His full name is Mubārak b. Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Karīm b. ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Majd al-Dīn Abū’s-Saʿādāt al-Shaybānī. He was from Cizre. He belonged to the Shāfiʿī school of law. He became known by the name Ibn al-Athīr. He was the brother of Ḥāfiẓ ʿIzz al-Dīn Abū’l-Ḥasan, the author of the work al-Kāmil fī’t-Tārīkh, and of Ẓiyāʾ al-Dīn Naṣr Allāh, vizier to Malik Afḍal. He was born in the month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal or Rabīʿ al-Ākhir in the year 544 of the Hijra. He listened to many hadiths. He recited the Qur’an. He thoroughly learned the sciences of the Qur’an. He resided in Mosul. He compiled beneficial books on other sciences. He has a book entitled Jāmiʿ al-Uṣūl al-Sitta. In this book, he deals with the Muwaṭṭaʾ, al-Bukhārī’s Ṣaḥīḥ, Muslim’s Ṣaḥīḥ, Abū Dāwūd’s Sunan, al-Nasāʾī’s Sunan, and al-Tirmidhī’s Sunan. However, in this book he does not mention Ibn Mājah.
He has Kitāb al-Nihāya fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth, Sharḥ Musnad al-Shāfiʿī, and a four-volume tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis). He also has works on other sciences. He was respected by the rulers of Mosul. When Nūr al-Dīn Arslānshāh ascended the throne, he sent his slave Luʾluʾ to him with an offer of vizierate. However, Ibn al-Athīr did not accept this offer. This time, Nūr al-Dīn Arslānshāh came to him personally. He repeated his offer; Ibn al-Athīr again did not accept and said:
“My age has advanced. I have become famous for spreading knowledge. The vizierate, however, requires some use of force and oppression. This does not suit me.” Upon his presenting this justification, Nūr al-Dīn Arslānshāh excused him.
Ibn al-Athīr Abū’s-Saʿādāt said: I was learning the Arabic language from Saʿīd b. Daḥḥān. He ordered me to engage with poetry. But I could not occupy myself with poetry. I could not do justice to poetry. After my shaykh Saʿīd passed away, one night I saw him in a dream. He again ordered me to engage with poetry. I said to him: “Give me a poem as an example so that I may work on it.” Upon my saying this, he recited to me the following poem:
“Love heights constantly. If you do not attain victory, then I say:
Dig into the earth in the darkness of night and enter it.
The center of honor and superiority is attained by mounting a steed in the darkness of night.
Honor is begotten by night journeys and sleeplessness.”
I said to him, “You have spoken well.” Then, when I awoke, I wrote about twenty verses on that poem and completed it.”
Ibn al-Athīr Abū’s-Saʿādāt passed away at the end of the month of Dhū’l-Ḥijja this year, at the age of sixty-two. His brother, when relating his biography in the work Zayl, said the following:
“Abū’s-Saʿādāt had a share in many sciences. He had his portion of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), ʿilm al-uṣūl (principles of jurisprudence), naḥw (grammar), hadith, and lexicography. He has famous classified works and compiled treatises on tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), hadith, fiqh, arithmetic, and gharīb al-ḥadīth (unusual terms in hadith). He would seclude himself in his home and occupy himself with knowledge. He was a sound and steadfast person, and was cited as an example in this regard. He was set upon the ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm (the straight path). May Allah have mercy on him. He was among the beauties of his time.”
Mujallid al-Muṭarrazī al-Naḥwī al-Khwarizmī
He was an imam in grammar. He was a leading scholar. He has fine classified works on grammar. He passed away this year.
Malik Mughīs
Fath al-Dīn ʿUmar b. Malik ʿĀdil. When he died this year, he was buried at the foot of Mount Qasyūn in the tomb of his brother Muʿaẓẓam. Malik Muʾayyad was also buried there.
Masʿūd b. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn
He died in the madrasah of Raʾs al-ʿAyn. He was taken to Aleppo and buried there. May Allah have mercy on him.