beloved among the people, yet he narrated only a small number of reports. ⦗1⦘

ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Faṣīḥī said, “Among the scholars of hadith I have seen no one with a firmer grasp of the Arabic language than Ibn al-Khaḍibah.” ⦗2⦘

Al-Silafī said, “I asked Abū ʿĀmir al-ʿAbdarī about Ibn al-Khaḍibah, and he replied, ‘He was the best man living in his time, but he did not rely on memorization; he depended on his books.’” ⦗3⦘

Ibn Ṭāhir related: “I once heard Ibn al-Khaḍibah, and I had told him that a certain Hāshimī in Isfahān had informed me that Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Muhtadī billāh inclined toward Muʿtazilism. He said, ‘I do not know about that, but let me tell you this: In the Year of the Flood ⦗4⦘ my house collapsed on top of my textiles and books. I was left with nothing, while my mother, my wife and my daughters were in my care. So I supported them by copying manuscripts, and I know that in that single year I wrote out Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim seven times.

One night I dreamt that the Day of Resurrection had begun, and a herald was calling, “Where is Ibn al-Khaḍibah?” I was brought forward and it was said to me, “Enter Paradise.” When I passed through the gate and found myself inside, I lay down on my back, crossed one leg over the other and said, “By Allah, I have finally found rest from copying!” I then raised my head and saw a mule being led by a young servant. I asked, “Whose mule is that?” He answered, “It belongs to the sharif Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Gharīq.”

When morning came we received news that the sharif had passed away.’ ⦗5⦘”