AHMAD (Ibn Hanbal)
164-241 H
He is Abu ^Abdullah, Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Ash-Shaibani, known by the name Ibn Hanbal. He was a celebrated theologian, jurist and a Hadith scholar. He is also one of the four Imams of Fiqh. Imam Ahmad was born at Baghdad in Rabi^-ul-‘ula, 164 H. He studied the Hadith and Fiqh together with other Islamic disciplines in Baghdad, then travelled to Ash-Sham and Hijaz for further studies. He was persecuted during the rule of Al-Ma’mun bin Harun Ar-Rashid for refusing to acknowledge the Bid^ah (innovation) introduced by the Mu^ tazilah of claiming that the Qur’an (the Eternal and Everlasting Kalam-Speech of Allah) was created.. He however, stood firm against all the trials and saved the Sunnah from the innovation of the wretched Mu ^tazilah thoughts. He was the mostly persecuted and most firm one amongst all the Imam. He is most famous for collecting the Hadith of the Prophet compiled in the Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, which contain 28 to 29 thousand Hadith. It was said that Ibn Hanbal memorized one million Hadith. Ibn Hanbal died in Baghdad on Friday, 12 Rabi^-ul-‘Ula 241 H.