al-Hamawi, Ibn Hujja

Taqi al-Din Abu Bakr al-Hamawi, commonly known as Ibn Hujja al-Hamawi (c. 767–837 AH / 1366–1434 CE), was a Syrian Hanafi man of letters, poet, and Mamluk chancery scribe best known for his literary commentary Khizanat al-Adab wa-Ghayat al-Arab Hadiyat al-Arifin Asma al…+1.

Early life and education

Abu Bakr ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah al-Hamawi al-Hanafi (also cited as Abu Bakr ibn Ali ibn Muhammad) was born in Hama around 767 AH / 1366 CE; alternative reports place his birth in 777 AH or circa 768 AH Mujam al-Muallifin+1. The surname Ibn Hujja reflects the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, while the nisba al-Azrari stems from his early trade in silk weaving and button making (uqad al-azrar) before he turned to scholarship al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

He grew up in Hama, memorized the Quran, and pursued literary studies under local teachers Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. He studied literature with Shams al-Din al-Hiti and al-Izz al-Mawsili, grammar with Taqi al-Din ibn al-Hasani, and law under Ala' al-Din ibn al-Quda'i Khizanat al-Adab wa Ghaya…+1. Under the tutelage of Ala' al-Din al-Qudami, he excelled in composing vernacular strophic verse (zajal and mawaliya) before advancing to classical polyrhyme odes (qasid) and panegyrics for local notables Khizanat al-Adab wa Ghaya…+1. Before 790 AH, he traveled to Damascus, where he eulogized the chief judge Burhan al-Din ibn Jama'ah, and then proceeded to Cairo, where his poetry was endorsed by Fakhr al-Din ibn Makanis and his son Majd al-Din al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-….

Chancery career and later life

During the reign of the Mamluk sultan al-Mu'ayyad Shaykh, Ibn Hujja rose to prominence through the patronage of his fellow townsman Nasir al-Din ibn al-Barizi, the confidential secretary (katib al-sirr) Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. In 815 AH, he was appointed to the royal chancery (diwan al-insha') in Cairo, serving as a chief drafter of state correspondence and royal decrees, which he later compiled in his work Qahwat al-Insha' Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. He remained in high favor throughout al-Mu'ayyad's reign as a court poet and close companion Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.

Following the death of al-Mu'ayyad and the political transitions under Sultan Barsbay, Ibn Hujja's fortunes declined Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. Contemporary poets turned against him, targeting him with satirical verses due to his pride, vanity, and dismissive attitude toward his peers, whom he tended to regard as mere students al-Badr al-Tali bi-Mahasi…+1. A notable feud developed with Shams al-Din al-Nawaji, who authored a polemical treatise against him titled al-Hujjah fi sariqat Ibn Hujjah (The Proof Regarding the Plagiarisms of Ibn Hujja) al-Badr al-Tali bi-Mahasi…+1. Consequently, Ibn Hujja left Cairo around 830 AH (or after 825 AH) and returned to Hama, where he spent his final years engaged in writing and study Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.

Standing

Ibn Hujja was regarded as a leading master of prose and verse in the ninth-century Hijri literary landscape al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. When Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani was asked to identify the foremost poet of the era, he named Ibn Hujja Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. Both Ibn Hajar and al-Maqrizi praised his literary prowess, and prominent scholars, including Ibn Hajar and Ibn Khatib al-Nasiriyyah, studied under him and transmitted his writings Sullam al-Wusul ila Tabaq…+1.

His major literary achievement was Khizanat al-Adab wa-Ghayat al-Arab (The Treasury of Literature and the Ultimate Aim), an encyclopedic commentary on his 142-verse rhetorical praise poem of the Prophet Muhammad titled Taqdim Abi Bakr, which received widespread written commendations from scholars such as Ibn Hajar Mujam Alam Shuara al-Madh…+1. He also gained enduring popularity for Thamarat al-Awraq fi al-Muhadarat (Fruits of the Leaves in Conversational Lore), an anthology of literary anecdotes, history, and witty lore Hadiyat al-Arifin Asma al…+1.

Death

Ibn Hujja died in Hama in late Sha'ban 837 AH / April 1434 CE, at around seventy years of age; another report gives his death in Rajab Mujam al-Muallifin+1. He was buried in Hama, where his tomb became a well-known site al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.