He was born in Ramadan of the year 466 AH.
He studied under Abu al-Qasim ibn Abi al-‘Ala’, Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hadid, the jurist Nasr ibn Ibrahim al-Maqdisi—at whose hands he acquired his knowledge of jurisprudence—and Abu al-Barakat ibn Tawus.
Among those who transmitted from him were Ibn ‘Asakir and his son, al-Sam‘ani, Abu al-Mawahib ibn Sassra, his brother Abu al-Qasim ibn Sassra, the judge Abu al-Qasim ibn al-Harastani, his grandson Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Bunn, and many others.
He possessed an abundant repertoire of narrations.
Ibn ‘Asakir notes: “He became confused in his later years, yet he repented with a sincere repentance and maintained a good opinion of Allah.” (1)
He passed away in mid-Rabi‘ al-Akhir of the year 551 AH and was buried in the Bab al-Faradis cemetery.
In that same year there also died: Isma‘il al-Hammami, the centenarian (2); Atsiz ibn Muhammad, ruler of Khwarazm (3); Salman ibn Mas‘ud al-Shahham (4); ‘Atiq ibn Ahmad al-Azdi of al-Andalus (5); the jurist Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Mahmuwyah al-Azdi (6); the preacher ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Ghaznawi (7); and Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Salamah.