Al-Khatib Abu Bakr noted:"Do not envy those who wed this world for its adornments bright"!

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadiyy has approximately fifty works attributed to him, although Abu Sa^d As-Sam^aniyy estimated them at fifty-six.

Among the most renowned are: « Al-Faqih wa l-mutafaqqih », « Al-Jami^», « As-Sabiqu wa l-Lahiq », « Al-Muttafaq wa l-Muftaraq », « Al-Mudih », « Al-Ihtijaju bi sh-Shafi^iyy », « Al-Basmalatu wa ‘Annahamina l-Fatihah », « ‘Asma’u l-Mudallisin », « Taqyidu l-^Ilm », « Al-Qawlu fi n-Nujum » et « An-Nahyu ^an Sawmi yawmi sh-shakk ».  However, his most celebrated work is his book on the history of Baghdad, titled " Tarikhu Baghdad ".

Alongside the points we have discussed, we have also received from him harmonious verses, as exemplified in the following poem:

لعمْرُكَ ما شَجاني رَسْمُ دارٍ          وقَفْتُ به ولا ذِكْرُ المَغَانِــي
I swear I never was afflicted
By the remnants of a dwelling once inhabited,
Nor even by the memory of a beautiful property
That long sheltered a whole family.

ولا أَثَرُ الخِيامِ أراقَ دَمْعِي          لأجْلِ تَذكُّرِي عَهْدَ الغَواني
Never have the traces of nomadic camps,
Stirred in me tears or melancholic stamps,
Though they remind of women's grace,
Whose beauty needs no adornments' trace."

ولا مَلَكَ الهَوى يومًا قِيادِي          ولا عَاصَيْتُهُ فثَنى عِنانِـــي
Neither did the whims of passion held my reins,
Nor have I disobeyed them, veering off my lanes.

عَرَفْتُ فِعَالَهُ بِذَوِي التّصابِي          وما يَلْقَوْنَ مِنْ ذُلِّ الهَــوانِ
I learned his misdeeds by those who love distraction,
Those whose negligence has brought humiliation.

فَلَمْ أُطْمِعْهُ فِيَّ وكَمْ قَتِيــــلٍ          لَهُ في النَّاسِ ما يُحْصَى وَعانِ
I've devoured its hopes! Countless victims it laid,
Among the people, and how many it enslaved!

طَلَبْتُ أخًا صَحِيحَ الوُدِّ مَحْضًا          سَليمَ العَيْبِ مَحْفوظَ اللِّســانِ
I sought a brethren with pure, sincere affection,
Free from any flaws, and guarded in expression

فَلَمْ أعرِفْ مِنَ الإخْوانِ إلاَّ          نِفاقًا في التَّباعُدِ والتَّدانِـــي
Among brethren, I only found hypocrisy,
Whether we were nearby or at a distancy

وعالَمُ دَهْرِنا لا خَيْرَ فيهـــم          تَرى صُورًا تَرُوقُ بلا مَعانِي
Our era's folk are deprived of good, no glee!
Forms that allure, but void of worth, you see.

ووصْفُ جميعِهم هذا فما أن          أقولَ سِوى فلانٍ أو فــلانِ
None of them, alas, escapes this depiction,
And I can’t say that so-and-so is an exception.

ولمَّا لم أجِدْ حُـــرًا يُؤاتِــــــي          على ما نابَ مِنْ صَرْفِ الزَّمانِ
And since no free soul I could see,
Able to surmount life's trials with me.

صَبَرْتُ تَكرُّمًا لقِراعِ دَهْرِي          ولَمْ أجْزَعْ لِمَا مِنهُ دَهانِــــي
I bore with grace the trials sent my way,
Unmoved by what fate did convey.

ولَمْ أكُ في الشدائدِ مُسْتَكِينًا          أقولُ لها أَلا كُفِّي كَفانِـــي
In hardships, I did not bow nor made a plea,
Saying "Don’t you cease, that's enough for me."

ولَكنِّي صَليبُ العُودِ عَوْدٌ          رَبِيطُ الجأْشِ مَجْتَمِعُ الجَنانِ
But I am of firm nature, steadfast and strong,
With steady heart and resolve that lasts long.

أبيُّ النَّفْسِ لا أخْتَارُ رِزْقًا          يجيءُ بغيرِ سيفي أو سِنَانِي
Proud and strong, I solely draw sustenance,
With the blade of my sword or the point of my lance.

فعِزٌّ فِي لَظَى باغِيهِ يُشْوَى          ألذُّ مِنَ الـمَذَلَّةِ فِي الجِنـانِ
For glory and honour in hardship and effort
Are much sweeter than disgrace in comfort.

ومَنْ طَلَبَ المعالِي وابْتَغاهــا          أدَارَ لها رَحى الحرْبِ العَوانِ 
He who seeks the heights and pursues them,
Rolls the millstone of relentless war for them.

It is also attributed to him:

Do not envy those who wed this world for its adornments bright,
Nor for the fleeting moments of joy that bring delight.
Its turnabout is swift, a sudden, harsh rebuff,
And its deceit, to all, is clear enough.
How many have died from honey they ingested with glee,
How many carried the sword that led to their fatality?

He also said :

 If you truly seek righteousness and salvation's light,
For this worldly life and the Last Day’s sight,
Disobey your soul's wicked demands,
For passion leads to immoral lands.

His passing

Makkiyy Ar-Rumayliyy recounted that Al-Khatib became ill amid Ramadan, with his condition deteriorating by the month of Dhu l-Hijjah. He expressed his wish to be buried near the tomb of Bishr Al-Hafi in Bab Harb, Baghdad. He generously donated all the remaining money he had, amounting to approximately two hundred dinars. Additionally, he instructed that all his clothing be given away in charity and dedicated the proceeds from all his books for people to benefit from after his death.

He passed away on Monday, the seventh of Dhu l-Hijjah in the year 463 of the Hijri calendar. Scholars of jurisprudence along with the common people accompanied the funeral procession to the Grand Mosque Al-Mansur, and among them, some chanted: "He who vindicated the Prophet from the lies that were uttered against him! He who knew by heart the hadith of the Messenger of Allah!"

Shaykh Abu Bakr Ibnu Zahra’, a Sufi, had prepared a grave for himself next to Bishr Al-Hafi, where he went every week to recite the entire Qur'an. One day, hadith scholars approached him, seeking permission to bury Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadiyy in the grave he had reserved for himself according to his last will. Ibnu Zahra’ refused to give his consent. They then informed their master, the renowned Sufi, Abu Sa^d As-Sufiyy. He summoned Ibnu Zahra’ and said to him: "I do not impose on you to yield your reserved grave, but consider this: If Bishr Al-Hafi were alive, and you were sitting next to him while Al-Khatib Abu Bakr came to sit on the ground, would you have remained seated?" Ibnu Zahra’ replied, "No, I would have risen to give him my place." The shaykh then said, "That is how you should act now." Thus, he agreed and consented to allow Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadiyy to be buried in the grave he had reserved for himself, and thus, the supplication of Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadiyy when he drank from the water of Zamzam was fulfilled.

Abu l-Hasan Az-Za^faraniyy reported from Hasan, the son of Ahmad Al-Bisri, saying: "I saw Al-Khatib in a dream dressed in beautiful white garments and a white turban. He said to me, 'Allah has forgiven me and shown me mercy,' and this occurred a few days after his passing."

May Allah have mercy upon Imam Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadiyy and gather us with him in Paradise.