It was as though the very portents of the Last Hour had drawn near and the girth-strap of time’s saddle had snapped.

Yet knowledge among us is not seized away in a single stroke—never; nor does the reaper of death overrun its sanctuary.

Rather, it departs with the passing of those firmly grounded in it; with their demise it vanishes, while only the riffraff of rabble are left behind (1).

By Allah, what relentless ordeals beat down upon Taqī al-Dīn—successive trials, massive in their weight (2)!

Afflictions hemmed him in on every harsh side, and stations where even sure-footed men stumbled.

Plots were woven for him, snares deliberately set, yet his very boldness only caused them to multiply (3).

In the many kinds of tribulation he mirrored Ibn Ḥanbal, carrying a steadfast heart that invited no reproach (4).

Through his imprisonment, his confinement, and the penalties inflicted on him, even the habitual critics and fault-finders were moved to pity (5).

⦗153⦘ Then the Lord of the Throne—glorified is He—decreed that his appointed moment had arrived and that death should meet him (6).

The envoy of death came to seek his soul, and the lion-hearted one answered him willingly (7).

His pulpits stood empty, his courtyard lay desolate, and at his departure every tent was struck.

Every heart was shaken by his loss, upon it settling abasement and distress.

His noble funeral moved on after cries and surging crowds had closed the passageways.