Ibn al-Jawzī ⦗1⦘ said: “His words were impressive, and people recorded whole volumes of his sermons. He once travelled to reconcile two powerful kings; as a result he received from them a large amount of money. He died at ʿAskar Mukram in 547 AH.

It was also said that on the nights he attended the samāʿ (spiritual musical audition) he neglected the prayer. One evening he spoke of the merits of ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—and of the incident in which the sun was made to return for him. By chance the sun was hidden behind clouds, whereupon he composed the following verses:

O sun, do not set until my praise is done
Of the family of the Chosen One and of his noble son.
Re-check your course, should you desire to sing their praise—
Have you forgotten that you once were halted for his sake?
If you once halted for the Master, then let this halt today
Be for his cavalry and his infantry array.

He said: The sun then emerged from beneath the clouds, and no one could count the garments and riches that were flung upon him.

He lived for fifty-six years—may Allah pardon him.

151 – Abū ʿAbd Allāh Mardanīsh Muḥammad al-Judhāmī al-Maghribī*

The ascetic warrior Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad al-Judhāmī, a North African.

He was accompanied by a band of gallant men with whom he launched raids far and wide. Mounted on their horses, they would plough through enemy ranks as the frontier fighters do. The Commander of the Muslims, Ibn Tāshfīn, supplied them with funds and equipment and treated them generously.

Mardanīsh undertook many campaigns, stood in noted engagements, and possessed outstanding virtues; he was the grandfather of the ruler Muḥammad ⦗2⦘.