Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal - Scholar (أحمد بن حنبل)
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855 CE) was a revered Islamic scholar, theologian, and the founder of the Hanbali school of jurisprudence. Known for his expertise in Hadith, his compilation, Musnad Ahmad, contains over 30,000 narrations and is a monumental work in Islamic tradition. Imam Ahmad is celebrated for his steadfastness during the Mihna, a period of inquisition under the Abbasid Caliphate when he was imprisoned and tortured for refusing to endorse the Mu'tazilite doctrine of the Qur'an's created nature. His resilience and unwavering adherence to traditional Sunni beliefs earned him immense admiration. The Hanbali school emphasizes strict adherence to textual sources and minimal reliance on analogical reasoning, influencing regions like Saudi Arabia and parts of the Gulf. Imam Ahmad's legacy endures as a model of scholarship and courage.