into al-Malik al-ʿĀdil. When the sultan (1) had finished speaking with the ḥāfiẓ, he (2) began to discuss the matter of Mardin and its siege. The ḥāfiẓ overheard him and said, “What is this? Do you still intend to fight Muslims? Will you not thank Allah for what He has given you? Have you not… have you not (3)?!”
He—meaning the sultan—made no reply and offered no further word.

The ḥāfiẓ went on: “I rose with him and said, ‘What are you doing? We have always feared something like this for you, and then you go and do it yourself?’ He answered, ‘Whenever I see something wrong I cannot keep silent,’ or words to that effect.”

I heard Abū Bakr ibn al-Ṭaḥḥān say: “Under the rule of al-Afḍal they placed musical instruments at the staircase (4). The ḥāfiẓ came and smashed many of them, then went upstairs (5) and began reading hadith. The judge’s messenger (6) arrived, ordering him to come and debate him about the tambourine and the reed flute. He said, ‘In my judgment that is forbidden, and I will not go to him,’ and he resumed the hadith reading.

“The messenger returned and said, ‘You must come; you have now put a stop to these entertainments for the sultan.’ The ḥāfiẓ replied, ‘May Allah strike off his head and the sultan’s as well.’ The messenger departed, we became afraid, but no one came.”

Among his noble traits:

Al-Ḍiyāʾ said: “I do not know anyone from the people of the Sunnah who saw him without loving him and praising him greatly. I heard Maḥmūd ibn Salāmah al-Ḥarrānī in Isfahan say: ‘The ḥāfiẓ would arrange the people…’”}