The genealogy of this person is as follows: Ismāʿīl b. ʿAbdurraḥmān b. Aḥmad b. Ismāʿīl b. ʿĀmir b. ʿAbīd al-Nīsābūrī. He was a ḥāfiẓ of ḥadīth, a mufassir (Qur'anic exegete), and a preacher. While going on pilgrimage, he stopped in Dimashq. There, he listened to ḥadīth and delivered admonitions and exhortations to the people. Ibn ʿAsākir has narrated his biography extensively and transmitted his beautiful sayings and poems. One of his fine poems is as follows:
"If I do not touch your wealth and provisions, nor expect goodness and ihsān (spiritual excellence) from you, then you are also servants of the One whom I serve. So why should I tire this free body of mine?"
Ibn ʿAsākir reported that Imām al-Harāmayn said: "When I was in Makkah, I was hesitant regarding the madhāhib (legal schools). I did not know which madhhab to follow. In a dream, I saw the Prophet (ṣallā llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), who said to me: 'Hold fast to the creed of Abu ʿUthmān al-Sabūnī.' May Allah have mercy on him."