“Rarely do his books—despite their great number—contain the least lapse or error. His writings and those of his companion Ibn Shinzīr were the most reliable works in Toledo. (1)”

I say: Many people received transmissions from him, and he passed away—may Allah have mercy on him—in Shaʿbān of the year 400 AH in Toledo, still a man in his prime. His companion Ibn Shinzīr led the funeral prayer over him.

93 – Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn ibn (2) Shinzīr al-Umayyad *

Abū al-Qāsim Ibn Bashkuwāl mentioned the two of them, saying:

“They were like two racehorses running neck-and-neck in their complete devotion to knowledge, to investigating reports, and to preserving them accurately. In Toledo they heard hadith from everyone they could reach there, and likewise in Cordoba, Egypt, and the Hijaz. Abū Isḥāq was habitually given to fasting, standing in prayer at night, and piety; the science of hadith and familiarity with its transmission routes dominated his concerns—until he said:

‘He was a Sunni who kept clear of the people of innovation; none was seen more ascetic than he, nor any gathering more dignified than his. People journeyed to the two of them; later Abū Isḥāq alone presided over the teaching circle. He died on the Day of Sacrifice in 402 AH at the age of fifty.’ (3)

94 – Ibn al-Akfānī, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Baghdādī **

Chief Judge of Baghdad, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn