Shaykh al-Islam al-Makari

Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali b. Ahmad b. Yusuf b. Ja'far b. 'Urafa al-Makari, surnamed Shaykh al-Islam, descended from 'Utba b. Abi Sufyan Sakhr b. Harb b. Umayya; abundant in goodness and worship, he toured the lands, met scholars and shaykhs and took hadith from them, then returned to his homeland and withdrew. ¹

He met Shaykh Abu'l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri and heard from him — when they parted, one of his companions asked what he had seen of him and he said: "a man of the Muslims." And it was heard that some notables said to him: "You are the shaykh OF Islam," and he said: "Rather, a shaykh IN Islam." From his sons and grandsons came a company advanced at kings' courts. ¹