Shaykh Fakhrud-Din Ibn ^Asakir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said

Shaykh Fakhrud-Din Ibn ^Asakir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

• Explanation: The author is Fakhrud-Din Abu Mansur ^Abdur-Rahman Ibn Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Hibatullah Ibn ^Abdullah Ibn al-Husayn ad-Dimashqiyy, known as Ibn ^Asakir, the famous Shafi^iyy faqih (great scholar).
  
  The known faqih and historian, Abu Shamah, said: None of his paternal grandfathers was named ^Asakir even though they were well-known by this name at home. ^Asakir, possibly, is a name of some of his maternal grandfathers." He is the nephew of Abul-Qasim ^Aliyy Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Hibatullah Ibn ^Asakir, the Damascene scholar and memorizer of hadith. He was born in the year 550 AH (as he wrote with his own hand), in an honorable and grand house. He, may Allah have mercy on him, paid close attention to obtaining knowledge at a young age. He learned the knowledge of the Religion from Qutbud-Din, Mas^ud An-Naysaburiyy, whose daughter Ibn ^Asakir later married. He also learned from his uncle, al-Hafidh Abul-Qasim, Sharafud-Din ^Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abu ^Asrun, Asma' Bint Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Tahir and her sister, Aminah, among others.
  
  He taught fiqh (knowledge of the rules of the Religion) and narrated hadith in Makkah, Damascus, and Jerusalem, as well as in other places. In his book, As-Siyar, adh-Dhahabiyy related that a number of the known scholars praised him. Ibn as-Subkiyy (Ibn as-Subkiyy is Tajud-din ^Abdul-Wahhab Ibn ^Aliyy as-Subkiyy.) said in his book, Tabaqat ash-Shafi^iyyah: "He is the last that combined knowledge and performance. The people of his era agreed on regarding him greatly for his mind and religiousness."
  
  Abu Shamah, in his book, Dhayl-ur-Rawdatayn, said: "One night King al-Mu^adhdham sent for Ibn ^Asakir to assign him as the judge. He sat Ibn ^Asakir next to him and offered him food, but Ibn ^Asakir abstained. To al-Mu^adhdham's insisting that he be assigned with the judiciary, Ibn ^Asakir replied that he would make 'istikharah (to pray to Allah to guide him to the correct decision). Ibn ^Asakir returned to his room that was by the mihrab of the Companions (in the Umayyad Mosque) and went inside. He prayed at night in the mosque to Allah and cried until Fajr. When the morning came, the king's assistants came to him, but he was adamant in refusing the position and instead recommended Ibn al-Harastaniyy. Ibn ^Asakir had feared that he would be forced to accept this position and had prepared his family to leave the city. His students had gone before him to Allepo. Al-^Adil, the ruler of Allepo and the brother of al-Mu^adhdham, feeling pity for Ibn ^Asakir, sent them back. His heart had softened for Ibn ^Asakir and he told him to name someone else for that position. So Ibn ^Asakir named Ibn al-Harastaniyy."
  
  Among Ibn ^Asakir's poetry is:
  
  "Be fearful at night when you are hopeful (of Allah),
  and be hopeful (of Allah) if you wake up fearful.
  So often time has brought hardships,
  and with them, mercies (from Allah)."
  
  Ibn ^Asakir compiled many works in fiqh and hadith. He died on the 10th of Rajab in the year 620 AH. Very few people did not attend his funeral. He was buried in the Cemetery of the Sufis in Damascus.
  
  Abu Shamah said: "I was told by one who witnessed his death that he prayed adh-Dhuhr, and asked about ^Asr. He performed Wudu', uttered ash-Shahadatayn, and while sitting, said: 'I have accepted Allah as my Lord, Islam as my Religion, and Muhammad as my Prophet. May Allah enable me to utter it, forgive me, and have mercy upon me in my grave where I will be alone.' Then he said: 'wa ^alaykumus-salam' in salutation, from which we knew that the angels came, then he turned and died." He was ill with diarrhea. May Allah bestow mercy on him.