About the Author The illustrious Islamic jurist, Hadith master and defender of the Sunnah, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, is referred to as one of the four great Imams. Imam Ahmad benefitted from the works of Abu Hanifah, Mâlik, ash-Shâfi‘i and many others, and he further advanced and developed this work until those who followed his philosophy were often considered to be in a school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) of their own. The Imam referred every issue back to the texts of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. When a ruling was not clearly found in those sources, then he would consider the opinions of the early Muslim Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). The Imam’s rulings opposed those who valued their own reasoning and intelligence above these sources, causing the Imam to be imprisoned and tortured by the authorities of his day. Still, he refused to deviate from his beliefs, and respect for his immense knowledge and steadfastness only grew. Imam Abu Abdullâh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal ash-Shaybani died at Bagdad in 855 CE. |
