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Fatwa CenterStatement on a website falsely attributed to Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Question
As Salamu aleykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh shaykh. I would like to know if there is an authentic source for this quotation of imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (May Allah have mercy on him) http://jamaluliman.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/imam-ahmed-ibn-hanbals-advice-to-his.html?m=1 I also have read that one of the salaf said: If I would see the beard of my brother full of wine I would think somebody throwed it upon him. And if I would see my brother on a mountain shouting "I am your highest Lord" I would think he is reciting the verse of the quran. Is that sahih? Excuse me for my bad English. May Allah reward you with the best.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
In the reliable resource books that we have at hand, we have not come across anything that suggests that such a statement is attributed to Imaam Ahmad or to anyone else. The books of Imaam Ahmad, the books of his companions who reported from him, and the books of the Hanbali School in general are well-known, and there is nothing concerning it at all.
Websites include what is reasonable and sound and what is inappropriate, and many websites attribute this statement to some righteous person when advising his son telling him: "O my son, you will not achieve happiness except after having ten qualities which you offer to your spouse; so learn this from me and be keen on achieving them…."
However, we have not come across this in any book of the scholars, neither as attributed to someone or not attributed to anyone at all.
The same thing applies to the other statement mentioned in the question; we have not found its source. Nonetheless, the scholars stated in their interpretation of the words of Allaah (which means): {O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin and do not spy…} [Quran 49:12]; they mentioned the statement of ‘Umar 
which reads: "Do not think evil of a word which a Muslim utters while you can find a good interpretation for it." This is mentioned in Ibn Katheer's Tafseer.
Moreover, As-Sam‘aani's Tafseer mentioned that it was said to Ibn Mas‘ood: "Do you want to come and see Al-Waleed ibn ‘Uqbah whose beard is dripping with wine?" Al-Waleed was the governor of Kufa and Ibn Mas‘ood was its senior scholar of Fiqh, and he replied: "Verily, we are forbidden from snooping."
Allaah Knows best.
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