—the famous, monumental ordeal in which he was ordered to declare, “The Qur’an is created; it is not the Speech of Allah.” He refused, so he was harmed and disciplined. They would even drag him through the marketplaces on the back of a mule—in full view of the people of the sunnah—hauling him along and striking him with whips until he lost consciousness. Yet whenever he came to, he proclaimed, “The Qur’an is the speech of my Lord, uncreated.”

He ruled it impermissible for himself to utter a single word of disbelief, even under coercion, because the people were waiting to hear what Imam Ahmad would say. Had he said, “The Qur’an is created,” everyone would have repeated the same, and the religion would have been corrupted.

Instead—may Allah have mercy on him—he offered himself as a ransom for the faith. He remained patient, seeking his reward from Allah, and in the end—praise be to Allah—the good outcome was his. The caliph died, and the caliph after him also died. Then Allah brought a righteous caliph who honored Imam Ahmad with great honor. Imam Ahmad did not pass away until Allah had gladdened his eyes, allowing him to proclaim the truth loudly and openly and the people to affirm, “The truth is with him.”

His enemies—those who had stirred the caliphs against him—were humiliated. All praise is due to Allah. This is proof that the final victory belongs to those who are steadfast, and so it is. Allah is the One who grants success.

When the king killed the monk and killed the man who had sat with him, they brought the boy and ordered him to abandon his religion and return to the king’s creed—a creed of idolatry, for the king—may Allah protect us—was calling the people to worship and deify him. The boy refused to forsake his faith, so the king handed him to a number of his men—a group from among the people—and said, “Take him to such-and-such a mountain,” a well-known, towering peak among them. “When you reach its summit, throw him down,” meaning, onto