One of the students of Imam Shafii’ (rah), Rabi ibn Sulayman narrates:
“One day Imam Shafii’ (rah) said to me:
“Rabi, take this letter to Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rah) and then bring me the reply”
I took the letter and went to Baghdad. I met with Ahmad ibn Hanbal at the dawn prayer which we prayed together. When Imam Ahmad (rah) came away from the altar I presented the letter to him and said:
“This letter is from your brother in Egypt, Imam Shafii”. He asked me:
“What is the letter about, do you know?”
I replied that I did not know.
Then Ahmad ibn Hanbal(rah) took the letter, removed the seal and began to read it. Suddenly his eyes filled with tears. I asked him:
“O Imam. What is it? What does the letter say?” He said: “Imam Shafii’ saw the Blessed Prophet in his dream. The Messenger of Allah said to him:
‘Write a letter to Ahmad ibn Hanbal and send him my greetings of peace. He will be subject to instigation and it will be asked of him to make a ruling and say that ‘the Qur’an is created’. Beware and do not bow down to their demands. Allah will make his name be remembered and exalted until the day of Judgement’.
I said to him:
“O Imam! What great news this is for you!”
Then out of happiness the Imam took off his shirt and gave it to me. After receiving the reply I then left for Egypt. I gave the letter to Imam Shafii’ who then said:
“We would not wish to sadden you by taking from you the shirt that he gave to you. But at least take it and dip it in water and then give us that water so that we may receive a share of the blessings of that shirt”.
(See Ibn al-Jawzi, Manaqibu’l Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, (thk, Abdullah ibn Abdulmuhsin at Turki) Cairo 1409 pg 609-610).
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