- ʿAbd Allāh, Ḍiyāʾ al-Dīn al-Darbandī, the grammarian – d. 723 AH
Ibn Kathīr studied grammar with him and said:
“He lost his mind and travelled from Damascus to Cairo. Upon the advice of the Shaykh of Shaykhs al-Qūnawī he was placed in the bīmāristān, but it did not agree with him. He then made his way into the Citadel holding a drawn sword and killed a Christian. He was taken before the Sultan, who suspected him of being a spy and ordered that he be hanged; so he was hanged. I was among those who had studied grammar with him.” (1)
- Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad, Shams al-Dīn Abū Naṣr al-Shīrāzī – d. 723 AH
Ibn Kathīr received ḥadīth from him and said:
“Our eminent shaykh Shams al-Dīn Abū Naṣr Muḥammad, son of ʿImād al-Dīn Abū al-Faḍl Muḥammad, son of Shams al-Dīn Abū Naṣr Muḥammad, son of Hibat Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Bandār ibn Mummail al-Shīrāzī, was born in Shawwāl 629 AH. He heard a great deal of ḥadīth, transmitted it, and taught in the upper room of our shaykh al-Mizzī—may Allah enfold him in His mercy. He personally read several fascicles to him. He was a fine, righteous, humble, and blessed shaykh who gilded four-volume works and Qur’an copies with great skill. He never soiled himself with any official appointment, nor with salaried posts in madrasahs or the issuing of certificates, until he died on the Day of ʿArafah in his orchard at al-Mizzah. The funeral prayer was held for him in its congregational mosque, and he was buried in its cemetery.” (2)
- ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Dhuʾayb al-Asadī, known as Ibn Qāḍī Shuhbah – d. 726 AH
Ibn Kathīr studied jurisprudence under him, for he deputized for Shaykh Tāj al-Dīn al-Fazārī in his circle and also had a circle of his own. Ibn Kathīr said:
“He was born in Ḥawrān in 653 AH. He came to Damascus, studied with Shaykh Tāj al-Dīn al-Fazārī, kept close to him, benefited from him, substituted for him in his circle, and graduated under him. He likewise stayed with his brother Shaykh Sharaf al-Dīn, from whom he learned grammar and language. He excelled in both fiqh and grammar. He died in the Mujāhidiyyah Madrasa, where he resided, on the night of Tuesday, 11 Dhū al-Ḥijjah. His funeral prayer was held after ẓuhr, and he was buried in the Bāb al-Ṣaghīr cemetery.” (3)
- Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm, Kamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Maʿālī, known as Ibn al-Zamlakānī – d. 727 AH
Ibn Kathīr took jurisprudence from him and attended his lessons. He said:
“To him devolved the leadership of the school in teaching, issuing fatwas, and debate. He surpassed and outstripped his peers, capturing the prize with a mind that constantly sparkled, diligence that robbed him of sleep, an eloquence more famous than wakefulness itself, and a hand-writing fresher than the blossoms of the plain.
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