to the Sultan, and the Ashʿarīs were vilified; they were barred from preaching, removed from the pulpits of Nīshāpūr, and the Muʿtazilites and the Shiʿites grew strong. Matters deteriorated to the point that cursing was officially inserted into the Friday sermons; the maledictions then spread to other groups, and a great upheaval arose in Khurāsān. Al-Qushayrī, the Raʾīs al-Furātī, Imām al-Ḥaramayn, and this very Abū Sahl were all jailed, and an order was issued banishing them. Al-Juwaynī went into hiding and fled to the Ḥijāz by way of Kirmān, whereas Abū Sahl armed himself, gathered supporters and fighting men, and confronted the town’s governor. Abū Sahl prevailed, the governor was wounded, and the ordeal intensified. Abū Sahl then hastened to the Sultan’s court, but he was seized, imprisoned for several months, his property was confiscated, and his estates were taken. He was later released, performed the pilgrimage, and afterwards enjoyed great favor with Alp Arslan (1), who even thought of appointing him vizier. Yet he was targeted and assassinated—may Allah have mercy on him—in the year 456 AH. The people of Nīshāpūr displayed a grief beyond description; professional mourners lamented him for a time, and elegies for him were recited in the marketplaces (2).

It was also said that the Sultan had sent him as an envoy to Baghdad, but he died on the way, leaving behind considerable wealth.