On this day the merchant Afrīdūn (1)—the man who built the madrasa outside Bāb al-Jābiyyah (2), opposite the mausoleum of Bahadaras, its walls of variegated stone—passed away. He had made the place a house for the Noble Qur’an and endowed it with generous waqf properties. He was well-known and much appreciated; may Allah have mercy on him and honor his resting place.

On Saturday, the third of Rajab, the funeral prayer was held for Shaykh ʿAlī (3) al-Ghazzī (4), one of the disciples of Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Ibn Taymiyyah, in the Aframī Mosque at the foot of Mount Qāsiyūn; he was buried on the same slope—may Allah have mercy on him.

He was devoted to worship, asceticism, austerity, and meticulous piety. He never accepted any official post, nor did he own wealth; rather, he lived on occasional futūḥ (charitable gifts), spending them sparingly. He practiced Sufism and left behind a wife and three children—may Allah have mercy on him.

On the morning of Wednesday, the seventh of Rajab, the funeral prayer for the judge Zayn al-Dīn (5) Ibn al-Nujayḥ, the deputy Hanbali judge, was performed in the Muẓaffarī Mosque, after which he was buried on the slope of Mount Qāsiyūn. He was praised for his judicial conduct, possessed many virtues, piety, and devotion, and was among the disciples of Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Ibn Taymiyyah. Earlier disputes had arisen between him and the Shafiʿi judge over certain matters, but they later reconciled.

On Monday, the twelfth of the month, after the call to the noon prayer, a fierce wind swept Damascus and its environs, raising a thick dust that turned the sky yellow and then black until daylight disappeared. People remained in that darkness for about a quarter of an hour, seeking Allah’s protection, imploring forgiveness, and weeping—while already suffering rampant, sudden deaths. They hoped the event might mark the end of the plague afflicting them, but the calamity only worsened. Allah is the One whose help is sought.

The number of those prayed over in the Umayyad Mosque reached about one hundred and fifty—sometimes more—excluding those not brought there from the city’s quarters and the deceased among the People of the Book. In the surrounding towns and districts the figure was far higher; it is said that on many days it reached one thousand. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return.

After the noon prayer that same day, the funeral prayer was held in the Muẓaffarī Mosque for Shaykh Ibrāhīm (6) ibn al-Muḥibb, who was—