the practice of astrology, and he had met with Sayf al-Din Jaghan (1) about the matter (2) while Jaghan was serving in Damascus as acting viceroy (3). Jaghan complied with his directive, accepted his counsel, and even asked to see him frequently.

This caused some people to feel constricted, on top of the dislike they already bore the Shaykh and the pain they felt at his rising stature and good repute (4)(5). One grievance thus joined several others, yet they found no opening to censure him: he was ascetic, uninterested in worldly gain, unwilling to vie for offices, and his profuse knowledge—evident in the excellence of his answers and legal opinions—displayed both vast learning (6) and sound understanding.

They therefore chose to attack him on matters of creed, for they preferred the theologians’ doctrine concerning the divine attributes and the Qur’an over that of the early generations and deemed it the correct view. They took the reply he had written, produced sheets refuting it, and then made strenuous efforts, approaching the judges and jurists (7) one by one. [ق 72] They stirred their minds against him (8),