Devout in his faith, he died when he was close to eighty years of age (may Allah have mercy on him). He was an authority in the Arabic language (1)—as well as in arithmetic and grammar—a jurist skilled in debate, thoroughly versed in the two foundational sciences and in fiqh.

Qāḍī Ibn Khallikān (2) relates that, in his commentary (3) on the Maqāmāt, he mentioned that the bird known as the ʿAnqāʾ Maghrib used to come to a lofty mountain frequented by the People of al-Rass (4). At times she would carry off some of their children, so they complained to their prophet, Ḥanẓala ibn Ṣafwān. He invoked a curse upon her and she perished. He said: her face was like that of a human being, yet she shared features with every species of bird.

Al-Zamakhsharī records in his book Rabiʿ al-Abrār that in the time of Moses (5) she possessed four wings on each side and a human-like face showing many similarities to other animals (6), and that she survived until the era of Khālid ibn Sinan al-ʿAbsī, who lived during the interval between prophets. He prayed against her, whereupon she died—Allah knows best.

Ibn Khallikān also reports that al-Muʿizz the Fāṭimid was once presented with a strangely shaped bird brought from Upper Egypt (7) called the ʿAnqāʾ Maghrib.

I say: Both Khālid ibn Sinan and Ḥanẓala ibn Ṣafwān lived in the period of prophetic hiatus (fatra). Each was righteous, but neither was a prophet, in view of the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: “I am the person most closely related to Jesus son of Mary, for there is no prophet between him and me” (8). We have already discussed this in its proper place (9).

The ḥāfiẓ ʿImād al-Dīn Abū al-Qāsim (10) ʿAlī, son of the ḥāfiẓ Bahāʾ al-Dīn Abī Muḥammad al-Qāsim, grandson of the great ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Hibat Allāh ibn ʿAsākir al-Dimashqī.