"[He was] the Sheikh, the righteous, the follower of the narrations (athari); he was a virtuous scholar of hadith."
Al-Dhahabi said in al-Tarikh (The History): "The righteous Sheikh, the ascetic scholar; he heard much [hadith] and transcribed many monographs (ajza’)... He was content, chaste, and patient in the face of poverty, and he would not accept anything from anyone. He fasted frequently; when he broke his fast, he would limit himself to fourteen morsels, or thereabouts, attributing this practice to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
He was a proclaimer of the right and a forbidder of the wrong:
He once entered upon the Sultan [known as] al-Nasir and rebuked the Sultan for some of his lapses. Consequently, the Sultan struck him with his fist and had him removed. Later, the Sultan felt remorse and sent for him to seek his favor, but he said: 'I wish I could enter upon him again and address him as I did before, so that he might strike me once more!'
He also rebuked al-Badara’i for standing during the supplication for the Caliph at the Abode of Felicity (Dar al-Sa‘adah)!
He used to rebuke the high-ranking emirs and address them harshly in public assemblies.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) was a caller to the Sunnah and a shunner of innovation:
Al-Dhahabi remarked here: 'However, he was lacking in excellence and fell short in silencing his opponents.'"
