He was born in 293 AH, and he passed away in Rabīʿ al-Ākhir of 378 AH.

Abū Ḥafṣ ibn al-Zayyāt said: “I was in the gathering of the Sufi, and Ismāʿīl the bookseller arrived with his son. The boy heard the codex of Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn being recited. Ismāʿīl then stood up, took his son by the hand, and said to the assembly, ‘Bear witness that my son has heard from this shaykh the codex of Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn.’ ”

Al-Khaṭīb said: “I asked al-Barqānī about Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl, and he replied, ‘Reliable, reliable.’ ” (1)

Ibn Abī al-Fawāris remarked: “He was somewhat lax; his books were lost, so he produced new copies from other people’s books.” (2)

ʿUbayd Allāh al-Azharī said: “A ḥāfiẓ, but lenient in transmission; he narrates without having the original manuscript.” (3)

I say: Narrating without the original manuscript has today become widespread and pervasive; we hope it will be considered acceptable when combined with an ijāza.

Al-Khaṭīb: Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar al-Qāḍī narrated to us; Abū Bakr al-Warrāq narrated to us; he said:

“I knocked at the door of Ibn Ṣāʿid. He asked, ‘Who is it?’ I answered, ‘Abū Bakr ibn Abī ʿAlī. Is Yaḥyā ibn Ṣāʿid here?’ I then heard him say to the maid-servant, ‘Bring my sandals so I can go out to this ignoramus who addresses me by my kunya and calls me by name—so that I may slap him.’ ”