmad either because he recognized the imam’s patience or for fear of the repercussions of punishing him.
(2) See Mahnat al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal by Ibn Ishaq al-Hanbal, p. 72.
(3) In the year 232 AH. See his biography in the verification section of this book. The reader should be aware that slanderers, detractors, and enemies of Islam restlessly pursue nothing but intrigue and deception—concealing truths, fabricating false allegations, supporting them with lies, and embellishing them with falsehood. This pattern resurfaced periodically during al-Mutawakkil’s reign. Historical and sīra works report that these adversaries relayed false intelligence and baseless charges to the caliph in an attempt to incite him against Imam Ahmad (may God have mercy on him). Yet the caliph, having learned from his predecessors’ experiences, did not hastily issue judgments; he deliberated carefully and investigated until he discerned the truth. Each time he uncovered Imam Ahmad’s innocence and recognized that his sole aim was to uphold the pure Salafi creed without flattery or compromise.
The reader may also consult volume 10 of al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya by Ibn Kathir (pp. 382, 385) to observe some of the stratagems employed by the righteous predecessors’ enemies under al-Mutawakkil’s rule.