Abū Bakr ibn Shāhawayh

Of this generation was Abū Bakr ibn Shāhawayh. He died in Nishapur in 361. Mastery of calculation, the solution of astronomical tables, and the construction of figures from Euclid's book culminated in him, along with retention of the doctrine and knowledge of subtle points. ʿAḍud al-Dawla sent him with a group of jurists to Bukhara on a mission. The lands of Khurasan were made attractive to him. Ismāʿīl al-Zāhid related to me saying: I saw Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl al-Bukhārī, who had brought to him [Ibn Shāhawayh, the subject of the preceding paragraph] a fascicle containing difficult questions from the books. Abū Bakr dictated their answers immediately. Ibn al-Faḍl kissed his head and said, “I did not think anyone like you existed on the face of the earth.” [The Arabic uses compressed pronoun references; Ibn Shāhawayh is understood as the respondent from the preceding passage and the concluding praise.]

Of this generation was Abū Bakr ibn Shāhawayh. He died in Nishapur in 361. Mastery of calculation, the solution of astronomical tables, and the construction of figures from Euclid's book culminated in him, along with retention of the doctrine and knowledge of subtle points. ʿAḍud al-Dawla sent him with a group of jurists to Bukhara on a mission. The lands of Khurasan were made attractive to him. Ismāʿīl al-Zāhid related to me saying: I saw Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl al-Bukhārī, who had brought to him [Ibn Shāhawayh, the subject of the preceding paragraph] a fascicle containing difficult questions from the books. Abū Bakr dictated their answers immediately. Ibn al-Faḍl kissed his head and said, “I did not think anyone like you existed on the face of the earth.” [The Arabic uses compressed pronoun references; Ibn Shāhawayh is understood as the respondent from the preceding passage and the concluding praise.]