that Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn Samʿūn, the preacher (1)—a man counted among the righteous—had gone on delivering his sermons as usual. ʿAḍud al-Dawlah therefore sent for him, had him taken from his gathering, and it was said to him, “When you come before the ruler, kiss the ground and speak with utmost humility.”

When Ibn Samʿūn entered the palace, he found that the sultan was seated alone in a private chamber so that, should Ibn Samʿūn utter any critical word, no one else would be present to hear it (2). The chamberlain went in ahead of him to ask permission, but Ibn Samʿūn followed close behind. Seeing the ruler seated there by himself, he first turned his face toward the residence of ʿIzz al-Dawlah and began to recite:
“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
Such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the cities while they do wrong; His seizing is truly painful, severe.” (Hūd 11:102)

He then turned toward the king and recited:
“Then We made you successors on earth after them so that We might see how you would act.” (Yūnus 10:14)

After that he addressed the ruler and admonished him, whereupon ʿAḍud al-Dawlah wept profusely and thanked him.

When Ibn Samʿūn had withdrawn, the ruler said to the chamberlain, “Go and take three thousand dirhams and ten robes; give them to him or to the poor among his family. If he accepts them, bring me his head.”

The chamberlain relates: “I went to him and said, ‘These are garments the king has sent for you to wear.’ He replied, ‘I have no need of them. These clothes of mine date back to my father’s time—forty years now. Whenever I go out to the people I put them on, and when I return I fold them away.’ I then said, ‘And here is some money for your expenses.’ He said, ‘I have no need of it. I live off the rent of a house my father left me; it suffices me’ (3).

“I said, ‘Then give it to the poor of your household.’ He answered, ‘The ruler’s household is more deserving of it than mine and needier than they are.’ So I went back to the king to consult him and informed him of what he had said. The king remained silent for a while and then declared, ‘Praise be to Allah who has spared us from him, and spared him from us.’ (4)

“Later, ʿAḍud al-Dawlah seized Ibn Baqiyyah, the vizier of ʿIzz al-Dawlah, ordered that he be placed beneath the feet of elephants, and they trampled him until he died. He was then crucified atop the bridge in Shawwāl of that same year. Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Anbārī (5) lamented him with these verses:

Exalted you were—alive and when dead;
indeed, you are one of the marvels.
It seemed, when the people gathered around you,
that they were the delegations of your bounty in days gone by.
It was as though you were standing among them, delivering a sermon,
while all of them stood ready for prayer.
You stretched out your hands toward them in welcome,
as once you had stretched them out to them with your gifts.