al-Darimi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi

Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Darimi (d. 378 AH / 988 CE) was a fourth-century AH Arabic scribe and author known for his literary and poetic work al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf ("The Rare Gifts and Elegance").al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf+1

Identity and Life

His full lineage is recorded as Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Mughith ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Tamimi al-Darimi, and he bore the professional epithet al-Katib (the scribe).al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf In later manuscript traditions, he is also referred to with honorific titles such as al-Shaykh al-Imam al-Alim al-Allama.al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf An early exemplar of his writing was copied from an older, effaced archetype that bore a completion date in the month of Rajab 378 AH.al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf

Literary Output and Transmission

Al-Darimi composed his anthology al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf in response to a written request from a correspondent seeking an examination of strophic poetry (al-shi'r al-muwashshah) and shaped, calligrammatic verse designed in the form of cypresses and branching trees that could be read from multiple directions as self-contained poetry.al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf In this work, al-Darimi integrated into his strophic and shaped compositions well-known Prophetic hadiths, popular proverbs, literary anecdotes, debates, and figurative verse arranged in the outlines of birds and wild beasts.al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf

Later copyists noted that the work embedded interpretations of Quranic verses, Prophetic traditions, spiritual admonitions, ethical maxims, medical points, and subtle witticisms.al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf Manuscript copies of the text circulated in medieval royal collections, including the royal libraries of the Rasulids of Yemen.al-Tuhaf wa al-Zuraf