unpick the two sleeves of my shirt and sell them (1).

Al-Farghānī also said:

“Muhammad ibn Jarīr was a man whom no one’s reproach could deter from doing what was right before Allah, despite the severe abuse and calumnies he suffered at the hands of the ignorant, the envious, and the heretical. As for people of knowledge and religion, they did not deny his learning, his asceticism and rejection of this world, or his contentment with the modest proceeds he received from an estate his father had left him in Tabaristan. When al-Khāqānī assumed the vizierate, he sent him a large sum of money, but he refused to accept it. He then offered him a judgeship, but he declined. His companions reproached him, saying, ‘You would be rewarded for this and would revive a sunnah that has fallen into disuse.’ They hoped he might agree to oversee the tribunal of grievances, but he rebuked them and said, ‘I had thought that if I ever desired such a position, you would dissuade me from it.’ (2)”

Abd al-Azīz ibn Muhammad said:

“He had renounced this world, forsaking it and its people, and held himself above seeking its goods. He was like a Quran scholar who knew nothing but the Quran, a hadith scholar who knew nothing but hadith, a jurist who knew nothing but jurisprudence, a grammarian who knew nothing but grammar, and an arithmetician who knew nothing but arithmetic. He was deeply learned in matters of worship and had mastered all these branches of knowledge. If you compared his books with those of others, you would find his works superior to theirs. (3)”

The scholars also praised his humility and nobility of character. Abū Bakr ibn Mujāhid said:

“We were told that he once met al-Muzanī in debate—and do not ask how decisively he prevailed over him—while the Shāfiʿīs were present and listening. Yet he never mentioned anything that had taken place between them.”

Abū Bakr ibn Kāmil said:

“I asked Abū Jaʿfar about the issue over which he and al-Muzanī had debated, but he would not mention it. He was too noble to exalt himself or speak of having defeated an opponent on a particular issue. Indeed, Abū Jaʿfar held al-Muzanī in high esteem, praised him lavishly, and spoke of his devoutness. (4)”