Ibn al-Mutazz
- Died
- 296 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Abu al-Abbas Ibn al-Mu'tazz (247–296 AH / 861–909 CE; another report gives 249 AH) was an Abbasid prince, poet, and literary theorist from Baghdad, best known for authoring the foundational rhetorical work Kitab al-Badi' and his biographical anthology Tabaqat al-Shu'ara'.
Lineage and Early Life
He was Abd Allah, the son of the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tazz bi-Llah (whose name was Muhammad, or al-Zubayr) ibn al-Mutawakkil ala Allah Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Mu'tasim ibn Harun al-Rashid ibn al-Mahdi ibn al-Mansur al-Hashimi. He was born in Samarra—with another report stating Baghdad—in Sha'ban 249 AH, while an alternate transmission places his birth on 23 Sha'ban 247 AH, forty nights prior to the assassination of al-Mutawakkil.
He pursued philological and literary studies, learning Arabic literature and grammar under Abu al-Abbas al-Mubarrad, Abu al-Abbas Tha'lab, and his personal tutor Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Dimashqi. He also actively sought out eloquent Bedouins to record their language.
Scholarly and Literary Standing
Ibn al-Mu'tazz was widely recognized among contemporary scholars and men of letters as a naturally gifted poet (matbu'), an eloquent prose writer, and an innovative stylist celebrated for his descriptive poetry and similes (tashbihat). His Kitab al-Badi' is regarded as the earliest specialized systematic treatise on the badi' style of Arabic rhetoric, demonstrating that poetic figures used by modern poets had deep roots in the Quran, hadith, and ancient poetry. In addition, he composed Tabaqat al-Shu'ara', a prominent biographical work recording notices and verses of modern and transitional Abbasid-era poets.
The One-Day Caliphate and Death
Following the accession of the young caliph al-Muqtadir bi-Llah, factional leaders among the army commanders and head scribes rebelled in 296 AH. They deposed al-Muqtadir on Saturday, 20 Rabi' al-Awwal 296 AH (with other reports specifying seven or ten nights remaining in the month) and offered allegiance to Ibn al-Mu'tazz. Ibn al-Mu'tazz accepted the oath on the express condition that no Muslim blood be spilled on his account, and he assumed the regnal title al-Murtada bi-Llah (variants include al-Munsif, al-Ghalib, and al-Radi), appointing Muhammad ibn Dawud ibn al-Jarrah as his vizier.
His reign lasted only a single day and night. Loyalists and retainers of al-Muqtadir regrouped, clashed with Ibn al-Mu'tazz's supporters, and routed them, thereby reinstating al-Muqtadir to power. Ibn al-Mu'tazz fled into hiding at the residence of the jeweler Ibn al-Jassas. He was eventually discovered and handed over to the eunuch commander Mu'nis, who executed him by strangulation, though an isolated report claimed he died a natural death.
His death occurred on Wednesday, 1 Rabi' al-Akhar 296 AH (or in Rabi' al-Awwal of that year), at the age of forty-eight years and seven months. His body was delivered wrapped in a cloak and buried in a ruin facing his home, or in his residence along the Sarat canal. His tragic downfall and death were mourned by several poets, including Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bassam.
Answer updated
List of Works
Kitab al-Badi' (also known as al-Badi' fi al-badi') is a foundational treatise on Arabic rhetoric and poetic figures. Composed in 274 AH / 887–888 CE (or 264 AH according to an alternate report), the work aims to demonstrate that modern Abbasid poets did not invent these rhetorical devices, as they had long existed in the Quran, hadith, Bedouin speech, and ancient poetry. It presents an applied literary study of rhetorical devices using concise explanations and extensive textual citations rather than abstract philosophical definitions.
Tabaqat al-Shu‘ara’ is a 3rd-century AH biographical and critical anthology of Abbasid-era poets. The work compiles biographical notices and selected verses for 132 poets, encompassing both modern Abbasid poets and transitional figures spanning the late Umayyad and early Abbasid eras. Its primary objective is to document poems composed in praise of Abbasid caliphs, viziers, and princes, prioritizing rarer verses and fragments alongside literary evaluations, historical context, and social anecdotes.