Al-Nāṣir Yūsuf was slain in Azerbaijan, dying a martyr’s death.
- Al-Zanjānī — Abū al-Manāqib Maḥmūd ibn Aḥmad ibn Maḥmūd ibn Bakhtiyār al-Zanjānī
The erudite savant, shaykh of the Shāfiʿīs, Abū al-Manāqib Maḥmūd ibn Aḥmad ibn Maḥmūd ibn Bakhtiyār al-Zanjānī, studied law assiduously and excelled in the school, in legal theory, and in dialectics; his fame spread far and wide. He was appointed reviewing instructor at the Thiqatiyya madrasa by Bāb al-Azaj, married the daughter of ʿAbd al-Razzāq, son of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir, served as deputy judge, and was placed in charge of the public endowments, so his standing became considerable.
Ibn al-Najjār writes: “He grew arrogant and high-handed, so God seized him. He was dismissed from the judiciary and other offices, imprisoned and punished, and the wealth he had amassed through unlawful gain and embezzlement was confiscated; he paid about 15,000 dinars after having been destitute. He was then released and remained idle until he was entrusted with the judiciary in Madīnat al-Salām in 623 AH, but six months later he was removed from the office of Chief Justice. He was appointed professor at the Niẓāmiyya in 625 AH, dismissed after a year and a half, then posted to the dīwān, only to be dismissed several times. He was marked by oppression, love of the world, eagerness for prestige, and a ravenous appetite for material gain.”
He held an ijāzah (licence to transmit) from al-Nāṣir, compiled a tafsīr (Qur’anic commentary), then lectured at the Mustanṣiriyya in Dhū al-Ḥijja 633 AH, and was sent on diplomatic missions to Shīrāz several times.
Tāj al-Dīn ʿAlī ibn Anjab Ibn al-Sāʿī says: “He served as acting judge, then was appointed Chief Justice of both banks of Baghdad and of the protected precinct of the Caliphal palace, and he supervised the awqāf (endowments).”