[7/143] states that he died in 819 AH; most likely he slipped when he wrote 857—Allah knows best.

In his biographical notice—may Allah have mercy on him—we read in summary:
“He was born in the early 730s AH. He only began seeking knowledge once he was older, studying under Shaykh Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-ʿAlāʾī and others. He excelled in the laws of inheritance and in the science of timekeeping, and he copied numerous works in his own hand for himself and for others. Later he settled in Damascus, withdrawing to the village of ʿAqrabāʾ. Local dignitaries would visit him even though he never entered the city, and no one came to him without receiving his hospitality and humble courtesy. He was devout, ascetic, pure-hearted, well-dressed, and he retained a wealth of useful points and biographical information about the shaykhs he had met. He died in ʿAqrabāʾ, a martyr to the plague.”

I say: Although this manuscript is not without lacunae and a few slips, we have derived from it a great many benefits when compared with the printed editions. Many of those gains appear in this abridgement as well, and because they are so numerous I have pointed out only some of them—especially where they correct particular words or sentences. As for additions, I have enclosed them in square brackets [ ]. I may sometimes note that a given addition comes from the manuscript, though not always, for some were taken from other sources, the most important of which is the author’s own autograph abridgement kept in the Ẓāhiriyyah Library, collection 47, folios 104–111, under the title “Mukhtaṣar min al-Dhahabiyyah.” The two texts open, after the basmalah, with:

“Section: This is a compilation of statements from the Successors. It was the first time I heard anyone deny that Allah is above the Throne …”

Despite being a poor copy full of mistakes—as became clear once we transcribed it and collated it against the original—we still benefited from it in the form of additional material and corrections to various reports, as you will see in our commentary on this abridgement. At times I draw attention to these by saying: “And in the author’s abridgement ….”