the man who ordered the execution of al-Ḥallāj, was likewise one of the foremost judges and eminent scholars. He was born in 208 AH and heard ḥadith from Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb, ʿAmr ibn Marzūq, Hudbah, Musaddad, and others. A narrator of proven reliability, he served as qāḍī of Basra, Wāsiṭ, and the eastern quarter of Baghdad. Trustworthy, upright, chaste, and highly respected,

One day a servant of the caliph al-Muʿtaḍid entered his court and, flaunting his status, sat above his opponent in the gathering (1). The judge’s usher told him to sit at the same level as his adversary (2), but he refused, relying on his favor with the caliph. The judge thereupon rebuked him (3) and said, “Bring me the slave-broker so that I may sell this slave and send his price to the caliph.” The usher took the servant by the hand and seated him beside his opponent. When the case was concluded, the servant returned to al-Muʿtaḍid, wept before him, and reported what the judge had said.

The caliph replied, “By Allah, had he sold you I would have ratified the sale and never reclaimed you. Your special standing with me does not override the rank of judicial authority, for it is the pillar of sovereignty and the support of religion.” (4) Yūsuf ibn Yaʿqūb died in Ramaḍān of this year.

[Then the year 298 AH began.]

In this year:
• al-Qāsim ibn Sīmā returned from Byzantine territory, entered Baghdad, and with him were prisoners and captives (5) carrying banners on which were golden crosses, together with a large number of other captives.
• Gifts arrived [for the caliph al-Muqtadir billāh] (6) from the deputy of Khurāsān, Aḥmad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Aḥmad al-Sāmānī: one hundred and twenty pages with their mounts, weapons, and all they required; fifty falcons; fifty camels laden with costly garments; and fifty pounds of musk.
• The judge ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī al-Shawārib suffered paralysis, whereupon his son Muḥammad was appointed over the eastern quarter and al-Karkh in his stead.
• In Shaʿbān two men were seized, one called Abū Kabīrah (7) and the other known as al-Shammarī. They declared that they were followers of a man named Muḥammad ibn Bishr who was claiming lordship—may Allah curse them.