Ibn Ḥallīkān

Shams al-Dīn Abū'l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Abū Bakr b. Ḥallīkān. He was from Erbil. He belonged to the Shāfiʿī madhhab. He was a virtuous, leading, great scholar and imam. He was one of the foremost among the raʾīs (chief judges). During his time, he was the first to replace the qāḍīs (judges) of other madhhabs. These judges, who had previously been his deputies, began to issue independent rulings. The office of the qāḍī had almost become a periodic appointment alternating between him and Ibn Saʿīgh. Sometimes one was dismissed and the other appointed in his place; sometimes the other was dismissed and he took over again. Ibn Ḥallīkān taught as a mudarris (professor) in many madrasas, more than others could hope for. Towards the end of his life, he held only the mudarris position at the Amīnīya madrasa. His son, Kamāl al-Dīn Mūsā, was a mudarris at the Naṣībīya madrasa. Ibn Ḥallīkān passed away on a Saturday evening, the 26th of Rajab of this year, in the iwan of the Naṣībīya madrasa. He was seventy-three years old at his death. The next day he was buried in the Qasyūn cemetery. He composed poetry of a high degree and his lectures were also extremely beautiful. He left behind a useful historical work entitled Vafayāt al-Aʿyān, one of the unique works. The Exalted Allah, free from deficiencies, knows best the truth.