Among those who narrated from him were Imām Bahāʾ al-Dīn Ibn al-Jumayzī and Shihāb al-Dīn al-Qūsī.

He later taught at Manāzil al-ʿIzz, and many eminent scholars graduated under him. Gifted in numerous fields, he paid no heed to the people of worldly rank. For a time he preached in the great mosque of Egypt ⦗1⦘.

Imām Abū Shāmah ⦗2⦘ reports: It is said that he came to Baghdad riding with a ceremonial standard, unsheathed swords, a canopy, and a jeweled collar around the mule’s neck. He was forbidden to continue that display, so he travelled to Egypt, preached there, and openly championed the Ashʿarī doctrine. The Ḥanbalīs rose against him, and between him and their leader, Zayn al-Dīn Ibn Nujayyah, extraordinary incidents and harsh exchanges occurred.

He also said: I was informed that he was asked, “Which is superior—the blood of al-Ḥusayn or the blood of al-Hallāj?” He found the question outrageous. They argued, “The blood of al-Hallāj spelled out on the ground ‘Allah, Allah,’ whereas the blood of al-Ḥusayn did not!” He replied, “One who stands accused is the one who needs commendation.”

I say: This story about the blood of al-Hallāj is not authentic, nor are the two cases comparable. Al-Ḥusayn, may Allah be pleased with him, was a martyr slain by the sword of evildoers, whereas al-Hallāj was executed for heresy by the sword of the Sacred Law.

Al-Muwaffaq ʿAbd al-Laṭīf said: He was tall, imposing, courageous, and unrivalled in answering questions at public gatherings. Taqī al-Dīn ʿUmar favoured him and built a madrasa for him. He would deliver his lessons from a book, and everyone held him in awe, while he himself was in awe of al-Khubbūshānī and would shrink before him. He could mix playful folly with refinement, look down on kings with polished eloquence, and address jurists with stern resolve. After he had passed eighty, smallpox spread over his whole body, and on one ʿĪd day