As for the saying of the questioner: "Who are you and who is your father?" You are Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi, known as al-Muhalheli. As for your father: he is Abu al-Fath Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Muqatil al-Baghdadi, known as al-Qati’i. This is my lineage outwardly.

As for the lineage upon which I rely and in which I take pride and rise in deed and word, by the help of God, the Possessor of power, length, strength, and might, and by His success for His servant, His favor upon him, and His mercy: My father is the one known as Abu al-Fahhas, and he is Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd Allah al-Muqri al-Basri, the son of the Sheikh Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Rifa’i, the son of our Sheikh Abu Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasibi, the son of the majestic and ascetic Sheikh Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Farisi al-Jannan, who was residing in Janbalaa and witnessed the Masters of the flesh (al-lahma) among them and related from them without intermediary, and his hearing was from our master Muhammad ibn Jundub, the Orphan of the Time—prayers of God be upon him. Along with that, I have lived long in the Oneness of God and His recognition and I have encountered the masters of virtue among the sheikhs, and I shall mention to you those whose names I remember among those I encountered:

I encountered the majestic Sheikh Abu al-Husayn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jali—may God sanctify his soul—and he said to me: "Whoever says while his cheek is upon the ground: [O Muhammad, O Fatir, O Supreme Light of God, by you I seek refuge] a thousand times, God shall give him what he asked for."

I encountered Abu al-Haytham al-Sirri ibn al-Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasibi, who had arrived from Iraq with the letter of King Fana-Khusraw to the ruler of the Romans, and I met with him. He spoke to me and said: "I used to hear my father say in his glorification: 'Sufficient for us is our Lord who conquered Basra yesterday,' and the report is long."