that a man from among the ʿAlids had furtively taken refuge (1) in the house of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and that people were secretly pledging allegiance to him there.

The caliph therefore ordered his deputy in Baghdad to raid the Imam’s house by night. All at once the household found the dwelling surrounded on every side—even the rooftops—by men carrying torches. They entered to find Imam Ahmad sitting with his family and questioned him about what had been reported. He said, “I have no knowledge of this matter whatsoever; none of it is true. I hold that obedience to the Commander of the Faithful is due both openly and privately, in hardship and in ease, when I am energetic (2) or reluctant, even when others are favored over me. I pray to Allah for his sound judgment and success, night and day,” and he spoke at length in this vein.

They then searched the entire house—the rooms containing his books, the women’s quarters, and even the rooftops—but found nothing (3).

When al-Mutawakkil heard of this and realized Ahmad’s innocence, he knew that many lies were being spread about him. He therefore dispatched Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm, known as Qawṣara, one of the palace chamberlains, with ten thousand dirhams from the caliph. Qawṣara said, “The Commander of the Faithful sends you greetings and says: Make use (4) of this.” Ahmad refused to accept it. Qawṣara replied, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh, I fear that your refusal will create estrangement between you and him; accepting it is to your benefit.” He then set the money down and left.

Near the end of the night the Imam summoned his household, his cousins, and his dependents, saying, “I have not slept at all tonight.” They seated him, and he dictated the names of a number of needy people—hadith scholars and others—from Baghdad and Basra. At daybreak he distributed the entire sum among them, giving each fifty, one hundred, or two hundred dirhams, until not a single dirham remained. He gave some of it to Abū Kurayb (5) and to Abū Saʿīd al-Ashajj, and even gave away the purse (6) in which the money had been brought. He did not give any of it to his own family, though they were in pressing need.

A grandson then came and said, “Give me a dirham.” Ahmad looked at his son Ṣāliḥ, who picked up a small coin and handed it to the child; the Imam remained silent—may Allah have mercy on him.

When the caliph learned that Ahmad had given away the entire gift, even the purse itself, ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm said, “Commander of the Faithful, he accepted it from you and then gave it away on your behalf. What would Ahmad do with money? One loaf of bread suffices him.” The caliph replied, “You have spoken the truth.”

After the deaths of Ishaq ibn Ibrāhīm and, shortly thereafter, his son Muhammad, ʿAbd Allah ibn Ishaq took over the deputyship of Baghdad. Al-Mutawakkil wrote to him instructing that Imam Ahmad be sent to the court. When the deputy informed Ahmad of this, he said, “I am an old man…"