The Caliph said, “This man is highly distinguished in ḥadith; he has no need to attend an audition. He must have some request he hopes to achieve by it—ask him what it is.”

Al-Khaṭīb replied, “My request is to be granted permission to dictate in the Manṣūr Congregational Mosque.”

The Caliph gave his permission, and he proceeded to dictate. (1)

Ibn Ṭāhir said: I asked Hibat Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Wārith al-Shīrāzī, “Was al-Khaṭīb’s memorization on a level with his written works?” He answered, “No. Whenever we put a question to him, he would answer only after several days; if we pressed him, he became angry. He was quick-tempered and reserved, and his memorization did not match the breadth of his compositions.” (2)

Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Ṭuyūrī said: “Most of al-Khaṭīb’s books—apart from History of Baghdad—were derived from the writings of al-Ṣūrī. It was al-Ṣūrī who first began compiling them. He had a sister in Ṣūr (Tyre), with whom her brother had left twelve loads of books, and al-Khaṭīb obtained a number of works from that collection. (3)

“Al-Ṣūrī had moreover apportioned his time among a little more than thirty separate pursuits.” (4)

I (the author) say: Al-Khaṭīb had no need of al-Ṣūrī; his memory was stronger, and his travels, ḥadith collection, and knowledge were far broader.

Abū ʿAlī ibn al-Khallāl informed us, Abū al-Faḍl al-Hamdānī informed us, Abū Ṭāhir al-Ṣalafī informed us, Muḥammad ibn Marzūq al-Zaʿfarānī narrated to us: the ḥāfiẓ Abū Bakr