after a siege that lasted seventeen months, whereupon he took sole control of the city. During that very siege the ḥāfiẓ, hadith scholar, man of letters, and poet Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Qāsim al-Lakhmī al-Ishbīlī al-Ḥarīrī passed away in middle age. He had studied Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī under ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAlī al-Zuhrī. He wrote a book on genealogy, another on the history of the scholars of al-Andalus, in addition to other works.
- The Lord of Ḥamā: al-Muẓaffar Maḥmūd ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Ayyūbī
The king, al-Muẓaffar Taqī al-Dīn Maḥmūd, son of al-Manṣūr Muḥammad, son of al-Muẓaffar Taqī al-Dīn ʿUmar ibn Shāhinshāh al-Ayyūbī, of Ḥamā.
His rule endured for twenty-five years. He succeeded his brother and reigned for fifteen years and some months. He was an exceptionally courageous warrior, constantly riding with the laṭṭ (1) slung over his shoulder—few men had the strength even to lift it—and he was present at many renowned engagements. Ibn Wāṣil records his exploits in glowing terms.
He was intelligent, keen-sighted, pleasant in conversation, yet somewhat unlucky in his dealings with neighboring kings. He was also deeply committed to safeguarding the realm of al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ Najm al-Dīn,