Ibn Khumays
- Died
- 640 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Bakr ibn Khumays (d. after 639 AH / 1241 CE) was an Andalusian biographer and man of letters based in Malaga, best known for Matla al-Anwar wa-Nuzhat al-Basair wal-Absar ("The Rising of Lights and the Promenade of Insights and Vistas"), a biographical dictionary of the city's scholars and literary figures .
Lineage and Upbringing
His full name was Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Khumays . He belonged to the Ibn Khumays family, an Ansari lineage prominent in teaching, writing, and delivering the Friday sermon across Estepona, Algeciras, and Ceuta . Circulating circumstances led him to be raised in Malaga in the household of his maternal uncle and teacher, the judge Ibn Askar (Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ali al-Ghassani, d. 636 AH) .
Scholarly Contributions
Ibn Khumays contributed to Andalusian local historiography and poetry . When Ibn Askar died before completing his biographical project on the scholars of Malaga, Ibn Khumays undertook its completion out of devotion and gratitude to his uncle, entitling the continuation Matla al-Anwar wa-Nuzhat al-Basair wal-Absar . Also referred to in various sources under titles such as Tarikh Malaqah ("History of Malaga") and A'lam Malaqah ("The Notables of Malaga"), the work compiles entries on 173 scholars, jurists, and men of letters who were native to or visited the city, opening with an extensive twenty-one-page biography dedicated to Ibn Askar . In poetry, he composed a quintain expansion (takhmis) on the famous poem al-Munfarijah by Abu al-Fadl ibn al-Nahwi .
Date of Death
Biographical dictionaries preserve few details regarding the circumstances or exact year of his death . The latest death date recorded among the biographies in his history of Malaga is 638 AH (1240–1241 CE), and al-Sakhawi notes that Ibn Khumays concluded the composition of the work in 639 AH (1239–1240 CE), indicating that he remained alive in that year .
Answer updated
List of Works
Completed in 639 AH (1239–1240 CE), this biographical dictionary records the scholars, jurists, and men of letters associated with Malaga in al-Andalus. Organized alphabetically in a single volume, it covers figures who resided in, entered, or passed through the city, documenting their scholarly achievements, literary works, correspondence, virtues, and teachers.