to preach beneath the Eagle 1 on Friday at the very time when the ḥāfiẓ would normally be seated.

To begin with, al-Nāṣiḥ and the ḥāfiẓ resolved to hold their sessions at different hours: al-Nāṣiḥ would sit immediately after the prayer, and the ḥāfiẓ at ‘Aṣr. They then planted in al-Nāṣiḥ’s gathering a half-witted fellow from the Banū ʿAsākir who said to him, in effect, “You are lying from the pulpit.” The man was beaten and fled 2, their scheme having succeeded. They went off to the governor and said, “These Ḥanbalīs are intent on stirring up trouble; their creed is contrary to ours…” and the like.

They next assembled their leading men, went up to the Citadel to see the governor, and said, “We wish you to summon ʿAbd al-Ghanī.” So my uncle al-Muwaffaq, my brother Shams al-Bukhārī, and a number of others descended to the city, saying, “We will debate them.” They told the ḥāfiẓ, “Do not come, for you are too sharp-tongued 3; we will handle the matter for you.”

As it happened, they took the ḥāfiẓ alone without our companions realizing it, debated him, and he grew heated. They had already drafted a statement of belief, written their own signatures on it, and said to him, “Write your name.” He refused, so they said to the governor, “All the jurists agree on something, and he opposes them.”

They then asked the governor’s permission to remove his minbar 4. He dispatched the prisoners 5, and they removed every minbar, storage chest, and railing 6 in the Great Mosque of Damascus, declaring, “We want nothing conducted in the mosque except the Shāfiʿī prayer.” They smashed the ḥāfiẓ’s minbar and prevented us from praying, so we missed the ẓuhr prayer.