What they said about Arabic Narrated with its chain
Reported by his student Harb al-Kirmani, in his chapter on naming the months in Persian:
“Harb al-Kirmani said: Chapter on naming the months in Persian. I said to Ahmad: The Persians have days and months that they call by names that are not known. He disliked that with the strongest dislike, and related on it from Mujahid that he disliked saying «Adhar-mah» and «Dhi-mah». I said: And if it is the name of a man, may I give it to someone? He disliked it.”
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
d. 241 AH / 855 CE
Imam of the Sunna, compiler of the Musnad and founder of the Hanbali school, as reported by his student Harb al-Kirmani (d. 280 AH).
The Arabic original
قال حربٌ الكرمانيّ: بابُ تسميةِ الشهور بالفارسيّة. قلتُ لأحمد: فإنّ للفُرسِ أيّاماً وشهوراً يُسمّونها بأسماءٍ لا تُعرَف؛ فكرِه ذلك أشدَّ الكراهة، وروى فيه عن مجاهدٍ حديثاً أنّه كرِه أن يُقال: آذرماه، وذي ماه. قلتُ: فإن كان اسمَ رجلٍ أُسمّيه به؟ فكرِهه.
Source
Ibn Taymiyya, Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, ed. Nasir al-‘Aql, Beirut 1999, vol. 1, p. 518, quoting the Masa’il of Harb al-Kirmani; likewise Ibn Muflih, al-Adab al-Shar‘iyya 3/432–433
The English translation is Voice of Arabic's, made from the original.
Ibn Taymiyya explains Ahmad's dislike in two ways: a name whose meaning is unknown may carry a forbidden meaning, and a man should not grow used to speaking other than Arabic, «for the Arabic tongue is the emblem of Islam and its people» — his own saying in this section. Adhar-mah and Dhi-mah are Persian month names; mah means month.
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