Ishaq b. Mahan al-Musili. He was a man of letters, as was his father. In their time, such individuals were rarely encountered. He was a regular at the caliph's wine gatherings. He was knowledgeable in all sciences, and people of his era recognized him for this quality. He had his share of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), hadith, jadal (dialectical theology), kalam (Islamic theology), lughat (philology), and poetry. However, he became most renowned for his music. In music, there was no one like him in the world.
Al-Muʿtaṣim said: "When Ishaq sings, I imagine as if my dominion has been increased."
Al-Maʾmun also said: "If he were not famous for music, I would have appointed him as a judge, because I know his chastity, uprightness, and trustworthiness."
Ishaq had beautiful poems and a "Dīwān-i Kabīr" (Great Collection). He had many books on every branch of knowledge. He died in this year. There are also various reports that he died a year before or after this. Ibn ʿAsakir gave a detailed account of his biography, narrating fine things, brilliant poems, and astonishing stories about him, all of which would take up too much space to recount here.
The strangest of these is as follows: One day, Ishaq sang a song in the presence of Yahya b. Khalid b. Barmak, and Yahya gave him 1,000,000 dirhams. Yahya's sons, Jaʿfar and Faḍl, each gave him a million dirhams as well. There is a long story behind this.
Among the famous personalities who died in this year are Shurayh b. Yunus, Shayban b. Farrukh, ʿUbaydullah b. ʿUmar al-Qawariri, and Abu Bakr b. Abu Shayba. Abu Bakr was among the leading figures, the imams of Islam, and the authors of various works, and it is said that no one before or after him has compiled such valuable books as his.