—he was a learned jurist and scholar, an ascetic devoted worshipper. After immersing himself in jurisprudence he turned to the study of hadith, kept company with al-Ghazali and learned from him, yet he would accuse him of holding the views of the philosophers, saying, “He entered into their very bowels and never came out again.” And Allah, exalted is He, knows best. ⦗1⦘

Then the year 546 AH began. During it the sultan’s army ⦗2⦘ raided the Ismaʿili territories, killed great numbers of people, and returned unharmed.

That same year Nur al-Din besieged Damascus ⦗for several months, after which he withdrew to Aleppo⦗3⦘, and the peace agreement was concluded through the mediation of al-Burhan al-Balkhi—may Allah have mercy on him.

Also that year the Franks fought the forces of Nur al-Din Mahmud; the Muslims were routed and many were slain. Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we return.

This calamity weighed heavily on King Nur al-Din; he abandoned comforts and forsook pleasure ⦗4⦘ until he could exact revenge. Later, a group of Turkoman amirs, together with some of their supporters ⦗5⦘, lay in wait for King Joscelin and at last captured him during one of his hunting excursions. Nur al-Din sent troops, stormed the Turkomans, and took Joscelin from them as a prisoner. He had been one of the leading ⦗6⦘ unbelievers, ⦗and among the greatest of the wicked⦗7⦘—may Allah curse him. Nur al-Din brought him before him ⦗in the most abject state⦗8⦘ and then imprisoned him, after which he marched out and seized all of Joscelin’s lands ⦗9⦘.

In Dhu al-Hijjah, Ibn al-ʿAbbadi sat in the al-Mansur Mosque ⦗10⦘ and delivered a discourse in the presence of ⦗11⦘ a number of dignitaries. The Hanbalis nearly sparked a disturbance that day because he did not belong to their school, but Allah’s grace prevailed and all remained calm.