When the Christians (ar-Rūm) overran Almería in 542 AH, he left for Murcia and later settled on the island of Shukr (1), where he was appointed both judge and Friday-sermon preacher.

He was rather stern in temperament and counted among the foremost stalwarts of ḥadith in al-Andalus. Gifted in the Arabic language, no one could rival him in knowledge of transmitters. He composed polished sermons and other writings (2) and possessed an exceptionally vast learning.

He died in Ṣafar, 584 AH.

Abū Jaʿfar ibn al-Zubayr said, “Among the scholars of his generation he was the most knowledgeable and skilful in the craft of ḥadith, while also participating in other sciences. He was one of those scholars who put their knowledge into practice, and people pursued him eagerly to study under him.”

Abū ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿIyāḍ (3) said, “He was versed in the Qur’an, an imam in ḥadith science, thoroughly acquainted with its narrators. No one in al-Andalus could match him in that field—a point his contemporaries readily conceded. In addition, he excelled in language and belles-lettres and was independently proficient in every other branch of learning.

“He also possessed a notable share of eloquence and clarity; he was decisive in his judgments and forceful in his affairs. He presided over instruction in Qur’anic recitation, ḥadith audition, and Arabic, and in his day students undertook journeys to reach him. He lived to an advanced age and authored a five-volume work entitled al-Maghāzī, which people transmitted from him.”