it could hardly produce a fraction (of such excellence as yours). How could a streamlet compete with the vast ocean? how could a pebble be compared with a pearl? You, the able horseman in (the career of) that jewel-adorned poetry and that prose which dissipate even the pains of sickness! you who, by your abilities, aim at the highest point (of perfection and attain it) know that my talent cannot reach so far. Impose not on me the task of giving you fitting praise; such a duty I am unable to fulfil. My talent has been always too feeble for poetry; I have often turned away from making verses, and even with great aversion. Be then so kind as to excuse me; I avow that, compared with your abundance, talent like mine is poverty.

At-Tibrîzi was born in the year 421 (A. D. 1030); he died suddenly at Baghdad, on Tuesday, the 27th of the latter Jumâda, 502 (1st Feb., A. D. 1109), and was interred in the cemetery at the Abrez gate.—In Bistâm, the letter b is followed by an i. We have already spoken of Shaibâni (vol. 1. p. 85) and of Tibrîzi (vol. II. p. 644); so, we need not repeat our observations.

(1) Abû 'l-Kåsim Obaid Allah Ibn Ali Ibn Obaid Allah Ibn Zunain () ar-Rakki (a native of Racca, in Mesopotamia) and an inhabitant of Baghdad, was highly distinguished for his talents. He was versed in grammar, arabic philology, polite literature and the art of calculating inheritance shares. He composed also a work on the theory of the rhyme, in prosody. One of his masters was Abû 'l-Alâ al-Maarri. His death took place in the year 450 (A. D. 1058-9).-Suyûti's Biographical Dictionary of gram narians and literary men; ms. of the Bibl. imp., supplement n. 683.

(2) Our author has already noticed an Abû Muhammad Said Ibn al-Mubarak ad-Dahhân (vol. I, p. 574), a grammarian of great celebrity; but the Abi Muhammad ad-Dahhân of whom he speaks here, lived in the preceding century, and was the son of Muhammad Ibn Ali. He was an able grammarian, versed in arabic philology, jurisprudence and the Korân-readings. In his lectures on jurisprudence, he adhered to the system followed in Iråk (the doctrine of Abû Hanifa), and, in dogmatic theology, he followed the system of the Motazelites. He taught also the Traditions and had at-Tibrizi for a pupil. He was very negligent in his dress. Died A. H. 447 (A. D. 1055).—(Suyûti's Grammarians).

(3) Various readings: as-Saiyâri, as-Saiyddi.

(4) Abů 'l-Fadl Muhammad Ibn Nâsir, one of the great Traditionists of Irâk, was born A. H. 467 (A. D. 1074-5). He became eminent as a grammarian, philologer, legist and historian. He died in the month of Shaaban, A. H. 550 (October, A. D. 1155).-(Tabakåt al-Huffaz.)

(5) Aba 'l-Hasan Saad al-Khair Ibn Muhammad al-Ansâri, a native of Valencia in Spain, received also the surname of as-Sîni (the Chinese), because he had gone to China in search of traditional information. After encountering many dangers in his travels, he fixed his residence in Baghdad, where he studied jurisprudence under the celebrated doctor Abu Hamid al-Ghazzâli. Subsequently to a journey made to Ispahân, where he heard Traditions taught by the doctors of that city, he returned to Baghdad, studied the belles-lettres under Yahya at-Tibrîzi and died there, in the month of Muharram, 541 (June-July, A. D. 1146).—(Al-Makkari, arabic text, vol. 1, p. 895.)

(6) Abu Mansûr Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Malik Ibn Khairùn, a native of Baghdad and teacher of the Korân

readings, was noted for the surety of his information and the sanctity of his life. He composed a work on the readings, entitled al-Miftah (the key) and died in the month of Rajab, A. H. 539 (January, A. D. 1145), at an advanced age.—(Tabakåt al-Kurrð, n. 742, fol. 148.)

(7) Tabrizi's moral character does not appear in the best light, if we may judge after a piece of verse composed by him and given farther on. Ibn Khairûn must have been often scandalized by facts of this nature, as the most eminent doctors and many of the sovereigns who patronized poets and literary men, took the greatest pleasure in composing and listening to poems which cannot be transferred, undisguised, into any European language. Ibn Khallikân himself cites, with complacency, verses which do not admit of a literal translation. Amongst the Moslim princes, ulemâ, kâdis and poets, there were probably but few who could say, with Ovid Amore puerorum tangor minus.

(8) See de Sacy's Chrestomathie arabe, t. III, p. 90.

(9) The Mufaddaliyât is a collection of ancient poems. An edition of this rare and precious compilation with al-Marzûki's commentary, is to be published at Berlin by Mr. Gosche.

(10) Gharib al-Hadith means rare and obscure expressions occurring in the Traditions. A number of works were composed on this subject, but the most noted was that of Abû Obaid al-Kâsim Ibn Sallâm (vol. II, p. 487). (11) The work entitled Islah al-Mantik (correction of discourse) was composed by Ibn as-Sikkit, a philologer whose life will be found in this volume.

(12) Tabrîzi's middle commentary on the Hamása is that which has been published by Freytag. It is frequently diffuse and unsatisfactory. The information borrowed by the author from his predecessors is often very useful, but his own communications are generally philological futilities. In explaining the verses of the text, he disserts on what is simple and evident, but seldom attempts to clear up a real difficulty.

(13) The passage to which our author refers is not to be found in any of the manuscripts. It is absent also in the printed editions.

(14) See vol. III, p. 667.

(15) According to some MSS. Nahrir. The person who bore this name is not noticed in the works consulted by the translator.

(16) See vol. I, p. 318.

(17) In this translation the word sister is placed for brother and the gender of certain pronoms has been changed. For the reason, see note (7).

(18) The Arabs of the desert made use of ten arrows in casting lots; each arrow had a particular mark and a particular name. That which gained the entire pool was called the moalla; that which entitled the drawer

to one seventh of the pool was called the fadd.—Hajûn was the name of a valley near Mekka.

IBN MOTI AZ-ZAWAWI

Abù l'-Husain Yahya Ibn Abd al-Moti (1) Ibn Abd an-Nûr az-Zawâwi, surnamed Zain ad-Din (the ornament of religion), was a member of the Hanefite sect and one of the great masters of the age as a grammarian and a philologer. He resided at Damascus for a long time and had a great number of pupils to whom his tuition was highly profitable. Some useful works were composed by him (2). Having removed to Misr (Old Cairo), on the invitation of al-Malik al-Kâmil (vol. III. p. 240), he opened a course of literature in the mosque called al-Jami'l-Atik, and received, for his pains, a fixed salary. He remained there till his death; he died in New Cairo, towards the end of the month of Zû 'l-Kaada, 628 (September, A. D. 1231), and was buried, the next day, on the border of the Khandak (fosse) which is in the vicinity of the His tomb is still to be seen.

imam as-Shâfî's mausoleum.

His tomb is still to be seen. He was born in the year

564 (A. D. 1168-9).-Zawawi means belonging to the Zawdwa (Zoaves), a great tribe which, with its numerous branches and subdivisions, inhabits the country outside of Bejâiya (Bugia), a government (town) in the province of Ifrîkiya.

(1) It is probably by error that this surname is here written Ibn Abd al-Moti. In the grammar of Ibn Malik, verse 5, and in the first verse of the author's own grammar (see Hajji Khalifa's Bibliographical Dictionary, vol. I, p. 415) we read Ibn Moti, and such is the appellation by which he is generally known. In the Biographical Dictionary of the grammarians by as-Suyuti, the surname given to him is also Ibn Moti.

(2) His grammatical treatise entitled the Alfiya, because it consisted of about one thousand verses, was in great repute till outdone by the treatise of Ibn Malik which bears the same title. The Fusul or aphorisms, another of Ibn Moti's grammatical works, had a great number of commentators.

YAHYA IBN AL-MUNAJJIM

Abû Ahmad Yahya was the son of Ali, the son of Yahya, the son of Abû Mansûr, surnamed al-Munajjim (the astrologer), and whose real name was Abbân

Hasis, the son of Urîd, the son of Kâd, the son of Mihânîdâd Hasîs, the son of Farrûkhdâd, the son of Asâd, the son of Mihr Hasîs, the son of Yezdegird (the last of the Sâsânide kings of Persia). He commenced his career as a boon companion of al-Muwaffak Abû Ahmad Talha, the son of the khalif al-Mutawakkil and the father of the khalif al-Motadid Billah. Al-Muwaffak never became khalif, but acted as the lieutenant of his brother, al-Motamid ala-Allah, and was constantly engaged in fighting against the Karmats. As his achievements in this war are well known and would furnish matter for a long narration, this is not a fit place for relating them. After (the death of) al-Muwaffak, Yahya (Ibn al-Munajjim) became the boon companion of the succeeding khalifs and, more particularly, of al-Muktafi Billah, the son of al-Motadid. He attained to a high rank in that prince's favour and was preferred by him to all the other courtiers and table-companions. He professed those doctrines of scholastic theology which were received by the Motazelites and wrote a number of treatises on that subject. Sittings were held by him in the presence of al-Muktafi, and many schoolmen attended them. Amongst the numerous works composed by him, we may notice the Bahir (eminent), containing the history of such poets as had flourished under the two dynasties (that of the Omaiyides and that of the Abbasides). It begins by an article on Bashshâr Ibn Burd (vol. I. p. 254) and ends with another on Marwân Ibn Abi Hafsa (vol. III. p. 343). His son Abû 'l-Hasan Ahmad Ibn Yahya terminated this work, which had been left unfinished, and had the intention of adding to it an account of all the modern poets. He, in consequence, gave in it notices on Abù Dulâma (vol. I. p. 534), Wâliba Ibn al-Hubâb (vol. I. p. 395), Yahya Ibn Zîâd (vol. II. p. 403), Muti Ibn Iyâs (vol. I. p. 438) and Abû Ali al-Basîr. Abû 'l-Hasan was a scholastic theologian and, as a legist, he adhered to the system of jurisprudence drawn up by Abû Jaafar at Tabari (vol. II. p. 597). The (other) works composed by him were, a history of his own family, in which he traced its origin up to the Persians, the Ijmâa (general agreement) treating of at-Tabari's system of jurisprudence, a Mudkhil (or introduction) to the study of that system and a vindication of its principles, a Kitâb al-Aukât (ireatise on the hours of prayer (?), etc. His father, Yahya, had many curious and amusing encounters with al-Motadid; such, for instance as that which Abù 'l-Hasan Ali Ibn al-Husain Ibn Ali al-Masûdi (vol. II. p. 618) gives in his Muruj ad-Dahab : Yahya Ibn al-Munajjim," says he, "related as follows: I was one day in the pre"sence of al-Motadid, who was then in an angry mood. His mawla, Badr, of

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"whom he was very fond, came in, and the khalif, having distinguished him at a "considerable distance, laughed aloud and asked me who was the poet that said:

་་

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In her face is an intercessor which obliterates the wounds she inflicted on our hearts; "whenever she intercedes, she is heard with deference?'

I replied It was al-Hakam Ibn Amr as-Sàri (1) who said so.' On this, he "exclaimed: He has expressed the thought admirably well! let us hear the whole piece.'-I, in consequence, recited to him these lines:

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"O! how I suffer from a person who has driven away my sleep, so that it will return no "more, and who has added fresh torments to those which afflicted my heart! The sun seems "to be rising out of her shoulders, so handsome is her face; or rather, the moon is rising out "of her buttoned vest. She is looked on with kindness by her lover, despite the wrongs he "suffered from her (cruelty), and whatever she does is forgiven. In her face is an intercessor "which obliterates the wounds she inflicted on our hearts; whenever she intercedes, she is "heard with deference. "

Abû l'-Fath Ibn Kushâjim (vol. I. p. 301), the celebrated poet, says, in that chapter of his work entitled al-Masdid wa 'l-Matârid which treats of hunting lions with arrows, that Abû Ahmad Yahya Ibn Ali Ibn Yahya al-Munajjim, who was the boon companion of (the khalif) al-Muktafi Billah, related as follows: "The Commander of "the faithful, al-Muktafi Billah, was displeased with me because, when he was about returning from ar-Rakka, I set out before him and made the first stage of the journey by water. This I had been induced to do by Abû 'l-Abbas Ahmad, the son "of Abd as-Samad (vol. II. p. 143) who asked me go in the same boat with him. "I did not think that the khalif would be displeased by my doing so or offended at my leaving him and staying away. When we arrived at (the town of) ad-Dâlîa, "he gave orders that I should be taken back to Karkisiya and remain there till I had "killed a lion and sent it to him. I was therefore obliged to return, and a "number of the vocal musicians, who had taken the water-conveyance, were sent "back with me. I then wrote to the khalif some verses, but could not induce him "to relent; so, I returned to ar-Rahaba, and there went to lodge with Abû Muham"mad Abd Allah Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Saîd al-Kutrubulli. I passed the time with "him in the enjoyments of life; and we had drinking parties, morning, noon and night. He was highly pleased with my society. One of our companions was “Abû Jaafar Muhammad Ibn Sulaimân, the grandson of (the vizir) Muhammad Ibn

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