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al-Muzaffar ibn al-Fadl

Died
656 AH
Born in
Mosul

al-Muzaffar ibn al-Fadl (584–c. 656 AH / 1188–1258 CE) was an Iraqi man of letters and literary theorist best known for his critical treatise on Arabic poetry, Nadrat al-igrid fi nusrat al-qarid ("The Freshness of the Spathe in Defense of Metrical Poetry") .

Identity and Life

He was Abu Ali al-Muzaffar ibn al-Fadl ibn Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Alawi al-Husayni al-Mawsili, also known by the surname Ibn Hajib al-Dar . Another lineage variant gives his name as al-Muzaffar ibn Sa'id ibn al-Fadl ibn Yahya ibn Ja'far, and he is occasionally given the kunya Abu Abd Allah . He was born in Mosul in 584 AH (1188 CE) and grew up there, before relocating to Baghdad, where he studied Arabic literature and language .

During his residence in Baghdad, he was associated with the Abbasid vizier Muhammad ibn al-Alqami, for whom he composed literary works . He died around 656 AH (1258 CE) .

Literary Contribution

al-Muzaffar ibn al-Fadl authored Nadrat al-igrid fi nusrat al-qarid, a treatise on the craft and defense of poetic composition modeled upon al-Umda by Ibn Rashiq . He completed the work at the end of Jumada al-Akhira 642 AH (November 1244 CE) for the vizier Ibn al-Alqami . The treatise is structured into five thematic chapters:

  1. The characterization and ranks of poets;
  2. What is permissible for a poet to employ and what is forbidden;
  3. The virtues, merits, and utility of poetry;
  4. The examination of themes for which poetry has been praised or disparaged;
  5. What a poet must seek to achieve and what must be avoided .

In this work, he drew heavily upon earlier philological authorities, transmitting material from Hibat Allah ibn al-Shajari through an intermediary, including reports traced through Abu Zakariyya al-Tibrizi regarding the literary views of Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri . He also wrote a defense of al-Ma'arri titled Sarf al-ma'arra 'an al-shaykh al-Ma'arri ("Warding Off Reproach from Shaykh al-Ma'arri") and a commentary on select verses of al-Mutanabbi .

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List of Works

  • Nadrat al-Igrid fi Nusrat al-Qarid

    Nadrat al-Igrid fi Nusrat al-Qarid (The Freshness of the Spathe in Defense of Metrical Poetry) is a 7th-century AH treatise on the craft and merits of Arabic poetry. Completed in 642 AH (1244 CE), it serves as an apologetic work and guide dedicated to defending, clarifying, and celebrating the poetic art, its definitions, and its practical execution.