And Ahmad ibn Ismaʿil al-Sahmi (1), Ḥajjāj ibn Yusuf, the poet (2), and Maḥmud ibn Ādam (3).
[Year 260 AH]
In this year a severe famine struck every land of Islam, forcing most of their inhabitants to abandon their towns and seek sustenance elsewhere. Not a single one of the permanent residents or similar groups remained in Mecca; all of them journeyed to Madinah and other regions, and even the deputy governor of Mecca left the city. In Baghdad the price of a kurr (4) of wheat reached one hundred and twenty dinars, and the hardship continued for several months.
In the same year:
• The Zanj leader who had seized Basra killed ʿAli ibn Zayd, the governor of Kufa.
• The Byzantines captured from the Muslims the fortress of Luʾluʾah.
That year the Pilgrimage was led by Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl, mentioned earlier.
Among the notable people who died this year was al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad al-Zaʿfarānī (5).
(1) Ahmad ibn Isma‘il ibn Muhammad ibn Nubayha, known as Abu Hudhaffa al-Sahmi al-Qurashi al-Madani, later resident in Baghdad, was among the last of the musnid traditionists. He was declared weak by al-Daraqutni and others and is noted as the final transmitter from Malik. Sources: Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ (vol. 12, p. 14); al-‘Ibar (vol. 2, p. 24); Tahdhib al-Kamal (vol. 1, p. 266).
(2) Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ibn Hajjaj al-Thaqafi, known as Abu Muhammad and also called Ibn al-Sha‘ir, was the son of a poet who accompanied Abu Nuwas and from whom he received instruction. His nickname was Laqwa, and his family origin was in Kufa. Hajjaj himself was born and educated in Baghdad, where he pursued his studies. He is rated reliable, counted among the hafizah (memorizers), and proficient in hadith. Sources: Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ (vol. 12, p. 301); Tahdhib al-Kamal (vol. 5, p. 466).
(3) Abu Ahmad, also said to be Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Marwazi, is described as a saduq (truthful) by Ibn ‘Adi among the teachers of al-Bukhari and by Ibn Hibban in his al-Thiqat. Source: Tahdhib al-Tahdhib (vol. 10, p. 61).
(4) “al-Karr” was a unit of measure used in Iraq, equal to sixty qafiz or forty ardabb, approximately 1,560 kg.
(5) Abu ‘Ali al-Baghdadi al-Za‘farani, resident of the Za‘farani quarter, studied al-Shafi‘i’s Kitab al-Qadim. He excelled in fiqh and hadith, was highly reliable and skilled in narration, and a leading local authority. He transmitted from Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah and his circle and was regarded as one of the most astute scholars. Sources: Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ (vol. 12, p. 262); al-‘Ibar (vol. 2, p. 20).