He used to devote himself to seclusion in the Shuniziyya Mosque (1).

Narrations from him were transmitted by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Rāzī, Aḥmad ibn ʿAṭāʾ al-Rūdhbarī (2), and Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Jaʿfar.

He was asked, “By what means does a servant attain love?”
He replied, “By befriending the allies of Allah and opposing the enemies of Allah (3).”

Someone said to him, “So-and-so walks on water.”
He answered, “In my view, the one whom Allah empowers to oppose his own caprice is greater than walking on water (4).”

He was also asked, “Which deed is most excellent (5)?”
He said, “To behold the bounty of Allah (6).”

Al-Khaṭīb mentions him, calling him Jaʿfar, and says: “He was a man of considerable wealth, but he abandoned it and travelled extensively (7).”

It is related that he said, “I have made my wandering such that every year I walk a thousand farsakhs barefoot and bare-headed.”

He died in 328 AH.