In his old age, Ibn al-Jawzi was subjected to a severe trial.
Its cause was the Rafidah,
Sheikh Ali al-Tantawi had summarized it in the preface to his edition of Sayd al-Khatir and said:
The minister Ibn Yunus al-Hanbali had convened a session for al-Rukn Abd al-Salam ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Jili,
And his books were burned,
And in it there was much heresy, star-worship, and many opinions of the early authorities.
And that took place in the presence of Ibn al-Jawzi and other scholars.
The minister seized his grandfather's school and handed it over to Ibn al-Jawzi,
When Ibn al-Qassab was appointed to the ministry.
And he was a wicked Rafidi.
He sought to arrest Ibn Yunus.
And he pursued his companions.
The Pillar said to him, "Where do you stand regarding the son of al-Jawzi?"
For he is a partisan hostile to the Prophet's family.
And among the sons of Abu Bakr the Truthful,
He is one of the principal companions of Ibn Yunus.
And my grandfather's female teacher gave him,
And my books were burned by his instigation.
So Ibn al-Qassab wrote to the caliph al-Nasir,
And al-Nasir had an inclination toward the Shi'a,
And in his final days he had no inclination toward the sheikh Abu al-Faraj,
So he ordered his handing over to the commander Servant of Peace,
Then this man came to the sheikh's house,
He insulted him and spoke harshly to him.
By God, if he had been of my school of thought, I would have devoted my life and my wealth to serving him.
When he arrived in Wasit for the gathering of the people,
And the son of the servant of the capable accused the sheikh of having dealt with the school's endowment.
and that he had taken such and such from its funds.
And he lied about what he claimed.
The sheikh denied it, and he was truthful and pious.
And I set aside a house for the sheikh on Diwan Lane.
And at its door was a doorkeeper.
And someone was assigned to serve him.
Some people would visit him, listen to him, and he would dictate to them.
He would send many poems to Baghdad.
He remained for five years, attending to his own needs by himself.
He washes his garment, cooks, and draws water from the well,
and he was unable to go out to the bathhouse or anywhere else,
He was almost eighty.
