The commonly accepted dates of al-Isfahani's birth and death are 284AH/897–8CE and 356/967, based on the dates given by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi which itself bases testimony of al-Isfahani's student, Muhammad ibn Abi al-Fawaris.[5][lower-alpha 2] However, the credibility of these dates is to be treated with discretion. No source places his death earlier than 356/967, but several place it later. These dates are at odds with a reference in the Kitab Adab al-ghuraba ("The Book of the Etiquettes of Strangers"), attributed to al-Isfahani, to his being in the prime of youth (fi ayyam al-shabiba wa-l-siba) in 356/967.[8][9][lower-alpha 3] Calculation of the approximate dates of his birth and death through the lifespans of his students and his direct informants suggests that he was born before 290/902 and died after 348/960.[17]