The Passing of Our Shaykh, the Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Ḥajjāj al-Mizzī (1)
He fell ill for only a few days, yet the ailment did not keep him from attending the congregational prayers, joining the lessons, and transmitting ḥadīth. On Friday, the 11th of Ṣafar, he continued dictating ḥadīth until shortly before the prayer, then returned home to perform ablution and go out for the salāh. A severe pain seized his abdomen; he thought it was colic (qawlanj), but it was in fact the plague, and he was unable to attend the prayer. When we had finished, I was told that he had taken to his bed, so I went to him and found him shivering violently from the intensity of the pain. When I asked about his state, he kept repeating, “Praise be to Allah,” and informed me of the severity of his illness. He still prayed the noon (ẓuhr) prayer on his own, went to the place of purification, and performed ritual ablution despite his agony. This condition remained until the next day, Saturday. When noon approached I was not with him, but his daughter Zaynab—my wife—told us that as soon as the call to prayer was given his mind became slightly clouded.
She said, “Father, the noon call to prayer has been made.” He mentioned Allah and replied, “I want to pray.” He performed dry ablution (tayammum), prayed, lay down, and began to recite the Throne Verse until his tongue could no longer utter it, and his soul departed between the two prayers—may Allah have mercy on him—on Saturday, the 12th of Ṣafar. He could not be prepared for burial that night. At dawn of the next day, Sunday, the 13th of Ṣafar, he was washed, shrouded, and the funeral prayer was held for him in the Umayyad Mosque. The judges, dignitaries, and crowds beyond number attended. His bier was carried out through Bāb al-Naṣr, and the viceroy Emir ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Alṭanbughā came out along with the royal chancery, the ṣāḥib, the kātib al-sirr, and other emirs. They prayed over him outside Bāb al-Naṣr, led by the judge Taqī al-Dīn al-Subkī al-Shāfiʿī, who had also led the prayer in the Umayyad Mosque. He was then taken to the Ṣūfī cemetery and buried there beside his wife—the righteous woman who had memorized the Book of Allah—ʿĀʾisha daughter of Ibrāhīm b. Ṣudayq, to the west of the grave of Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah be pleased with them all.
A most remarkable occurrence
On Wednesday, the 30th of Ṣafar, an emir arrived from Egypt bearing the pledge of allegiance for King al-Ashraf ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Kujuk (2), son of al-Malik al-Nāṣir, after the deposition of his brother al-Manṣūr because of the actions attributed to him—drinking intoxicants, frequenting indecencies, engaging in conduct unbefitting his rank, and keeping close company with favorites among beardless youths and others,