he was a righteous, upright Shaykh, a learned Shāfiʿī jurist, an agreeable conversationalist, and the author of graceful verse.

Abū Shāmah (1) says: “Al-Qūṣī’s Muʿjam contains an excellent biography of him; it records that he died on the tenth of Rabīʿ al-Ākhir and was buried in the Ṣūfī cemetery.”

Al-Sibt adds: “He resided in the Amīnīyah Madrasa. He would not eat anyone’s food—not even the sultan’s. If he happened to be present at a meal, he would take something out of his sleeve and eat that instead. He constantly kept a thousand dinars fastened round his waist.

“He related: ‘One night Sultan al-ʿĀdil placed a cloak (ṭaylasān) on my shoulders. As I left, a naffāṭ (2) [with a torch in his hand] (3) walked in front of me, thinking I was the chief judge. When we reached the Post Gate by the house of Sayf, I slipped the cloak off, stuffed it into my sleeve, and slowed my pace. He turned round and saw no one behind him.

“‘He said to me, “Where is the judge?” I pointed toward the Nūriyya quarter and said, “He has gone home.” The moment he hurried off toward Nūriyya, I darted back to the Amīnīyah Madrasa and was rid of him.’”

Ibn al-Saʿī remarks: “He was born in 560 AH and left a large fortune that passed to his agnates. He possessed a fine knowledge of historical reports, chronicles, and people’s memorable days, together with piety, righteousness, and scrupulousness.”

Ibn al-Saʿī also cites a number of his poems, among them:

[Metre: al-Khafīf]
They told me, “The one you love—his cheeks have been tousled by hair,” (4)
I replied, “That is no disgrace!
The blush of the cheek has scorched the amber mole,
hence the smoke you see is but his side-lock.” (5)

And another (6):

[Metre: al-Sarīʿ]
My yearning for you falls short of yours for me—yet it (7) must (8) be laid bare;
for I am absent from your heart, while you will never depart from mine. (9)

Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Jārūd al-Mārānī (10), the Shāfiʿī jurist, was also counted among the distinguished scholars.