He was the foremost scholar of Arabic in his day. After the death of his teacher Abū Zakariyyāʾ al-Tabrīzī he served for a time (1) as Shaykh of Arabic at the Niẓāmiyya College. He led the prayers for the caliph al-Muqtafī, and the caliph would sometimes read to him from various books. Intelligent and modest in dress, he was sparing of speech and much given to reflection. On Fridays he conducted a lesson circle in the Palace Mosque. He did, however, have a slight speech impediment. Seated beside him was al-Maghribī, the interpreter of dreams—a learned man, yet one who nodded off frequently during the session. Concerning the two, one of the men of letters composed the following (2):

Baghdad, to my mind, bears a sin that will not be forgiven,
Her blemishes stand exposed, never to be concealed:
That al-Jawāliqī should dictate the language within her,
And that al-Maghribī should interpret dreams;
Bound by his lisp, he proclaims eloquence,
While a drowsy man interprets slumber even as he sleeps (3).

Then came the year 541 AH.

On the night of the first (4) of Rabīʿ al-Awwal (5) the palace built by al-Mustarshid caught fire. Exceedingly beautiful, it had only just received Caliph al-Muqtafī, who had moved there with his concubines and favored attendants (6) for a three-day stay. No sooner had they fallen asleep than the palace went up in flames: a maidservant carrying a candle had let its flame catch on some wood. The entire palace burned, yet Allah preserved the caliph and his household. At daybreak he gave away large sums in charity and freed many prisoners.

In Rajab of that same year (7) a clash occurred between the caliph and Sultan Masʿūd (8). The caliph ordered all the mosques closed; they remained shut for three days until the two were reconciled.

On Friday, the middle (9) of Dhū al-Qaʿda, Ibn al-ʿAbbādī (10) the preacher mounted the pulpit and spoke while Sultan Masʿūd