He resided in Baghdad and was a naturally gifted dialectical theologian, famed for his clever anecdotes. Among the verses that al-Khaṭīb transmits from him are the following:
We look upon the world in all its bloom (1)
and at once desire it—no heart is ever free of cravings (2).
The surplus of living is mostly cares,
and what harms you most is what you love.
Let not the gilded show that meets your eyes deceive you,
nor a life whose contours seem soft and smooth.
If a sufficiency comes to you unbidden,
accept it—for wealth is but pasture and drink.
When a little, coupled with peace, is at hand,
seek not the abundance that is gained through war.

[Then the year 444 AH began.]
In it: official documents were drafted concerning the Egyptian caliphs, declaring them pretenders—liars—with no sound lineage to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. These documents were signed by the judges, jurists, and members of the Prophet’s household.

Also that year: tremendous earthquakes struck the regions of Arrajān, Ahwāz, and the surrounding districts, demolishing many dwellings, houses, and the battlements of palaces. A reliable eyewitness reported that his own īwān split so wide he could see the sky, then closed again as though nothing had changed.

In Dhū al-Qaʿdah fighting flared up once more between the Rafidites and the Sunnis. Many places were burned and multitudes on both sides were killed. On their mosques they inscribed, “Muḥammad and ʿAlī are the best of mankind,” and in the call to prayer they added “ḥayya ʿalā khayr al-ʿamal.” Warfare continued between them, while al-Qaṭīʿī the ʿayyār bore down on the Rafidites so relentlessly that they found no rest in his presence—one of the decrees of destiny.

[Among the notable deaths of the year]
Ibn al-Mudhhib, transmitter of the Musnad (3): al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Wahb ibn Sunbul (4) ibn Qurrah ibn Wāqid, Abū ʿAlī al-Tamīmī, the preacher.