and as a distinguished instructor and a sought-after shaykh, he would enter the public schools with confidence and esteem, and preside over the specialized institutes with skill and authority.
The first institution in which he taught was the Najībiyyah School, where—as noted earlier—he resided with his family. His inaugural lesson there took place on 11 Jumādā al-Ūlā 736 AH, in which he explained the Almighty’s words:
“Indeed, only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear Allah.” (Fāṭir 28)
He wrote in his Chronicle, “The lesson was thronged with attendees; those present praised it and were amazed at the breadth and order of its contents.” (1)
He then assumed the teaching chair at the Fāḍiliyyah School after Imām al-Dhahabī vacated it, and served as Shaykh of Ḥadīth in the Ṣāliḥiyyah School, the Tankaziyyah House of Qur’an and Ḥadīth, and the inner Ashrafiyyah Dār al-Ḥadīth. (2)
• He inaugurated his public tafsīr sessions in the Umayyad Mosque beneath the Dome of the Eagle on the morning of 28 Shawwāl 767 AH. The gathering was large and noteworthy; he delivered an exposition of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah that was attended by students, judges, and dignitaries. (3)
• He also sat on examination committees charged with testing promising youths in language and memorization. Thus, on 20 Shaʿbān 747 AH he attended the examination of a six-year-old boy who had memorized the Qur’an and recited it flawlessly; and on 20 Shaʿbān 763 AH he joined the scholars in examining Badr al-Dīn Muḥammad, son of Shaykh Kamāl al-Dīn ibn al-Sharbinī, who had memorized a large body of linguistic evidence.
• A young man from the regions of Tabriz and Khurāsān presented himself, claiming to have memorized Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ibn Kathīr’s Jāmiʿ al-Masānīd, and al-Zamakhsharī’s al-Kashshāf. On Wednesday, the last day of Rajab 763 AH, he recited—by heart—in the Umayyad Mosque along its northern wall, near the Kallāsah Gate, from the beginning of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī to midway through the “Book of Knowledge,” while I checked his recital against a copy in my hand. (4)
The young man declared, “I left my homeland solely to come to you, hoping that you would grant me an ijāzah; your fame is well known in our lands.” (5)
All this shows that the students who received knowledge from Ibn Kathīr are beyond counting and too numerous to be recorded; accordingly, it was said