Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal Abul-Futouh Sabry

The fortresses of religion are many, and how few are those who defend them in this era! But they will remain steadfast in their pillars, filled with faith, as long as there are men at their gates who do not fear the reproach of any faultfinder for the sake of Allah, nor are they intimidated by the whip of a ruler, nor are they swayed from the truth by shackles or bars. And when we read their record full of luminous stances, and their immortal biographies, we hear a voice screaming the truth when voices dim and refusing anything but victory in times of humiliation. Among these men appeared our esteemed Imam and scholar, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Imam of the Sunnis and the community, whom we knew in jurisprudence and hadith as a shoreless sea, and we saw him in blind tribulation as a towering mountain that does not budge, and we found him in patience in hardships and adversities steadfast and unwavering. This book – dear reader – presents the biography of the great Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, so that we may emulate his life, hoping that we may join the ranks of the righteous Imams, and live as they lived, humble towards the believers and mighty against the disbelievers.