and al-Gharībayn. He also had a strong command of medicine. He heard Sunan Ibn Mājah and the Musnad of al-Shāfiʿī from Abū Zurʿah, and he recited the entire Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Ismāʿīlī with Yaḥyā ibn Thābit …
He went on to say that he would travel back and forth from Damascus to Aleppo, and that at one stage he lived in Arzankān and other places as well.
Muwaffaq, speaking about himself, said: “I listened to a great many traditions. I trained myself in calligraphy, and I memorised the Maqāmāt, al-Faṣīḥ, the Dīwān of al-Mutanabbī, an abridgement of fiqh, and an abridgement of grammar. When I grew older, my father took me to Kamāl al-Dīn al-Anbārī …,” and he related a passage …
He continued: “I reached the point where I could speak about every single couplet at the length of several quires. Afterwards I memorised Adab al-Kātib by Ibn Qutaybah, his Mushkil al-Qurʾān, and al-Lumaʿ. I then moved on to the Kitāb al-Iḍāḥ, memorised it, and studied its commentaries.
“I also memorised al-Takmila in just a few days—one quire each day—and during all of that I never neglected attending ḥadith sessions or studying jurisprudence with Ibn Faḍlān.
“Among my counsels: your conduct should be the conduct of the first generation. Read the Prophetic sīra, trace his actions, follow in his footsteps, and imitate him as far as you are able.
“Whoever does not endure the pain of learning will never taste the sweetness of knowledge, and whoever does not toil will never succeed.
“When you have a break from study and reflection, set your tongue in motion with dhikr, especially when sleep draws near. If some worldly joy comes your way, remember death, the speed with which things vanish, and the abundance of life’s vexations.
“When an affliction strikes you, say: ‘Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn,’ and if heedlessness overtakes you, seek forgiveness (1).
“Know that the religion has a fragrance and a perspiration that call out for their possessor, and a radiant light that looks over him and points to him. O Reviver of dead hearts through faith, take us by the hand away from the brink of destruction, and cleanse us of the dregs of this world by granting us sincerity toward You.”