ʿAlī ibn Mazdin (1) al-Qumisānī (2), later al-Hamadhānī. He was better known as Ibn Zīrak (3).

Born: 399 AH.

He related hadith from his father; his uncle Abū Manṣūr Muḥammad; ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdān; the jurist Yūsuf ibn Kijj; al-Ḥusayn ibn Fanjawayh (4); and a number of others. He also held written authorizations from Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Razqawayh and Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī.

Shirawayh said, “I narrated extensively from him. He was trustworthy and truthful, a man of standing and dignity, well-versed in Qur’anic exegesis, a jurist, a man of letters, and devoted to worship.” (5)

He died in Rabīʿ al-Ākhir of the year 471 AH (6). His grave is visited, and blessings are sought there (7).

I heard him say: “I fell ill and the condition became grave, and my father kept saying, ‘My son, remember Allah frequently.’ So I made him testify that I remained upon Islam and the Sunnah. While I was in that state, a sense of awe overtook me, and suddenly I beheld a man of majesty and beauty, as though he were swimming in the air. He said to me, ‘Say [these words].’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ He repeated them and then said, ‘Say: Faith increases and decreases, and the Qur’an is uncreated in all its…’”