a pound of it; bring it to me and I shall pray for you.” The man went, bought the sweetmeat, then returned. When he opened the wrapper, there lay his promissory note for the one hundred dinars.
The shaykh asked, “Is this your proof?”
“Yes,” he replied.
The shaykh said, “Take it—and take the sweetmeat as well; feed it to your children. ⦗1⦘

When he died, the people of Egypt poured out for his funeral, magnifying his standing and honoring him.

Among those who also passed away were Muḥammad ibn Khuraym ⦗2⦘; Muḥammad ibn ʿAqīl al-Balkhī ⦗3⦘; Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd al-Sijistānī, the ḥāfiẓ, son of the ḥāfiẓ ⦗4⦘; and Abū ʿAwānah Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq ⦗5⦘ ibn Ibrāhīm al-Isfarāʾīnī ⦗6⦘, author of the Ṣaḥīḥ ⦗7⦘ compiled on the model of Muslim’s collection.
He was counted among the most prolific ḥuffāẓ and the celebrated imams.

Naṣr, the chamberlain of the caliph al-Muqtadir ⦗8⦘, also died this year. He was one of the finest commanders—devout and judicious—who spent one hundred thousand dinars of his own wealth in the war against the Qarmaṭīs and went out personally, seeking reward from Allah, but died on the road that very year.

[Then came the year 317 AH]

In it al-Muqtadir was deposed and al-Qāhir—Muḥammad ibn al-Muʿtaḍid, the brother of al-Muqtadir—was installed.

In Muḥarram of that year the breach between Muʾnis al-Khādim and the caliph widened. The commanders rallied around Muʾnis, the crisis deepened, and they finally agreed to depose al-Muqtadir and invest Muḥammad ibn al-Muʿtaḍid. They swore allegiance to him as caliph, addressed him with the caliphal salutation, and entitled him al-Qāhir bi-llāh. That occurred on the night of Saturday, the fifteenth of Muḥarram of that year. Abū ʿAlī ibn Muqlah ⦗9⦘ was granted the vizierate, the palace of al-Muqtadir was plundered, a great amount was carried off, and they found