Jameah Mahmoodiyyah

Imâm Ahmad had two sons, ‘Abdullâh and Sâlih, whom were half-brothers. Sâlih relates that: “A man saw my father carrying a mihbarah (a wooden inkwell that students used to carry along with their pens) and said, ‘O Abâ ‘Abdillâh! You are the Imâm of the Muslims!’ “This man spoke like this since he was surprised to see Imâm Ahmad carrying his mihbarah as the young students would carry it, or indeed that he would still read books, or shoulder the same responsibilities that the youth did. Note also how all the people were fascinated by him (by Imâm Ahmad), even the elders of the people!

Imâm Ahmad replied with a statement that nullified this man’s whole understanding. He said: “I will be with the mihbarah all the way to the maqbarah (graveyard).” What did he mean? He meant, “I will be busy with knowledge until I die.”Another narration mentions that he said this same statement on a separate occasion to another group of people: “As for me, I will seek knowledge until I am placed in the grave. “When the time of his death came near, he said to those around him: “Relate to me the statement of Hushaym.” (Hushaym was Hushaym ibn Bashîr, Imâm Ahmad’s first teacher. He met him in the year 179 AH, when he began seeking knowledge at the age of 16.) So they read to him what he had requested. This narrated tradition mentioned that Ibn Sîrîn used to dislike a person groaning from pain. At that time, Imâm Ahmad had became very ill and he used to groan due to the pain, yet when they informed him that Ibn Sîrîn used to dislike groaning at such a time, he did not groan again until he died.