Then the year 371 AH began.

In Rabīʿ al-Awwal of that year a great fire broke out in the district of al-Karkh in Baghdad. During the same year a precious object belonging to ʿAḍud al-Dawlah was stolen, and people were amazed that such a deed could be carried out despite the formidable awe in which he was held. Even after the most strenuous investigation, the culprit could not be identified. It was said that the ruler of Egypt had dispatched the person who committed the theft—but Allah knows best (1).

Among the notable figures who died in that year were:

(2) Al-Ismāʿīlī: Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Ismāʿīl ibn al-ʿAbbās, Abū Bakr al-Ismāʿīlī al-Jurjānī—the great ḥāfiẓ, tireless traveller in search of ḥadith. He heard a vast amount, narrated, extracted, and authored works. His efforts were beneficial and exemplary, and his critical judgment and creed were commendable. He wrote a book on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī that contains numerous insights and abundant learning. Al-Dāraquṭnī said, “More than once I resolved to journey to him, but I was not granted the opportunity.” He passed away on Saturday, the tenth of Rajab in 371 AH (3), at the age of ninety-four (4). May Allah have mercy on him.

(5) Al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ, Abū Muḥammad al-Sabīʿī. He heard ḥadith from Ibn Jarīr, Qāsim al-Muṭarriz, and others, and al-Dāraquṭnī and al-Barqānī narrated from him. He was trustworthy, a prodigious and precise memorizer, though it was difficult to obtain narrations from him. May Allah have mercy on him.