علماء الشعرPoets and Historians

Scholars of Poetry

Habeeb ibn Aws ibn al-Haarith, Aboo Tammaam al-Taa'ee

Author of al-Hamaasah

Aboo Tammaam was dark-complexioned and tall, eloquent, and sweet of speech, with a slight stammer. He occupied himself and travelled until he became what he became.

He died at Mosul in 231 AH; alternatively, 228 AH or 229 AH, and it is also said 232 AH. Ibn Khallikaan states this in his History, Wafayaat al-A'yaan.

Aboo al-Hasan 'Alee ibn Ahmad ibn Mansoor, known as al-Bassaam, the celebrated poet and author of al-Dhakheerah.

His mother was Umaamah, daughter of Hamdoon the boon-companion. He was among the eminent poets and finest men of wit, a naturally gifted satirist from whose invective no emir, vizier, young or old, great or small, was safe.

He died in 303 AH, or 302 AH, at more than seventy years of age.

Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allaah ibn Sulaymaan al-Tanookhee, Aboo al-'Alaa' al-Ma'arree, from Ma'arrat al-Nu'maan in Syria near Hamaah: abundant in merit, widely renowned, rich in learning, unsurpassed in understanding, a scholar of language, skilled in grammar, an excellent poet, and vigorous in expression. His fame makes description unnecessary.

He composed celebrated works and renowned epistles. Among his verse is Luzoom maa laa yalzam, a large work in five parts or thereabouts; Saqt al-zand, which he himself explained and called Dhaw' al-saqt; and al-Ayk wa-al-ghusoon fee al-adab, nearly one hundred volumes. He was the outstanding scholar of his age, deeply versed in the arts of literature.

He was born at sunset on Friday, three nights remaining in Rabee' al-Awwal 363 AH, at Ma'arrah. Smallpox struck him in his third year, blinding him and leaving his face pitted and his body thin. He used to say: “I know no colors except red, because when I had smallpox I was clothed in a garment dyed with saffron.” He began composing poetry at eleven or twelve years of age.

He learned grammar and language from his father and from Muhammad ibn Sa'd the grammarian at Aleppo. He came from a house of learning and leadership. His religious views were questioned: he followed the opinion of the Brahmins and ancient philosophers, rejected eating meat, and did not affirm resurrection, the rising of the dead, or the sending of messengers. Much of his poetry contains expressions of unbelief.

Ibn al-'Ameel said in his book: “Al-Ma'arree was treated recklessly. The envious accused him of denying God and composed poems in his name containing the sayings of heretics, intending his ruin. Yet poems were transmitted from him affirming the soundness of his creed and denying the attribution of unbelief to him.”

Al-Dhahabee said that he was an unbeliever and judged him a heretic, while al-Silafee said: “I think he repented and returned.”

His works include the Deewaan of Poetry; a commentary on al-Mutanabbee's poetry, called Mu'jiz Ahmad; a commentary on al-Buhturee's poetry, called 'Abath al-Waleed; and an abridgment and commentary on Aboo Tammaam's deewaan, called Dhikraa Habeeb.

Al-Tanookhee is a nisbah to Tanookh, the name of several tribes that gathered long ago in Bahrain, formed a pact of mutual support, and settled there.

1 This is how it appears in the printed original. Part of Aboo Tammaam's biography has been omitted.

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There they were called Tanookh; tanookh means settlement. This tribe was one of the three Arab Christian tribes: Bahra', Tanookh, and Taghlib.

He died on Friday night in 449 AH. Ibn al-Wardee gives him an extensive biography in his history; let that be noted.

Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan ibn 'Abd al-Samad al-Ju'fee al-Kindee al-Koofee, Aboo al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbee:

The celebrated poet. It is also said that he was Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn Murrah ibn 'Abd al-Jabbaar. He was from Koofah, came to Syria in his youth, travelled throughout its regions, occupied himself with the literary arts, and mastered them. He was among the most prolific transmitters of language and the most familiar with its rare and archaic expressions. Nothing was asked of him without his citing Arabic speech in verse or prose. It is even said that Aboo 'Alee al-Faarisee once asked him: “How many plurals do we have on the pattern fu'laa?”

He immediately replied: “Hajlaa and Dhirbaa.”

Aboo 'Alee said: “I examined the language books for three nights, hoping to find a third plural for those two, but found none.”

Ibn Khallikaan said: “It is enough for you that Aboo 'Alee made this statement about him.” His poetry reached the utmost in eloquence, rhetoric, wisdom, and every other excellence, so that there is no need to praise it.

People disagree about his poetry.

Some prefer it to the poetry of Aboo Tammaam and those after him.

Others prefer Aboo Tammaam's poetry to his.

The scholars devoted themselves to commenting on his deewaan, until one of them said: “I have found more than forty commentaries on it, long and short. This was not done with any other deewaan.” There is no doubt that he was a fortunate man, granted complete felicity in his poetry. He was called al-Mutanabbee because he claimed prophethood in the desert of al-Samaawah, and many people of Banoo Kalb and others followed him; he was imprisoned, then repented and was released. This is the soundest account. It is also said that the name came from his saying, “I am the first prophet in poetry,” or from his verse:

I am among a nation whom God has rescued—

A stranger like Saalih among Thamood.

The cause of his death was his verse:

Horsemen and night and desert know me,

As do war, the sword, parchment, and pen.

This was in Ramadhaan 354 AH. He was born in Koofah in 303 AH, in the quarter of Kindah.

It is said that his father was a water-carrier in Koofah. In general, the loftiness of his soul, the height of his ambition, and his reports and adventures are numerous; brevity is preferable.

Aboo 'Ubaadah al-Waleed ibn 'Ubayd ibn Yahyaa al-Taa'ee al-Buhturee, the celebrated poet and author of the deewaan.

He praised many caliphs, the first being al-Mutawakkil 'alaa Allaah, as well as many great men and leaders. He lived in Baghdad for a time, then returned to Syria. He has much poetry mentioning Aleppo and its environs, with which he was enamored.

Al-Mubarrad, al-Muhaamalee, al-Hakeemee, and al-Soolee transmitted some of his poetry.

He was asked: “Which of you is the better poet, you or Aboo Tammaam?” He replied: “His best is better than my best, and my worst is worse than his worst.”

Al-Ma'arree was asked: “Which of the three is the better poet: Aboo Tammaam, al-Buhturee, or al-Mutanabbee?” He answered: “The two are sages; the poet is al-Buhturee.”

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Ibn Khallikaan said: “By my life, Ibn al-Roomee did not do him justice when he said:

The young al-Buhturee steals glances,

Like Ibn Aws in praise and dalliance.

Every verse of his gives meaning well—

Its meaning belongs to Ibn Aws, Habeeb.”

His poetry circulates, and his deewaan exists and is widely available; there is no need to be excessive in praising it.

Aboo Bakr al-Soolee arranged his poetry alphabetically, and 'Alee ibn Hamzah arranged it by genres.

Al-Buhturee also wrote al-Hamaasah on the model of Aboo Tammaam's Hamaasah, and a book on the meanings of poetry.

He was born in 202, 203, 205, 206, or 207 AH; the first is the soundest.

His poetry was called “chains of gold,” and he belonged to the highest class. Ibn al-Jawzee said in A'maar al-a'yaan: “Al-Buhturee died at eighty years of age, at Munayh.” Ibn Khallikaan gave a lengthy account of him.

Jareer ibn 'Atiyyah ibn al-Khatafaa al-Tameemee, the celebrated poet and author of the deewaan of poetry. He was one of the great poets of Islam. There was mutual satire and lampooning between him and al-Farazdaq, and most experts in this field consider him the better poet.

The scholars unanimously agreed that among the poets of Islam there are none like three: Jareer, al-Farazdaq, and al-Akhtal. It is said that the four foundations of poetry are boasting, praise, love poetry, and satire; in all four, Jareer surpassed others. He was called Ibn al-Maraaghah, a title given to his mother, whom Ibn al-Akhtal satirized by alleging that men wallowed upon her.

When al-Farazdaq died and Jareer heard the news, he wept and said: “By God, I know that I shall not long survive him. Rarely does an opponent or friend die without his companion following him.” So it was: he died in 110 AH, the same year as al-Farazdaq. He died in al-Yamaamah at more than eighty years of age. Ibn Khallikaan gives him an extensive biography in Wafayaat al-A'yaan.

Aboo Firaas Hammaam ibn Ghaalib al-Tameemee, the celebrated poet known as al-Farazdaq:

Jareer's contemporary. Their mutual satire and hostility are famous in the books of literary conversation. A book called al-Naqaa'idh was compiled for them, and it is well known.

He died in Basrah in 110 AH, forty or eighty days before Jareer.

Ibn al-Jawzee said that both died in 111 AH. It is said that al-Farazdaq met 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib—may God ennoble his face—when he was nearly one hundred.

Al-Farazdaq means a piece of dough; he was given this name because he was thickset and short. It is also said that it referred to his broad face, marked by smallpox; this is the sounder view. His odes are famous and extant, including his ode praising Imaam Zayn al-'Aabideen, which travellers carried everywhere and which many eminent men explained. It begins:

This is the offspring of Husayn, son of Faatimah,

Daughter of the Messenger, by whom darkness was dispelled.

This is he whose tread al-Bathaa' knows,

Whom the House, the sanctuary, and the lawful know.

… and so forth. Experts have differed over al-Farazdaq and Jareer and their relative merit, though most hold that Jareer is the better poet. al-Farazdaq's reports are numerous; brevity is preferable.

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Ibn Khallikaan gives an extensive biography of him and relates the mentioned ode with its story. Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Jaamee rendered this ode into verse, and Mawlawee Jameel Ahmad al-Balgraamee wrote a Persian commentary on it.

Ibn Khallikaan said: “Al-Farazdaq greatly honored his father's grave. Whenever anyone came to it seeking protection, he rose with him and helped him attain his purpose.” End quote.

Aboo Nuwaas, Hasan ibn Haanee ibn 'Abd al-Awwal, the celebrated poet, was born and raised in Basrah.

It is said that he was born in Ahwaaz, then went to Koofah and afterward to Baghdad.

His mother was an Ahwaazi woman named Julbaan. His father was one of the troops of Marwaan ibn Muhammad, the last of the Umayyad kings. He was from Damascus and moved to Ahwaaz for military service, married Julbaan, and had several children by her, including Aboo Nuwaas and Aboo Mu'aadh.

It is related that al-Khaseeb, director of the Egyptian tax bureau, asked Aboo Nuwaas about his lineage. He replied: “My literary talent has made my lineage unnecessary,” and the man said no more.

Ismaa'eel ibn Noobakht said: “I have never seen anyone broader in knowledge than Aboo Nuwaas or more retentive, despite his few books. After his death we searched his house and found only a chest containing scraps with rare expressions and grammar, nothing more.”

He belonged to the first rank of the later-born poets. His poetry has ten genres, and he excelled in all of them. A number of eminent men collected it, including al-Soolee and Toozoon; hence his deewaan is found in different forms. His reports are numerous and his poems famous.

He was born in 145 AH, or 136 AH, and died in 185, 186, or 190 AH in Baghdad. He was called Aboo Nuwaas because of two locks of hair that swayed over his shoulders. How beautiful was his hope in his Lord, exalted is He, when he said:

Increase in sins as much as you can,

For you are bound for a forgiving Lord.

You will see, when you come to Him, pardon,

And meet a mighty sovereign, a great king.

You will bite your hands in regret for what you left undone,

Fearing the Fire, though you left joy behind.

Ibn Khallikaan said: “These are among the finest and most unusual meanings.” His reports are numerous. Among his outstanding poetry is his meemiyyah, beginning:

O dwelling, what have the days done to you?

They left no brightness in you to delight the eye.

Aboo Ismaa'eel al-Husayn ibn 'Alee ibn Muhammad, called Mu'ayyad al-Deen 'Umayd al-Mulk Fakhr al-Kuttaab al-Isfahaanee al-Munshi', known as al-Tughraa'ee, was abundant in merit and refined in nature. He surpassed the people of his age in composing verse and prose. al-Sam'aanee mentioned and praised him.

He had a fine deewaan. Among the finest of his poetry is his celebrated Laamiyyat al-'Ajam, composed in Baghdad in 505 AH, in which he describes his condition and complains of his age. It begins:

Sound judgment preserved me from foolish speech,

And virtue's adornment graced me in my poverty.

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It is recorded in full in Ibn Khallikaan's history.

Aboo al-Ma'aalee al-Khateeree mentions him in Zeenat al-dahr and quotes several short pieces.

Aboo al-Barakaat mentions him in al-Mustawfee, his history of Irbil, saying that he served as vizier in Irbil for a time. 'Imaad al-Deen al-Kaatib says in Nusrat al-fatrah wa-'usrat al-qatrah, his history of the Seljuq state, that al-Tughraa'ee was called “the Master” and was vizier to Sultan Mas'ood ibn Muhammad al-Seljuqee at Mosul. He was killed in 513, 514, or 518 AH, having passed sixty years of age.

Al-Tughraa'ee is a nisbah to the person who writes the tughraa': the scroll written at the top of documents above the basmalah in thick script, containing the sovereign's titles. The word is foreign.

Ibn al-Atheer said in al-Kaamil that the Master inclined toward alchemy and wrote works on it that caused people immeasurable financial losses; it is said that specialists considered those works authoritative.

Among them are Mafaateeh al-rahmah wa-masaabeeh al-hikmah, Jaami' al-asraar wa-taraakeeb al-anwaar, and Haqaa'iq al-istishhaadaat, in which he established the possibility of alchemy and refuted Ibn Seenaa's denial of it using premises from al-Shifaa'. It is said that he cast a mithqaal of the elixir on sixty thousand, and another on three hundred thousand, and it became gold.

He called his ode Laamiyyat al-'Ajam in imitation of Laamiyyat al-'Arab, whose opening is:

Rise, sons of my mother, and mount your steeds,

For I incline toward a people other than you.

There are many laamiyyahs, among them the Laamiyyat of Hassaan of India, Meer Ghulaam 'Alee Aazaad al-Balgraamee, in his deewaan—an excellent work, how eloquent and splendid it is.

Aboo Nasr 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Umar ibn Muhammad; in Ibn Khallikaan, Aboo Yahyaa 'Abd al-Raheem ibn Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel ibn Nabaatah. He was an accomplished poet and master of the literary sciences, blessed with success in his sermons, about which there was consensus that nothing like them had been composed. In them he combined fine composition with excellent meanings, showing the breadth of his knowledge and the strength of his inspiration. He was from Mayyaafaariqeen and the preacher of Aleppo, where he met Aboo al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbee; it is said that he heard some of his deewaan from him. He travelled through the lands, praised kings, viziers, and leaders, and wrote splendid odes and choice praises for Sayf al-Dawlah ibn Hamdaan. Most of his poetry is good, and he had a large deewaan.

Sayf al-Dawlah made frequent campaigns, so the preacher composed many sermons on jihaad to encourage the people and urge them to support him. He was a righteous man. Shaykh Taaj al-Deen al-Kindee relates through a connected chain to the preacher that he said: “When I composed the Sermon of the Dream and delivered it on Friday, I dreamed on Saturday night that I was outside Mayyaafaariqeen near the cemetery. I asked: 'What is this gathering?' A voice answered: 'This is the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with his Companions.' I approached to greet him. When I drew near, he turned, saw me, and said: 'Welcome, master of preachers. What do you say?' He gestured toward the graves. I replied: 'They do not tell what they have become; had they the power to speak, they would say …'—to the end of what Ibn Khallikaan relates. He said: 'Well done. Come closer.' I approached him, peace and blessings be upon him; he took my face, kissed it, spat into my mouth, and said: 'May God grant you success.'”

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He said: “I awoke from sleep with joy beyond description and told my family what I had seen.”

Al-Kindee said: “After this dream, the preacher remained for three days taking no food and feeling no appetite. The scent of musk was found in his mouth. He lived only a short time. When he awoke, light and joy appeared on his face, which had not been there before. He told the people his dream and said: 'The Messenger of God called me a preacher.' He lived eighteen days, unable to taste food or drink because of that saliva and its blessing.”

The vizier Aboo al-Qaasim ibn al-Maghribee said: “I saw Ibn Nabaatah in a dream after his death and asked: 'What has God done with you?' He replied: 'He gave me a paper bearing two red lines:

Before this, you had one assurance;

Today you have two assurances.

Pardon is not fitting for one who does good;

It is fitting only for the offender.'”

He was born in 335 AH and died in Baghdad in 374 AH.

He said: “One day I was reclining in my vestibule when someone knocked. I asked: 'Who is it?' He answered: 'A man from the East.' I asked: 'What do you need?' He said: 'Are you the one who said:

Whoever does not die by the sword dies of an illness;

The causes vary, but the disease is one?'

I said: 'Yes.' He asked: 'May I transmit it from you?' I said: 'Yes.' At day's end someone knocked again. I asked: 'Who is it?' He answered: 'A man from Taahart in the West.' I asked: 'What do you need?' He said: 'Are you the one who said: “Whoever does not die … and so on”?' I said: 'Yes.' He asked: 'May I transmit it from you?' I said: 'Yes.' I wondered how my poetry had reached East and West.”

The inability to compose and arrange poetry is a deficiency in a person's being counted among the first rank of scholars, as our teacher and blessing, Muhammad ibn 'Alee al-Shawkaanee—may God grant him abundant mercy—established and assessed earlier.

Aboo al-'Abbaas 'Abd Allaah ibn Muhammad al-Mu'tazz bi-Allaah, son of al-Mutawakkil, son of al-Mu'tasim, son of Haaroon al-Rasheed, the Haashimite. He learned literature from al-Mubarrad, Tha'lab, and others. He was an eloquent man of letters, a natural and capable poet, with accessible diction, fine inspiration, and excellent invention of meanings. He mixed with scholars and men of letters and was counted among them. He was very dark, handsome of face, dyed his hair black, and lived at ease until al-Muqtadir was deposed and Ibn al-Mu'tazz was given allegiance and called al-Murtadhaa bi-Allaah.

It is also said that he was called al-Munsif bi-Allaah, al-Ghaalib bi-Allaah, or al-Raadhee bi-Allaah.

He remained one day and one night, then al-Muqtadir was restored. Ibn al-Mu'tazz went into hiding; al-Muqtadir seized and killed him on Thursday, the second of Rabee' al-Thaanee 296 AH. The story is famous and lengthy; this is its summary.

His works include al-Zahr wa-al-riyaadh, al-Badee', Mukaatabaat al-ikhwaan, al-Jawaarih wa-al-sayd,

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al-Sariqaat, Ash'aar al-mulook, al-Aadaab, Hilyat al-akhbaar, Tabaqaat al-shu'araa', al-Jaami' fee al-ghinaa', and others. He had graceful poems and surpassingly beautiful similes, including these famous verses:

May rain water al-Mutayrah, land of shade and trees,

And the Monastery of 'Abdoon, drenched with falling rain.

How often it roused me there to morning drink,

At dawn's first gleam, before the bird had flown.

The voices of monks at prayer within the monastery,

Dark-cloaked, crying out in the late night.

Murmuring, with crowns of hair

Set upon their heads.

How many among them had a handsome kohl-darkened face,

Enchanting eyes closing their lids over gazelle eyes.

I gazed at him with love until he yielded,

Willingly, and promised me a tryst with a glance.

He came to me hidden in the shirt of night,

Hurrying, his skirts following in his wake.

A crescent's light appeared, almost exposing us,

Like a sliver cut from a fingernail.

What happened happened, and I do not recall it;

Think well, and do not ask about the tale.

'Umar ibn Abee al-Hasan 'Alee ibn al-Murshid, Aboo Hafs ibn al-Faaridh, Hamawee by origin, Egyptian by birth, residence, and death; shaykh of the Sufis and poet of the mystics. He had a graceful deewaan, with a refined and unusual style following the way of the spiritual poor. He also had a poem of about six hundred lines containing their technical expressions and method.

Ibn Khallikaan said: “I heard that he was a righteous man of much good, living in complete detachment for three years in with excellent companionship and praised conduct. One of his companions told me that he once chanted, while alone in the house of al-Hareeree, author of the Maqaamaat:

Who is there that has never erred,

And who possesses only the good?

He heard a voice, though he saw no person, say:

Muhammad, the guide,

Upon whom Gabriel descended.”

He was born on the fourth of Dhoo al-Qa'dah 576 AH in Cairo and died there on Tuesday, the second of Jumaadaa al-Awwal 632 AH. He was buried the next day at the foot of al-Muqattam.

Al-faaridh is the one who writes the legal shares due from men to women. End quote.

I say: He is also among those whose Islam and unbelief the scholars disputed, on account of statements implying unbelief and monism. He was a disciple of Shaykh Muhyee al-Deen ibn 'Arabee al-Taa'ee—may God pardon them both. He has du-baytee, mawaaliyaa, and riddles. His deewaan has recently been printed in Egypt with a commentary; I possess a copy. How delicate are these lines from a long ode:

Welcome to one whose place I was unworthy to share,

The glad tidings of relief after despair.

The good news is yours—cast off what you wear;

You have been remembered despite your crookedness.

From another ode:

I have never been free of envy on your account, so do not waste

My sleeplessness in following a trembling phantom.

I ask the stars of night: sleep has visited my eyelid—how?

How can it visit one who has never known him?

And from it:

However his describers vary in describing his beauty,

Time will perish while he still contains what cannot be described.

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Bahaa' al-Deen Zuhayr ibn Muhammad ibn 'Alee ibn Yahyaa al-Kaatib, Aboo al-Fadhl.

Among the most eminent men of his age and the finest in verse, prose, and handwriting, he was also the greatest in chivalry. He entered the service of Sultan al-Malik al-Saalih Najm al-Deen Aboo al-Fath Ayyoob in Egypt, travelled in his service to the eastern lands, and returned with him to Cairo.

He was born in 581 AH inmay God protect it—and died on Sunday afternoon in 656 AH.

Ibn Khallikaan said: “I met him and found him beyond what I had heard regarding noble character, abundant discipline, and gentle disposition. He was firmly established with his patron and held in high esteem by him; no one else knew his hidden confidence. Yet, despite all this, he interceded with him only for good, and through his excellent mediation and advocacy benefited many people.” He recited much of his poetry to me, including:

O garden of beauty, send greetings; there is no harm in it—

Have you ever seen a garden in which Zuhayr was not clothed?

All his poetry is delicate, the “easy that resists,” as they say. He authorized me to transmit his deewaan. End of the summary.

Aboo 'Alee Di'bil ibn 'Alee al-Khuzaa'ee, the celebrated poet, was originally from Koofah; it is also said from Qarqeesiyaa'. He lived in Baghdad. It is said that Di'bil was a nickname and that his name was al-Hasan, 'Abd al-Rahmaan, or Muhammad.

He was deaf and had a growth on the back of his neck. He was an accomplished poet, but foul-mouthed and passionately given to satire and diminishing people's rank. He satirized caliphs and those beneath them, including al-Ma'moon. He lived long and became famous. He used to say: “For fifty years I have carried my gallows on my shoulders, seeking someone to crucify me upon it, but I find no one to do so.”

He said: “One merit of poetry is that no one who lies is ever accepted by people, except the poet: the more he lies, the more he is praised. Even that is not enough until he is told, 'By God, you have done well'; no false witness testifies for him without swearing by God.”

He was born in 148 AH and died in 246 AH. Di'bil, with a kasrah on the daal, is the name of an old she-camel.

Di'bil praised 'Alee ibn Moosaa al-Ridhaa in an ode beginning:

Schools of revelation, emptied of recitation,

And landing places of revelation, their courtyards desolate.

He awarded him a noble gift. Di'bil said: “I composed it only for God's sake,” and asked him for a shirt that had touched his honored body, so that he could place it in his shroud, hoping God would cool his resting place with it. He gave it to him.

When Fadhl ibn Sahl heard him, he sent Di'bil thirty thousand dirhams, and al-Ma'moon sent him abundant wealth. May God forgive his sins.

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The judge al-Tanookhee, Aboo 'Alee al-Muhassin ibn Abee al-Qaasim 'Alee ibn Muhammad, author of al-Faraj ba'd al-shiddah. He had a fine deewaan, larger than his father's, and wrote Nashwaan al-muhaadharah and al-Mustajaad min fi'laat al-ajnaad. He settled in Baghdad, remained there, and taught until his death. His hearing was sound; he was a man of letters, poet, and narrator of reports. He held judicial and administrative offices under al-Mutee' li-Allaah.

He was born in 327 AH in Basrah and died in Baghdad in 384 AH. al-Tha'aalibee mentioned him and his father, then said of him: “The moon of that moon, the branch of that tree; the just witness to his father's glory and merit, the sturdy offshoot of his root, his deputy during his life and successor after his death.” Among the verses attributed to him:

Tell the beauty in the gilded veil:

“You have ruined my devout, ascetic brother's worship.

The veil's light, with your cheek's light beneath it—

Wonder at your face: how has it not caught fire?

You joined the two gilded things, yet beauty had no way

To escape their two golds.

When an eye comes to steal a glance,

The radiance tells it: 'Go, do not go.'”

Ibn Khallikaan said: “How delicate is his phrase, 'Go, do not go.'”

His son, Aboo al-Qaasim 'Alee ibn al-Muhassin, was also an accomplished and eminent man of letters with poetry. He accompanied Aboo al-'Alaa' al-Ma'arree and learned much from him. They were an entire household of accomplished, literary, and witty people.

He was born in the middle of Sha'baan 365 AH in Basrah and died at the beginning of Muharram, on Sunday, in 447 AH. End quote.

Ibraaheem ibn al-'Abbaas ibn Muhammad al-Soolee was one of the accomplished poets. He had a deewaan, entirely choice despite its small size. Among his graceful verse:

She drew near with people after a visit from afar,

While Laylaa's dwelling was far from approach.

Those who stay at the bend of al-Liwaa'

Are nearer than Laylaa and her house.

He also had exquisite prose. Among it is what he wrote from the Commander of the Faithful to certain rebels, threatening them: “As for what follows: the Commander of the Faithful has forbearance; if it does not avail, he will follow it with a threat; if that does not avail, his resolve will avail. Peace.” Despite its brevity, this is supremely inventive, for it yields a line of poetry beginning:

Forbearance; if it does not avail, it is followed

By a threat; if that does not avail, resolve avails.

Every short piece of his was exquisite. He died at Surramanra' in 243 AH.

Aboo Ishaaq Ibraaheem ibn 'Alee, known as al-Husree al-Qayrawaanee, the celebrated poet. He had a deewaan, Zahr al-aadaab wa-thamar al-albaab, in which he gathered every rare item, and al-Masoon fee sirr al-hawaa al-maknoon. Among his poetry:

I love you with a love that neither understanding can reach,

Nor my description end by defining.

The utmost of my knowledge of it is my knowing

My inability to comprehend its nature.

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He died in 213 AH. al-Qayrawaan, with an opened qaaf, is a city in Africa.¹ 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir, the Companion—may God be pleased with him—built it. In the language, it means caravan, and is Persian arabicized from kaarwaan.

The linguist Ibn al-Qattaa' said: with an opened qaaf it means army, and with a dhammah it means caravan. It is said that a caravan stopped there, then the city was built in its place and named after it; it is also a name for an army.

¹ Africa was named after Afreeqeen ibn Qays ibn Sayfee al-Himyaree, who conquered it; it is said that its king was Juzayjir and that, when the Berbers were named, he said to them, “How much you babble.” It is also said Afreequs. God knows best. Sayyid Noor al-Hasan Khaan, may his Lord preserve him.

Aboo Ishaaq Ibraaheem ibn Abee al-Fath ibn 'Abd Allaah ibn Khafaajah al-Andalusee, a poet with a deewaan in which he excelled completely. Ibn Bassaam mentioned and praised him in al-Dhakheerah, saying that he lived in eastern Andalusia and did not seek gifts from its petty kings, despite their eagerness for men of letters. Among his poetry, on an evening of conviviality, is this fine piece:

An evening of pleasure laid me down in intoxication,

In a softened place that made my resting-place gentle.

The araak tree spread its shade over me,

The branch listened, and the dove conversed.

The sun leaned toward sunset, sickly,

The herds climbed, and the cloud exhaled.

He was born there in 450 AH; another account says 533 AH.

Aboo Ishaaq Ibraaheem ibn Yahyaa ibn 'Uthmaan al-Ashhabee al-Ghazzee, an accomplished poet.

Ibn 'Asaakir mentioned him in the History of Damascus. He had a deewaan he selected for himself and stated in its preface that he had composed one thousand lines. 'Imaad al-Deen al-Kaatib mentioned and praised him in al-Khareedah, saying that he travelled widely, lived abroad, and moved often, penetrating the regions of Khuraasaan and Kirmaan, while others remained behind. Among his poetry:

From the instruments of the court, the vizier received nothing

But the movement of his beard as he gestured.

The vizier, with no support to tighten his belt,

Is like an unwatered meter—a sea without water.

And:

A gesture from you suffices me; best of all your garments

Is your wrap, a dark veil at the morning of parting.

When in astonishment the mantle fell from her,

The necklace's thread loosened in the darkness.

She smiled; night grew bright, and I gathered

Scattered beads in ordered light.

This is the sort of verse literary men savor and witty people find charming.

He was born in Ghazzah in 441 AH and died in 524 AH. At death he said: “I hope God will forgive me three things: that I am from the city of Imaam al-Shaafi'ee; that I am an old man; and that I am a stranger.” May God have mercy on him and fulfill his hope.

He meant that he was a stranger because he died between Marw and Balkh in Khuraasaan, was carried to Balkh, and buried there.

Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez al-Lubnaanee: I have found no biography of him. Sayyid Aazaad mentions him in al-Khizaanah al-'Aamirah and says: “I read his deewaan, which came from Iran to India; it was written in 676 AH. It is extremely robust, with a preface by his son in Arabic of the utmost eloquence and intelligence. It begins: 'O God, You who adorn the wilderness with bracelets…'”

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“O giver of refreshment to thirsty throats in mornings and evenings, defender against the injury of aggressors in cities and deserts, bless our guiding Prophet Muhammad, the best of those who attend gatherings, and his Family and Companions, moons of darkness and dew, as the singing dove coos and the driver chants at the backs of riding-camels, and grant me my heart's desire on the day the caller calls …” and so forth. Among al-Lubnaanee's poems, as Aazaad relates in the cited book, is this love passage:

By God, driver of the emaciated mounts, what news?

Has the caravan rested at al-Bathaa', or passed on?

If you ask, ask my heart at Kaadhimah;

It strayed where wandering and dark gazelles are.

Have you passed the valley of al-Athl at Idham?

Did the white and dark gazelles there not call you?

A slender beauty, driven mad by loveliness, whose eyelids

Apologize with magic for what they have done.

Her distance grew as long as her tresses,

Yet in her step, as in union, there is brevity.

When you reach this point, you may grow weary of this kind of speech. Yet counting the poets of Islam is beyond imagination. Consult Qalaa'id al-'iqyaan by Aboo al-Fath ibn Khaaqaan, Rayhaanat al-albaa' by al-Khafaajee, Nafhat al-rayhaanah, and other works composed on this subject; they are too numerous to count. The deewaans of poetry likewise cannot be fully surveyed. Thus the true aim becomes clear.

As for the ancient poets, the greatest among them—we mention their names here—are:

Among them: Imru' al-Qays al-Kindee, who opened for them the varieties of poetry.

Among them: al-Naabighah al-Dhubyaanee, whose name was Ziyaad ibn 'Amr. Some transmitters preferred him to Imru' al-Qays because of the delicacy of his poetry.

Among them: Zuhayr ibn Abee Sulmaa al-Maazinee, with a dhammah on the seen; he was the most deliberate, the most laudatory, and the boldest in speech.

His son Ka'b embraced Islam, praised the Messenger of God—God bless him and his Family—after having satirized him, repented after disobeying him, and recited before him his famous ode, Baanat Su'aad. The Prophet pardoned him after having declared his blood forfeit, gave him one of his cloaks, and he embraced Islam beautifully. He is mentioned in Madeenat al-'uloom. Hadith scholars have discussed the soundness of this report; God knows best.

Among them: al-A'shaa, whose name was Maymoon ibn Qays ibn Tha'labah. He raised everyone he praised and diminished everyone he satirized.

Among them: Tarafah ibn al-'Abd ibn Sufyaan. Some poets preferred him to all others, and Labeed claimed that he was the finest poet of mankind.

Among them: Aws ibn Hajar of Banoo Asad, who met Zuhayr and al-Naabighah and was the poet of Tameem.

Among them: Labeed ibn Rabee'ah of Banoo 'Aamir ibn Sa'sa'ah. Of all these, only he lived to encounter Islam, because of his long life. He was the least affected and the least prone to lapses.

Among them: 'Adee ibn Zayd of Banoo Imru' al-Qays. Fadhl ibn Muhammad preferred him to them for his fine metaphors and sweet expression.

Among them: 'Ubayd ibn al-Abras, the oldest of them; they made him an Imru' al-Qays.

Among them: Bishr al-Asadee, their tenth. The people of the Hijaaz preferred him to the others and considered him their finest and most coherent narrator. God knows the truth.

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Historians

Aboo al-Fidaa' Ismaa'eel ibn 'Umar ibn Katheer al-Qurashee, al-Basree and then al-Dimashqee, the Shaafi'ee jurist and traditionist, 'Imaad al-Deen ibn al-Khateeb Shihaab al-Deen, known as al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer.

He was born in 700 AH and came to Damascus with his brother after their father's death when he was about seven. He memorized al-Tanbeeh and Ibn al-Haajib's abridgment.

He studied law with al-Burhaan ibn al-Fazaaree and al-Kamaal ibn Shubah, then became the son-in-law of al-Mizzee and accompanied Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, whom he praised most finely in his book al-Baa'ith al-hatheeth.

He studied legal principles with al-Isfahaanee. He had remarkable recall and little forgetfulness, understood well, participated in Arabic, and composed moderate verse.

Ibn Hajjee said: “Whenever I met him I benefited from him. I kept his company for six years.” al-Dhahabee described him in his concise biographical dictionary as “the accomplished traditionist jurist and mufti,” praising his memorization of texts. He heard from Ibn 'Asaakir and others, kept company with al-Mizzee, married his daughter, and heard most of his works from him.

He learned from Taqee al-Deen ibn Taymiyyah and transmitted extensively from him. He composed many works on exegesis, history, and legal rulings.

Ibn Habeeb said of him: “The leader of those who glorify and proclaim God's unity, chief of the interpreters; he heard, gathered, and composed; delighted ears with his words; transmitted and benefited; his legal opinions flew across the lands; he became famous for precision and verification; and the leadership of knowledge in history, hadith, and exegesis came to him.”

He died in Damascus on the fifteenth of Sha'baan. He granted authorization to anyone who met him alive. He said:

Days pass us by, one after another; they are driven toward appointed terms,

While the eye watches.

The youth that has gone will not return,

Nor will this clouded old age depart.

Had he said, “The purity of youth will not return,” it would have been more artful.

Aboo Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jareer ibn Yazeed ibn Khaalid al-Tabaree; it is also said Yazeed ibn Katheer ibn Ghaalib, author of the celebrated history and great exegesis.

He was an imaam in many fields, including hadith, law, history, and exegesis. He wrote excellent works in many disciplines, demonstrating the breadth of his knowledge and abundance of merit.

He was among the independent jurist-imaams and followed no one. Aboo al-Faraj al-Mu'aafaa ibn Zakariyyaa al-Nahrawaanee, known as Ibn Tarraar, followed his school. He was trustworthy in transmission, and his history is the soundest and most established of histories. Shaykh Aboo Ishaaq al-Sheeraazee included him among the independent jurists in Tabaqaat al-fuqahaa'. He was born in Aamul of Tabaristaan in 224 AH and died in Shawwaal 310 AH in Baghdad. So says Ibn Khallikaan.

'Izz al-Deen Aboo al-Hasan 'Alee ibn Muhammad, known as Ibn al-Atheer al-Jazaree, author of the history called al-Kaamil.

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It is currently printed in Egypt. He was born and raised in al-Jazeerah, then went to Mosul with his father and two brothers. He heard there and repeatedly went to Baghdad as a pilgrim and envoy of the ruler of Mosul, hearing from its eminent scholars. He travelled to Syria and Jerusalem, heard from a group there, returned to Mosul, and remained in his house, devoting himself to study and composition. His house was a meeting place for the learned of Mosul and those visiting it.

He was an imaam in memorizing and knowing hadith and related matters, a master of early and late histories, and an expert in Arab genealogies, events, reports, and campaigns.

He composed a large historical work called al-Kaamil, beginning with the origin of time and ending in 628 AH. It is among the finest histories; I have read it.

He abridged Aboo Sa'd al-Sam'aanee's al-Ansaab, adding matters he had omitted, pointing out errors, and making corrections in places. He also wrote Akhbaar al-Sahaabah in six volumes.

He was born in 555 AH and died in 630 AH.

Ibn Khallikaan said: “I met him and found him complete in virtue, noble character, and humility. I therefore continued visiting him. A strong friendship existed between him and my father, and for its sake he showed me exceptional care and honor.” End quote.

Aboo al-Faraj 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abee al-Hasan 'Alee ibn Muhammad al-Qurashee al-Tameemee al-Jawzee al-Siddeeqee al-Baghdaadee, the jurist, traditionist, exegete, preacher, and Hanbalee known as Ibn al-Jawzee.

The haafidh called Jamaal al-Huffaadh, he was the outstanding scholar of his age and imaam of his time in hadith and the craft of preaching. He composed texts in many fields.

Among them is Zaad al-maseer fee 'ilm al-tafseer, four parts, containing unusual material.

He had many excellent and useful works on hadith, including al-Mawdhoo'aat in four parts, in which he listed every fabricated hadith, though some of it has been critically reviewed.

He wrote Talbees Iblees, extremely useful for one seeking the afterlife; al-Muntadham fee tawaareekh al-umam, a large history; Talqeeh fuhoom al-athar, modeled on Ibn Qutaybah's al-Ma'aarif; and Laqt al-manaafi' on medicine.

In short, his books are too numerous to count. He wrote a great deal in his own hand. People exaggerate, saying that the notebooks he wrote were gathered, his lifespan calculated, and the notebooks divided by it, yielding nine notebooks for each day—something immense that reason scarcely accepts. It is also said that the shavings from the pens with which he wrote the Messenger's hadith were collected in great quantity, and that he instructed that water for washing him after death be heated with them; this was done.

1 Yet we have seen our amir, leader, and master, Nawwaab 'Alam Meer Bahaadur, author of this book—may God allow Muslims to benefit from his knowledge until Judgment Day—compose and write several accurate volumes in a single day, rarely containing errors. Thus reason accepts it and does not reject it. God singles out whom He wills for His mercy. 'Alee Husayn, may God pardon him.

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The water sufficed, with some left over. He had much poetry and rare answers in his preaching assemblies.

Among the finest anecdotes about him: a dispute arose in Baghdad between Sunnis and Shi'is over the superiority of Aboo Bakr and 'Alee—may God be pleased with them both. Everyone agreed to accept the shaykh's answer. They sent someone to ask him while he sat on the pulpit during a preaching assembly. He said:

“The superior of the two is the one whose daughter is beneath him”—in another version, “whose daughter is in his house.” He immediately descended so that he would not be questioned further.

The Sunnis said: “It is Aboo Bakr, because his daughter 'Aa'ishah was beneath the Messenger of God.”

The Shi'is said: “It is 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib, because Faatimah, daughter of the Messenger of God, was beneath him.” This is one of the subtle answers; even if it had come after deep thought and reflection, it would have been extremely fine, let alone given spontaneously. He had many virtues, whose explanation would be lengthy, as Ibn Khallikaan says.

Madeenat al-'uloom adds that he was asked: “Why does a new jug hiss and make a sound when water is poured into it?” He replied: “It complains of the harm caused by fire.”

He was asked: “When a jug is full to its mouth it does not cool, but when it is less full it cools.” He replied: “So that you may learn that air enters only what is deficient.”

He was asked: “How was the killing of Husayn attributed to Yazeed when he was in Damascus?” He recited:

An arrow struck, while its archer was at Dhoo Sulam;

The one in Iraq—how far you sent your shot.

He had many other charming answers of this kind.

He also wrote Nuzhat al-naadhir lil-muqeem wa-al-musaafir fee al-muhaadharaat. My father, the learned master Hasan ibn 'Alee al-Husaynee al-Qannoojee al-Bukhaaree—may God have mercy on him—wrote it in his own noble hand because of its fine composition and delicate subjects.

He was born in 508 or 510 AH and died on the twelfth of Ramadhaan 592 AH in Baghdad. He was buried at Baab Harb. His father died in 514 AH. al-Jawzee is a nisbah to Jawzah, a famous landing-place.

Sibt Ibn al-Jawzee, Shams al-Deen Aboo al-Mudhaffar Yoosuf ibn Qizaaooghlee, the celebrated preacher, was Hanafee. He had renown and attendance at his preaching assemblies and acceptance among kings and others.

He transmitted from his grandfather in Baghdad, heard from Ibn Tabarzadh, and heard in Mosul and Damascus, where he taught, as he did in Egypt. He wrote Mir'aat al-zamaan.

Ibn Khallikaan said: “I saw it in his hand in forty volumes.”

The author of Madeenat al-'uloom said: “I saw it in eight large volumes, written in fine script.” He also wrote Eethaar al-insaaf wa-muntahaa al-sool fee seerat al-Rasool, al-Lawaami' fee ahaadeeth al-mukhtasar wa-al-jaami', and a Qur'aan commentary. He died in Damascus in 654 AH and was born in Baghdad in 581 AH. He used to say: “My mother told me that I was born in 582.” God knows best.

Ibn Khallikaan, Shams al-Deen Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem ibn Abee Bakr ibn Khallikaan al-Barmakee al-Shaafi'ee, possessed merit in every field, was renowned for noble character and piety, trustworthy in transmission, and wrote a history called Wafayaat al-a'yaan.

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It consists of two large volumes, recently printed in Cairo. His own copy is in five volumes; the author of Madeenat al-'uloom saw it. He served as judge in Cairo for a time; he mentions this in his history.

He was born after the afternoon prayer on Thursday, the eleventh of Rabee' al-Thaanee 608 AH, in Irbil, at the Mudhaffariyyah school. He records his birth date in the biography of Zaynab daughter of al-Shi'ree, at the end of the names under zaa'.

He died on Saturday, the twenty-sixth of Rajab 681 AH, in protected Damascus.

He first studied law with his father in Irbil, then went to Mosul and attended Kamaal al-Deen ibn Yoonus's class, then moved to Aleppo.

He studied grammar with Aboo al-Baqaa' Ya'eesh ibn 'Alee the grammarian and law with Aboo al-Mahaasin Yoosuf ibn Shaddaad, then went to Damascus and studied with Ibn al-Salaah.

He moved to Cairo, became judge of al-Mahallah, then chief judge of Syria. He had a powerful command of literature, and his poetry is more delicate, beautiful, and sweet. May God have mercy on him.

Shaykh al-Islaam Aboo al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Shaykh al-Islaam 'Alaa' al-Deen 'Alee, known as Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaanee al-Misree, author of Fath al-baaree, commentary on Saheeh al-Bukhaaree; the imaam, authority, and guide of people to the clear path. His works are raised upon the hands of acceptance, and his transmitted works are sound and neither severed nor prohibited.

He gathered sciences, virtues, good deeds, perfections, benefactions, compositions, and writings beyond enumeration.

He was a memorizer, devout, scrupulous, ascetic, worshipful, exegete, poet, jurist, legal theorist, theologian, critic, perceptive, and comprehensive.

Several eminent men recorded his biography and counted him among those who attained the degree of independent reasoning. One such work is al-Jawaahir wa-al-durar fee tarjamat Shaykh al-Islaam al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar.

His existing works, in people's hands, testify to his virtues, abundant learning, and many excellences. He was granted complete felicity, great precision, and complete fairness in them. Among them is Buloogh al-maraam min adillat al-ahkaam, a book which, if written in gold and purchased with souls and hearts, would still not receive its due.

I commented on it in Persian and called it Misk al-khitaam.

Among them is al-Durar al-kaaminah fee a'yaan al-mi'ah al-thaaminah; Talkhees al-habeer fee takhreej ahaadeeth al-Raafi'ee al-kabeer; and Ta'jeel al-manfa'ah fee rijaal al-arba'ah, besides other short treatises and lengthy notebooks. God singles out whom He wills for His mercy. I recorded his biography at the beginning of Misk al-khitaam in Ithaaf al-nubalaa' al-muttaqeen.

He was the imaam, authority, haafidh of his age, chief judge, and shaykh of Islam. He was born in 773 AH and died on the night of Saturday whose morning was the eighteenth of Dhoo al-Hijjah 858 AH. He was then seventy-nine years, four months, and ten days old. Many people prayed over him.

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Madeenat al-'uloom says: “Among them is al-'Abbaas al-Khidhr, peace be upon him; a band of saints saw him.” End quote.

I say: This is clearly questionable to anyone who follows the people of hadith.

His works are too numerous to count, all more precise than al-Suyootee's compositions. His fame makes lengthy praise and biography unnecessary. He was one of my teachers in hadith, and I benefited greatly from his books. Praise belongs to God.

Khaleel ibn Aybak, Shaykh Salaah al-Deen al-Safadee al-Shaafi'ee, the imaam, literary man, poet, and prose writer, author of the great history, which in his own hand exceeds fifty volumes. He was born in 669 AH, studied a little law and the two principles, then excelled in literature—in verse, prose, calligraphy, and compilation. He studied under Shaykh Taqee al-Deen Aboo al-Hasan 'Alee ibn 'Abd al-Kaafee al-Subkee¹ and kept the company of al-Haafidh Fath al-Deen ibn Sayyid al-Naas, through whom he mastered literature.

He said: “I wrote more than six hundred volumes of composition.” He died of the plague on the night of the tenth of Shawwaal 794 AH. May God have mercy on him.

The haafidh Aboo Bakr Ahmad ibn 'Alee ibn Thaabit al-Baghdaadee, known as al-Khateeb, author of the History of Baghdad.

He was among the exacting haafidhs and deeply learned scholars. Even if he had written only the history, it would have sufficed, for it shows immense breadth of knowledge. He composed nearly one hundred works, and his merit is too famous to describe.

He studied law with Aboo al-Hasan al-Muhaamalee, Qaadhee Aboo al-Tayyib al-Tabaree, and others, but although he was a jurist, hadith and history came to dominate him.

He was born on Thursday in 393 AH and died on Monday, the seventh of Dhoo al-Hijjah—or, it is said, in Shawwaal—463 AH, in Baghdad. His account of refuting the Prophet's letter, peace and blessings be upon him, which the Jews produced to avoid the jizyah, is famous.

Shaykh Aboo Ishaaq al-Sheeraazee was among those who carried his bier, for he benefited greatly from him and consulted him about his works. Remarkably, in his time he was the haafidh of the East, while Aboo 'Umar Yoosuf ibn 'Abd al-Barr, author of al-Istee'aab, was the haafidh of the West; both died in the same year. He had given all his wealth—two hundred dinars—to traditionists, jurists, and the poor during his illness. He instructed that all his wealth and clothing be given in charity and that all his books be endowed to the Muslims. He left no descendants. He wrote more than sixty books and was seen in good dreams after his death. The knowledge and memorization of hadith in his age had reached him. This is the end of what I copied from Ibn al-Najjaar's book. May God have mercy on him.

The haafidh Muhibb al-Deen ibn al-Najjaar, author of the Supplement to the History of Baghdad, exceeded thirty volumes. His supplement demonstrates his vast memory and exalted rank.

He was Muhammad ibn Mahmood ibn al-Hasan ibn Hibat Allaah, the great and trustworthy haafidh. He wrote a comprehensive work on the virtues of al-Shaafi'ee and other works on traditions and legal rulings. He was born in 578 AH. His extensive journey took him to Syria, Egypt, the Hijaaz, Marw, Isfahaan, Herat, and Neesaaboor and lasted twenty-seven years. He died in Baghdad in 643 AH.

¹ He was among the students of al-Haafidh al-Dhahabee, as Taaj al-Deen relates in al-Tabaqaat al-kubraa, quoting al-Dhahabee's concise biographical dictionary: “I heard from him, and he heard from me.” Aboo al-Fath Mawlawee Muhammad 'Abd al-Rasheed al-Shoobiyaanee, may his Lord preserve him.

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Taaj al-Islaam Aboo Sa'eed al-Sam'aanee, 'Abd al-Kareem ibn Abee Bakr Muhammad ibn Abee al-Mudhaffar al-Marwazee, the Shaafi'ee jurist.

He travelled in pursuit of knowledge and hadith to the East and West, South and North. He visited Transoxiana and the lands of Khuraasaan repeatedly, as well as Qoomis, Rayy, Isfahaan, Hamadhaan, the mountainous lands, Iraq, the Hijaaz, Mosul, al-Jazeerah, Syria, and other cities too numerous to mention or count.

He met scholars, learned from them, sat with them, transmitted from them, and followed their beautiful conduct and praiseworthy traces. His teachers numbered more than four thousand.

He composed abundant and beneficial works, including a supplement to the History of Baghdad of about fifteen volumes; the History of Marw, more than twenty volumes; and al-Ansaab, about eight volumes, which I have read, praise be to God.

He was born in 506 AH and died in Marw in 562 AH. His father and grandfather were also eminent scholars of virtue; Ibn Khallikaan mentions them.

Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn 'Uthmaan ibn Qaaymaaz, Shams al-Deen Aboo 'Abd Allaah al-Dhahabee, the traditionist of his age, the imaam of existence in memorization, and “the gold of his age” in meaning and expression.

He was born in 673 AH and sought hadith at eighteen years of age.

He heard in Damascus, Egypt, Ba'labakk, and Alexandria, and many people heard from him. He strongly inclined toward the Hanbalee view and often disparaged the people of opinion; for that reason he does not mention them in biographies.

He had excellent works on hadith and the names of transmitters. He read the Qur'aan and taught it according to its readings. He composed al-Taareekh al-kabeer, then the middle work called al-'Ibar, the short work called Duwal al-Islaam, and his history, one of the greatest histories.

Shaykh Kamaal al-Deen ibn al-Zamalkaanee examined his Taareekh al-Islaam volume by volume until he completed it and said: “This is a magnificent book.” The history mentioned consists of twenty volumes, and the History of the Eminent Men consists of twenty volumes.

He also wrote Tabaqaat al-qurraa'; Tabaqaat al-huffaadh, two volumes; Meezaan al-i'tidaal, three volumes; al-Muthbit fee al-asmaa' wa-al-ansaab, one volume; Nabaa' al-rijaal, one volume; Tahdheeb al-tahdheeb, one volume; an abridgment of al-Bayhaqee's Sunan, five volumes; Tanqeeh ahaadeeth al-ta'leeq by Ibn al-Jawzee; and al-Mustahlaa, an abridgment of al-Muhallaa.

¹ Among his students was the elder al-Subkee, as Taaj relates in al-Tabaqaat al-kubraa.

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He wrote al-Muqtanaa fee al-dhu'afaa'; an abridgment of al-Haakim's al-Mustadrak, two volumes; an abridgment of al-Khateeb's History, two volumes; Tawqeef ahl al-tawfeeq 'alaa manaaqib al-Siddeeq, one volume; Ni'm al-samar fee seerat 'Umar, one volume; al-Tibyaan fee manaaqib 'Uthmaan, one volume; Fath al-taalib fee akhbaar 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib, one volume; a dictionary of his teachers, numbering 1,300; an abridgment of Ibn 'Asaakir's Book of Jihaad, one volume; Maa ba'd al-mawt, one volume; and Haalat al-badr fee 'adad ahl Badr.

For the biographies of eminent figures he wrote an independent work for each, such as the Four Imaams and those like them, but included them all in the History of the Eminent Men. Among his poetry:

When someone reads hadith to me and leaves a place for my death,

He has not repaid my kindness: I want him alive, and he wants me dead.

And:

Knowledge is: “God said,” “His Messenger said,”

If sound; then strive in it.

Beware of setting up ignorant dispute

Between the Messenger and a jurist's opinion.

He died on Monday night, the third of Dhoo al-Qa'dah 748 AH. Ibn Shaakir al-Kutubee gives him a fine biography in Fawaat al-wafayaat; consult it if you wish.

'Abd Allaah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ubayd ibn Sufyaan al-Qushayree, client of Banoo Umayyah, known as Ibn Abee al-Dunyaa.

He was born in 208 AH and died in 383 AH. In his youth he tutored al-Muktafee bi-Allaah.

He was one of the trustworthy compilers of reports, biographies, and history, with more than one hundred books. He heard from the shaykhs, and a group transmitted from him. Ibn Abee Haatim said: “I wrote from him with my father. He was truthful; when he sat with someone, he could make him laugh or make him weep.” May God have mercy on him.

'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Muhammad ibn Idrees ibn al-Mundhir ibn Daawood ibn Mihraan, Aboo Muhammad ibn Abee Haatim al-Tameemee al-Handhalee, imaam son of an imaam and haafidh son of a haafidh. He heard from his father and others.

Ibn Mandah said: “He compiled the Musnad in one thousand parts.” He also wrote al-Zuhd, al-Kunaa, al-Fawaa'id al-kubraa, the introduction to al-Jarh wa-al-ta'deel, and the History.

He wrote on law, the disagreements of Companions and Successors, and the scholars of the provinces. This demonstrates the breadth of his memory and his imamate. His refutation of the anthropomorphists, a large exegesis, and his other works are preserved in four volumes.

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Aboo Ya'laa al-Khaleelee said: “He was counted among the substitutes.” A group praised him for complete asceticism, scrupulousness, knowledge, and practice. He died in Muharram 327 AH. May God have mercy on him.

Aboo Sa'eed 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Ahmad, known as Ibn Hibbaan al-Sadafee, the Egyptian traditionist and historian. He knew people's circumstances, studied their histories, and knew what had been collected. He compiled two histories of Egypt and did not fall short in either.

He was born in 281 AH and died in 347 AH. al-Khawlaanee al-Khassaab elegized him, saying:

You never ceased murmuring over history, writing it,

Until we saw you written into history.

I recorded your death in my memory and pages;

Who will record me when I am counted?

Haaroon ibn 'Alee ibn Yahyaa ibn Abee Mansoor al-Munajjim al-Baghdaadee, the eminent man of letters and author of al-Baari' fee akhbaar al-shu'araa' al-muwalladeen. He gathered 161 poets, opened with Bishr ibn Burd al-'Uqaylee, and ended with Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik ibn Saalih. For each he selected the best of his poetry.

In short, it is a precious book, sufficient in place of the deewaans of those mentioned: he abridged their poetry, preserved its essence, and discarded its refuse. The books of al-Khareedah, al-Khateeree, al-Baakharzee, and al-Tha'aalibee are branches of it; it is the original on whose model they wove.

He also wrote The Book of Women, containing the good and beautiful poetry and speech said about them. Aboo Mansoor, his grandfather, was the astrologer of Aboo Ja'far al-Mansoor, Commander of the Faithful; he was a Magian. This was a household containing a number of eminent men, literary men, and poets who sat with caliphs and drank with them. al-Tha'aalibee devoted a separate chapter to them in al-Yateemah and mentioned a group of them.

He was a memorizer and transmitter of poetry, an excellent companion at drinking parties, and a gracious table companion. He died young in 288 AH. May God have mercy on him.

Aboo al-Hasan 'Alee ibn al-Hasan ibn 'Alee ibn Abee al-Tayyib al-Baakharzee, the celebrated poet, author of Dumyat al-qasr wa-'usrat ahl al-'asr, a supplement to al-Tha'aalibee's Yateemat al-dahr.

He was unique in his age for merit and penetrating intelligence, first to seize the prize in verse and prose. In his youth he studied law, keeping close to Shaykh Aboo Muhammad al-Juwaynee, father of Imaam al-Haramayn, according to the Shaafi'ee school.

He then began the art of writing; his literary skill overcame his law. He became famous for it, attended the chancery, rose and fell with circumstance, saw the wonders of time in travel and at home, composed poetry, and heard hadith.

Sharaf al-Deen 'Alee ibn Yazeed Aboo al-Hasan al-Bayhaqee placed on his Dumyah a book called Wishaah al-dumyah, which is its supplement. His deewaan is a large volume and is generally excellent.

Al-Baakharzee was killed during a convivial gathering at Baakharz in 467 AH, and his blood went unavenged.

Baakharz is a district of Neesaaboor containing villages and cultivated lands. A number of eminent and noble scholars and others came from it.

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Aboo al-Ma'aalee Sa'd ibn 'Alee ibn al-Qaasim al-Ansaaree al-Khazrajee al-Warraaq al-Khateeree, known as the bookseller. He possessed learning and good verse and compiled collections, including Zeenat al-dahr wa-'usrat ahl al-'asr, which records the fine points of the poetry of his age and serves as a supplement to al-Baakharzee's Dumyat al-qasr. He gathered many contemporaries and earlier men, giving each a sample of his circumstances and poetry.

'Imaad al-Deen al-Kaatib mentions him in al-Khareedah, quotes several short pieces, and transmits much poetry from him and others.

He knew people's poetry and circumstances. His book Malih al-malah shows the breadth of his reading; every meaning in it is graceful and finely composed.

He died in Baghdad in 568 AH and was buried in the cemetery of Baab Harb.

Al-Khateeree is a nisbah to a place above Baghdad called al-Khateerah, to which many scholars and also Khateeree garments are attributed.

'Imaad al-Deen al-Kaatib Muhammad ibn Safee al-Deen al-Isfahaanee was a Shaafi'ee jurist. He studied at the Nidhaamiyyah school, mastered disputation and the literary arts, and had poetry and epistles that make lengthy description unnecessary. He rose to prominence under Sultan Salaah al-Deen and Noor al-Deen Mahmood ibn Ataabak Zangee, and circumstances changed until his authority became great.

He composed useful works, including Khareedat al-qasr wa-jareedat al-'asr, a supplement to al-Khateeree's Zeenat al-dahr, in ten volumes.

He wrote al-Barq al-Shaamee in seven historical volumes and al-Fath al-Bustee on the conquest of Jerusalem.

He composed al-Sayyid 'alaa al-dhayl as a supplement to Khareedat al-qasr. He had a collection of epistles and a deewaan of poetry.

He died in Damascus in 597 AH and was born in 510 AH. May God have mercy on him.

Qaadhee al-Qudhaat Badr al-Deen al-'Aynee al-Hanafee studied law and the sciences, excelled, and became chief judge of the Hanafees in Cairo. He was an erudite imaam, an authority in Arabic, morphology, and other fields. He wrote a commentary on al-Bukhaaree, a history called al-'Aynee, a commentary on the meanings of the traditions, a commentary on al-Hidaayah, and an abridgment of Ibn 'Asaakir's history.

He died at 'Ayn in Dhoo al-Hijjah 855 AH. May God have mercy on him.

Thiqat al-Deen, the haafidh Aboo al-Qaasim 'Alee ibn al-Hasan ibn Hibat Allaah, known as Ibn 'Asaakir al-Dimashqee, was the traditionist of Syria in his time and one of its eminent Shaafi'ee jurists. Hadith came to dominate him, and he became famous for it, pursuing it so intensely that he gathered more than anyone else. He travelled, toured, crossed the lands, met the shaykhs, and accompanied the haafidh Aboo Sa'd al-Sam'aanee on his travels. He was a devout memorizer who combined texts and chains of transmission.

He heard in Baghdad, returned to Damascus, then went to Khuraasaan and entered Neesaaboor, Herat, Isfahaan, and the Jibaal.

He composed useful works and produced source extractions. His discussion of hadith was sound, and his compilations and compositions were well preserved.

He wrote the Great History of Damascus in eighty volumes in his own hand, bringing extraordinary material.

It is said that he gathered it from the time he became conscious of himself; otherwise a lifetime would not suffice to compose it after beginning his studies.

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He was born at the beginning of Muharram 499 AH and died in Rajab 571 AH in Damascus. Sultan Salaah al-Deen attended his funeral prayer.

He had respectable poetry, fine compositions, and enjoyable parts.

As for Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Hibat Allaah, the imaam and mufti Aboo Mansoor al-Dimashqee, known as Ibn 'Asaakir, he too had works on law and hadith. He died in 620 AH and was born in 550 AH.

As for 'Abd al-Samad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab ibn Zayn al-Umanaa' Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn 'Asaakir, he was the imaam, traditionist, ascetic, Ameen al-Deen Aboo al-Yaman al-Dimashqee al-Shaafi'ee, resident of the sanctuary. He heard from his grandfather and Ibn al-Teen and transmitted material in the two sanctuaries. He was an eminent scholar with broad participation in the sciences.

He was born in 614 AH and died in 680 AH. He was the shaykh of the Hijaaz in his time and had works on hadith.

Shaykh 'Alaa' al-Deen 'Alee ibn Ibraaheem ibn Daawood al-'Attaar—may his secret be sanctified—said: “When I bade farewell to Shaykh Muhyee al-Deen al-Nawawee at Nawaa, intending to travel to the Hijaaz, he gave me a letter of greeting from him to the aforementioned Ibn 'Asaakir. When I conveyed his greeting, Ibn 'Asaakir returned it and asked: 'Where did you leave him?' I said: 'In the town of Nawaa.' He immediately recited:

O dwellers at Nawaa, I long for you,

A longing that renews passion and grief.

I desire your nearness, for I am one who hopes—

My masters, for the nearness of the resident at Nawaa.”

'Abd Allaah ibn As'ad al-Maazinee al-Shaafi'ee al-Yaafi'ee, the righteous man, lover of the righteous, servant of God's saints, defender and advocate of their cause, author of many works. Every one of his compositions is useful in its field. His history is among the soundest, finest, and most delicate histories because it uses sweet expressions and is most beneficial to people, containing important matters. It is in two large volumes.

Among his lovely works is Misbaah al-dhalaam fee al-mustagheetheen bi-khayr al-anaam.

He also wrote Rawdh al-rayaaheen fee hikaayaat al-saaliheen.

In short, he was a righteous, blessed, rare man, unique in his age and an oddity of his time; Ash'aree in creed, following the Sufi path and associating with people of goodness, asceticism, and righteousness.

Ibn al-Subkee said in his al-Tabaqaat al-kubraa: “I met him at Minaa in 747 AH.” He died inin 767 AH. May God vitalize his spirit and increase his openings in the highest Paradise. His history is famous and available in people's hands; I have read it.

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