Al-Malik al-ʿĀdil Badr al-Din Sulamish ⦗1⦘, son of al-Ẓāhir ⦗2⦘, was hailed as sultan after his brother al-Malik al-Saʿīd. Al-Malik al-Manṣūr Qalāwūn appointed him as his atabeg, but Qalāwūn soon seized sole authority. He sent them first to al-Karak, then brought them back to Cairo, after which al-Ashraf Khalīl, at the very start of his reign, exiled them to the land of al-Ashkari ⦗3⦘ in the region of Istanbul. There Sulamish died ⦗4⦘, while his brother Najm al-Din Khidr and their family remained in that area. Sulamish had been one of the most handsome of men ⦗5⦘ and the most splendid in appearance; many people were captivated by him—including those inclined to sodomy who are enamoured of beardless youths ⦗6⦘. Poets extolled his youthful beauty, yet he himself was intelligent, eminent, imposing, and dignified. May Allah have mercy on him.
ʿAfīf al-Tilmīsānī ⦗7⦘, Abū al-Rabīʿ Sulaymān ibn ʿAlī ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAlī ibn Yāsīn al-ʿĀbidī ⦗8⦘, originally of Kūfah ⦗9⦘ and later of Tlemcen, was a poet well-versed in several disciplines ⦗10⦘—grammar, literature, jurisprudence, and legal theory among them. He authored works in those fields, including a Commentary on the Spiritual Stations of al-Niffarī ⦗11⦘, a Commentary on the Most Beautiful Names of Allah ⦗12⦘, and a well-known Dīwān ⦗13⦘; his son Muḥammad compiled another Dīwān. This man, however, has been accused of grievous statements ⦗14⦘ and of holding doctrines of ḥulūl (divine indwelling), ittiḥād (unitive pantheism), and outright zandaqa (heresy).
(1) The vocalization follows al-Dhahabi’s autograph in Tarikh al-Islam, and in al-Nujum and al-Dalil as “Salamush,” while in al-‘Ibar and Shudhurat al-Dhahab it appears as “Sulamish.” The biography of Salamish is found in Tarikh al-Islam (vol. 15, p. 653), al-‘Ibar (vol. 5, p. 367), al-Nujum al-Zahira (vol. 7, pp. 286–289), al-Dalil al-Shafi (vol. 1, p. 315), and Shudhurat al-Dhahab (vol. 7, p. 719).
(2) In edition A: al-Malik al-‘Adil al-Zahir; in B: al-Malik Badr al-Din Salamish b. al-Malik al-Zahir. The present reading follows the T manuscript.
(3) The term bilad al-Ashkari refers to the Byzantine Empire.
(4) In the T manuscript: “hunak” (there).
(5) In both A and B: Ahsan al-Shabab.
(6) Present only in the T manuscript.
(7) The biography of al-‘Afif al-Tilmisani appears in Tarikh al-Islam (vol. 15, p. 654), al-‘Ibar (vol. 5, p. 367), al-Ishara (p. 378), al-Wafi al-Wafayat (vol. 15, p. 408), Fawat al-Wafayat (vol. 2, pp. 72–76), Mira’at al-Jinan (vol. 4, p. 216), al-Nujum al-Zahira (vol. 8, pp. 29–31), al-Dalil al-Shafi (vol. 1, p. 319), al-Kawakib al-Durriyya li-l-Manawi (vol. 2, pp. 89–96), Shudhurat al-Dhahab (vol. 7, pp. 719–721), Jami‘ Karamat al-Awliya’ (vol. 2, p. 20), al-A‘lam (vol. 3, p. 193), and Mu‘jam al-Mu’allifin (vol. 4, p. 270).
(8) In al-Dalil al-Shafi: al-‘Aidi, likely a scribal error.
(9) In B: al-Kufi; in A: al-Kurki. The correct reading, attested in the T manuscript and al-Dhahabi’s Tarikh al-Islam, is preferred by al-Zarkali in A‘lam, since the individual belonged to the tribe of Kumiya.
(10) In A: al-Mutqin fi ‘ulum minha al-nahw (proficient in sciences, including grammar); in B: al-sha‘ir al-mutafannin fi ‘ulum kathira ayḍan minha al-nahw (the poet skilled in many sciences, including grammar).
(11) In the T manuscript: al-Nafir; in B: al-Naqawi. The reading here follows A. He is Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Jabbar b. al-Hasan al-Niffari, known as Abu ‘Abd Allah, a Sufi from al-Niffar near Kufa. His work al-Mawaqif is published; he died in 354 AH. See Mu‘jam al-Buldan (vol. 5, p. 357); al-A‘lam (vol. 7, p. 55); Mu‘jam al-Mu’allifin (vol. 10, p. 155).
(12) In B: Sharh al-Asma al-Husna (Explanation of the Most Beautiful Names).
(13) Present only in the T manuscript.
(14) In B: Fi al-Aqwal wal-Af‘al wal-I‘tiqad; its reputation suffices.