Abu Nizar Rabiʿah al-Sanʿani said: “I attended the session of the ḥāfiẓ Abu Musa together with this ḥāfiẓ, ʿAbd al-Ghani, and I found ʿAbd al-Ghani to have the stronger memory of the two.”

I heard ʿAbd al-Ghani relate: “I was with Ibn al-Jawzi when he mentioned ‘Wurayrah ibn Muḥammad al-Ghassani.’ I corrected him, saying, ‘His name is Wazirah.’ He replied, ‘You people know the men of your own land better.’ ”

On his teaching and constant exertion:

Al-Ḍiyāʾ said: “He—may Allah have mercy on him—was tireless in the quest for knowledge. He honoured the students, treated them kindly, and whenever a student stayed with him he would sense his resolve to travel in pursuit of hadith. He rejoiced when they were able to hear and collect narrations, and through him many of our companions listened to a large amount of material.”

I heard the ḥāfiẓ Abu Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad say: “Whatever study of hadith I have encountered throughout the whole of Syria is by the blessing of the ḥāfiẓ, for everyone I asked would say, ‘The first narration I ever heard was from the ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Ghani, and he is the one who stirred my interest.’ ”

I also heard Abu Musa, the ḥāfiẓ’s son, say at his father’s death (1): “Do not squander this knowledge for which we have toiled.”

I added (2): “He dispatched Ibn Khalil to Isfahan, and he sent his two sons, al-ʿIzz Muḥammad and ʿAbd Allah, to Isfahan—ʿAbd Allah was still young. He also financed the journey of his nephew Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn Abi Bakr and that of his cousin ʿAli ibn Abi Bakr.”

Al-Ḍiyāʾ said: “He likewise urged me to travel to Egypt, and his son Abu Sulaymān travelled with us.”