| Full Name |
Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal ibn Hilāl ibn Asad al-Shaybānī |
| Kunya |
Abū ʿAbdullāh |
| Birth |
780 CE / 164 AH — Baghdad, Iraq |
| Death |
855 CE / 241 AH — Baghdad, Iraq |
| Title |
Imām Aḥmad, Mujtahid, Muḥaddith, Faqīh |
| Position |
Founder of the Ḥanbalī School of Islamic Jurisprudence |
| Notable Works |
Al-Musnad |
| Regions of Influence |
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, parts of the Arabian Peninsula, pockets in Syria, Iraq, and among Salafi-oriented communities worldwide |
Life, Legacy, and the Ḥanbalī School
Early Life and Education
Born in 780 CE (164 AH) in Baghdad, during the height of the Abbasid Caliphate. His ancestry traced back to the Shaybān tribe of Arabia. Raised by his widowed mother, he dedicated his youth to seeking knowledge, beginning with the Qur’an and hadith.
Education and Teachers
He traveled extensively in pursuit of hadith and fiqh, studying under many leading scholars of his era:
His journeys took him to Basra, Kufa, Mecca, Medina, Yemen, and Syria.
Expertise and Works
Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was a master of hadith, compiling over 30,000 narrations in his monumental work Al-Musnad. His jurisprudence emphasized strict adherence to Qur’an and Sunnah, preferring authentic hadith over analogical reasoning when available.
Famous For
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Founding the Ḥanbalī madhhab, rooted in hadith authenticity and textual adherence
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His steadfastness during the Mihna (inquisition) under Caliph al-Maʾmūn over the createdness of the Qur’an
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Refusing to compromise religious truth despite torture and imprisonment
Character and Political Stance
Known for humility, patience, and immense endurance under persecution. He rejected political appointments and lived a modest life, devoted to teaching and worship.
Famous Quote
“Between us and the people is the funeral wait and see whose end is better.”
(Ibn al-Jawzī, Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad, p. 208)
Legacy
The Ḥanbalī madhhab became influential in parts of the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and later in reform movements. His students, such as al-Khallāl and al-Marrūdhī, preserved and expanded his fiqh. His stance in the Mihna inspired generations of scholars to uphold truth in the face of oppression.
Interesting Facts
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Memorized one million hadith by heart, according to some accounts
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His funeral was attended by hundreds of thousands in Baghdad one of the largest gatherings in Islamic history
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Refused gifts from rulers to maintain independence
References
- Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ
- Ibn al-Jawzī, Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad
- Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb
- Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād
