every branch of learning. At the age of twenty-three, he began teaching, continuing to learn while also teaching others.
Fourth: A Brief Account of His Character
He possessed many noble qualities and was humble towards young and old, rich and poor. He devoted some of his time to meeting with those who wished him to join them. Their gatherings were occasions for learning, as he ensured that they included discussions of scholarly and social matters, from which those present derived immense benefit. He addressed each person in a manner suited to them. He was compassionate towards the poor, the needy, and strangers, extending whatever assistance he could and, on suitable occasions, appealing on their behalf to benefactors known for their love of doing good.
He displayed exemplary courtesy, chastity, integrity, and resolve in all his affairs. He was among the finest teachers and the most effective at making things understood.
Fifth: His Scholarly Standing
He, may Allah have mercy on him, possessed outstanding knowledge of jurisprudence and its principles. Following his teachers, he initially adhered to the Hanbalī school and memorized some of its concise manuals.
The works he studied most extensively and benefited from most were those of Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim. Through their writings, he gained immense benefit in foundational principles, monotheism, Quranic exegesis, the language of the Quran, and other beneficial disciplines. Enlightened by the works of these two scholars, he no longer confined himself to the Hanbalī school. Rather, he favoured whichever view he found best supported by scriptural evidence, without disparaging the scholars of the other schools. He held a distinguished position in Quranic exegesis: he read several commentaries, excelled in the discipline, and authored an outstanding commentary in eight volumes. He expounded the Quran spontaneously, despite having no time to devote to compiling a work of exegesis or any other book.
His students would regularly read from the Noble Quran to him, and he would explain it extemporaneously, elaborating and explaining