On Wednesday, the twenty-fifth of Muḥarram, our companion—the Shaykh, Imām, learned scholar, devout ascetic, and humble worshipper Nūr al-Dīn (1) Muḥammad (2) ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn al-Ṣāʾiʿ al-Shāfiʿī, lecturer at the ʿAmādiyyah—passed away. May Allah have mercy on him. He possessed many virtues in the manner of the righteous predecessors: abundant worship, constant Qur’an recitation, long night-vigils, serene composure, and fine character. He was a little over forty—about three years beyond that. May Allah show him mercy and honor his resting place.
On Wednesday, the third of Ṣafar, the ḥadīth scholar Taqī al-Dīn ibn Rāfiʿ (3) formally assumed the directorship of the Nūriyyah Dār al-Ḥadīth. A gathering of scholars, judges, and dignitaries attended. That concludes the matter; Allah Most High knows best.
Arrest of the Viceroy Arghūn Shāh
During the night of Thursday, the twenty-third of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, the viceroy of the sultanate in Damascus, the amir Sayf al-Dīn Arghūn Shāh, was seized. He had moved with his household into the Ablak Palace, and in the middle of the night—without warning—the viceroy of Tripoli, the amir Sayf al-Dīn Uljībughā al-Muẓaffarī al-Nāṣirī, rode against him at the head of a contingent of amirs, thousands strong, along with others. They surrounded the palace; some entered upon him while he lay asleep among his bondmaids. He came out to them, whereupon they arrested him, shackled him, and placed him under guard.
Most of the populace awoke unaware of what had occurred, but the news quickly spread. The Turkish troops rallied around the aforementioned amir Sayf al-Dīn Uljībughā, who encamped outside the city, while Arghūn Shāh’s assets were placed under sequestration. He had gone to bed honored and rose disgraced; he had retired wealthy—(4) the viceroy of the sultanate—yet awoke surrounded by poverty and need. Glorified be the One in whose hand lies the command, the Sovereign of all dominion: He grants dominion to whom He wills and strips it from whom He wills; He exalts whom He wills and debases whom He wills (5).
This accords with Allah’s words:
“Can the people of the towns feel secure that Our punishment will not come upon them by night while they are asleep? Or can the people of the towns feel secure that Our punishment will not come upon them in broad daylight while they are at play? Do they, then, feel secure from Allah’s plan? None feels secure from Allah’s plan except a people who are losers.” [al-Aʿrāf 97–99]
Then, in the night preceding Friday, the twenty-fourth of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, he was found slaughtered. A formal report was drawn up stating that he had slain himself (6). Allah knows best.