ʿAbd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Ibrāhīm (1), Abū Muhammad al-Asadī, better known as Ibn al-Akfānī, Chief Judge of Baghdad. He was born in 316 AH. He transmitted hadith from Qāḍī al-Muḥāmilī, Muḥammad ibn Makhlad, Ibn ʿUqda, and others, while al-Barqānī and al-Tanūkhī narrated from him. It is said that he spent one hundred thousand dinars [on students of knowledge]. He was chaste, upright, and careful to protect his honour. He died this year at the age of eighty-five, having held the judiciary for forty years, at times as deputy and at times in full authority. May Allah have mercy on him.

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad (2) ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Idrīs, Abū (3) Saʿd al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Istarābādhī, known as al-Idrīsī. He travelled in pursuit of hadith, devoted himself to it, and heard from al-Aṣamm and others. He settled in Samarkand, where he compiled a chronicle (4) that he presented to al-Dāraqutnī, who commended it. He later taught in Baghdad, and al-Azhari and al-Tanūkhī heard from him. He was reliable and possessed an outstanding memory. May Allah have mercy on him.

Abū Naṣr ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿUmar ibn Aḥmad ibn Nubātah al-Saʿdī (5), the celebrated poet. He composed panegyrics for Sayf al-Dawla ibn Ḥamdān and for other leading figures and ministers; his verse is renowned for its polish and excellence. He is the author of the oft-recited line:

Whoever does not fall by the sword will die by some other means—
the causes (6) are many, but the malady (7) is one.

Among his poetry is also:

If you cannot overcome an enemy, circle round him,
and jest with him, for jesting brings accord.
Fire, when joined with water (8)—its very opposite—
bestows perfect cooking, though its nature is to burn.