Ibn Abi Kahl

Suwayd ibn Abi Kahil (d. after 60 AH / 680 CE) was an Arabian mukhadram poet of Banu Yashkur who lived through both the pre-Islamic era and early Islam, best known for his long ode known as al-Yatimah ("The Solitary Gem") al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Lineage and Background

His personal name is recorded as Suwayd, while his father Abu Kahil was named either Ghutayf or Shabib ibn Haritha ibn Hasl (or Hanbal) of the lineage of Yashkur ibn Bakr ibn Wa'il al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. He bore the kunya Abu Sa'd and was variously affiliated with the nisbas al-Yashkuri, al-Wa'ili, al-Dhubyani, and al-Ghatafani al-Isaba fi Tamyiz al-Sah…. His father, Abu Kahil, was likewise known as a poet al-Wafi bil-Wafayat.

A traditional account notes an ambiguity regarding his parentage: his mother, a woman of Banu Ghubbar, had previously been married to a man from Banu Dhubyan who died while she was pregnant Khizanat al-Adab wa Lubb …. When Abu Kahil married her and she gave birth, he acknowledged the child as his own; consequently, whenever Suwayd became displeased with Banu Yashkur, he claimed descent from Banu Dhubyan, and when reconciled, he affirmed his Yashkuri ancestry Khizanat al-Adab wa Lubb ….

Life and Satirical Disputes

He resided in the desert regions of Iraq and spent time in both Basra and Kufa al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. During his career, he engaged in several poetic disputes (hija'). After exchanging lampoons with Hadir, a poet of Banu Salama al-Anazi, the governor Abd Allah ibn Amir ordered the arrest of both men, prompting them to flee Basra Khizanat al-Adab wa Lubb ….

Later, after 60 AH, during the governorship of Amir ibn Mas'ud al-Jumahi over Kufa, Suwayd engaged in mutual satire with al-A'raj of Banu Hammad (or a group from Banu Shayban) Khizanat al-Adab wa Lubb …+1. Both poets were arrested and imprisoned until a fine of one hundred camels was levied; while Banu Hammad ransomed their kinsman, Suwayd's own clan failed to secure his release Khizanat al-Adab wa Lubb …. He remained in prison until members of Banu Abs and Banu Dhubyan intervened on his behalf in recognition of his panegyrics and tribal ties to them, securing his release without a ransom after he swore an oath never to return to satirical poetry Khizanat al-Adab wa Lubb …+1.

Poetic Standing

Suwayd was regarded by classical literary critics as an accomplished poet of the mukhadram generation; the critic Ibn Sallam al-Jumahi placed him in the same class as Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Alam lil-Zirikli. His celebrated ode rhyming in ayn, commonly referred to in pre-Islamic times as al-Yatimah, extends to over a hundred verses and was praised by Arab critics for its eloquence and abundance of proverbial wisdom al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. The Umayyad governor al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf notably recited verses from this poem upon the execution of Umayr ibn Dabi al-Burjumi in Kufa al-Durr al-Farid wa Bayt ….

According to Abu Ubayd Allah al-Marzubani, he lived to an advanced age, surviving well into the Islamic era up to the governorship of al-Hajjaj al-Isaba fi Tamyiz al-Sah….