Abu Uthman al-Sabuni Isma'il ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Nisaburi

Shaykh al-Islam Abu 'Uthman al-Sabuni Isma'il b. 'Abd al-Rahman of Nishapur — Shafi'i preacher, mufassir, author; an imam, hafiz, authority, foremost in eloquence and adab, a strange one of the sciences — he sat to preach at ten years old and the imams of his time attended his first circle — al-Sa'luki, Abu Bakr al-Farawi, Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini — keeping to his circle marvelling at his eloquence and perfect wit. ²

He preached to the Muslims seventy years, delivered the khutba and prayed in the congregational mosque some twenty years — the sword of the Sunna and serpent of the innovators; among his works the Kitab al-fusul in the principles; al-Bayhaqi said: shaykh al-Islam truly, imam of the Muslims rightly. He died in Safar 449 at seventy-seven. ²