Who is Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him)?

Question:
The questioner: Honorable Shaykh, from Riyadh, Abu 'Abdullah says: I hope you will tell us about Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him), and the most famous books he authored on that?

Answer:
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) is a noble Imam, and he is the Imam of the people of the Sunnah. He is the one who opposed the claim that the Qur'an is created, and he was tortured for it, yet he was patient and sought reward from Allah. He was imprisoned and beaten, but he refused to say that the Qur'an is created, a view adopted by the Mu'tazilah. They influenced Caliph al-Ma'mun until he sought to compel people to this opinion. However, Imam Ahmad stood against this false advance and closed this great breach. Therefore, he was named the Imam of the people of the Sunnah because of his patience and steadfastness. He is among the greatest hadith scholars; indeed, he is the Shaykh of the hadith scholars. He is the Shaykh of al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud. He is the Shaykh of scholars, the Shaykh of hadith scholars. The poet who described him said: "He encompassed a thousand thousand," meaning a million, meaning he encompassed a thousand thousand hadiths that were narrated and he verified them with a heart that grasps the essence. So he is a memorizer and a noble Imam. He is the one who defended the Sunnah and opposed the people of innovation, and he remained steadfast in that, enduring the beating and imprisonment until Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) granted him victory. Yes.