16
Ahmad informed us; ʿUmar informed us; Hamzah ibn al-Husayn al-Simsar related to me; Ahmad ibn Jaʿfar informed me, from Ibn ʿIsam al-Harbi, who said:
“I saw in a dream as though I had entered Darb Hisham, when Bishr ibn al-Harith—may Allah have mercy on him—met me. I said, ‘Where have you come from, Abu al-Nadr?’ He replied, ‘From the highest ranks of Paradise.’
“I asked, ‘What has become of Ahmad ibn Hanbal?’ He said, ‘Just now I left Ahmad ibn Hanbal and ʿAbd al-Wahhab al-Warraq before Allah, eating, drinking, and enjoying bliss.’
“I asked, ‘And you?’ He replied, ‘Allah knew how little desire I had for food, so He granted me permission to behold Him.’”
وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي حَمْزَةُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ السِّمْسَارُ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي أَحْمَدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عِصَامٍ الْحَرْبِيِّ، قَالَ: " رَأَيْتُ فِيَ الْمَنَامِ كَأَنِّي قَدْ دَخَلْتُ دَرْبَ هِشَامٍ فَلَقِيَنِي بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ , ﵀ , فَقُلْتُ: مِنْ أَيْنَ يَا أَبَا النَّضْرِ؟ فَقَالَ: مِنْ عِلِّيِّينَ , قُلْتُ: مَا فَعَلَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ؟ قَالَ: تَرَكْتُ السَّاعَةَ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ وَعَبْدَ الْوَهَّابِ الْوَرَّاقَ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ ﷿ يَأْكُلَانِ وَيَشْرَبَانِ وَيَتَنَعَّمَانِ , قُلْتُ: فَأَنْتَ؟ قَالَ: عَلِمَ اللَّهُ قِلَّةَ رَغْبَتِي فِي الطَّعَامِ فَأَبَاحَنِي النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهِ "