An Islamic Treasury of Virtues

Remaining steadfast in the face of persecution During the Abbasid Caliphate the emergence of the Mutazilite creed 1 stirred up controversy among Muslims, as a result of which Imam Ahmad ibn Hambal had severe punishments inflicted upon him. Yet he refused to alter the position he had adopted. Hafiz ibn Hajar tells us that he was beaten so severely as to make “even an elephant flee.” Note: 1. Its adherents believe the word of God to have been created in subjecto, and to consist of letters and sound; copies thereof being written in books, to express or imitate the original.