Ibn Rashiq al-Qayrawani

Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Rashiq al-Qayrawani (c. 390–463 AH / c. 1000–1071 CE) was an Arab literary critic, poet, and philologist based in Ifriqiya, renowned for his treatise on Arabic poetic theory and rhetoric, al-Umda fi Mahasin al-Shi'r wa Adabih ("The Pillar Concerning the Virtues of Poetry and Its Manners") Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

Early Life and Education

Ibn Rashiq was born in al-Masilah (also known as al-Muhammadiyya), with other reports placing his birth in al-Mahdiyya, around 390 AH (or 385 AH according to alternative accounts) Wafayat al-Ayan+1. His father, Rashiq, was of Byzantine Roman origin and attached by clientage to the Arab tribe of Azd, working as a goldsmith in al-Muhammadiyya, where he trained Ibn Rashiq in the craft Wafayat al-Ayan+1. Ibn Rashiq pursued his early literary studies locally and composed poetry before moving to Kairouan in 406 AH Wafayat al-Ayan+1. In Kairouan, he studied literature, grammar, and philology under leading scholars of the city, including Abd al-Karim al-Nahshali and Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Qazzaz Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1.

Literary Career and Court Service

In Kairouan, Ibn Rashiq entered the Zirid court and gained prominence after composing panegyrics for the ruler al-Mu'izz ibn Badis Wafayat al-Ayan+1. He was taken under the patronage of the head of the chancery, Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abi al-Rijal, for whom he composed several writings and served as a scribe Tarajim al-Muallifin al-T…+1. Ibn Rashiq's position at court led to a fierce literary rivalry with his contemporary, the poet and critic Ibn Sharaf al-Qayrawani, which was discreetly encouraged by al-Mu'izz and produced reciprocal poetic polemics and critical treatises between the two men al-Wafi bil-Wafayat+1.

Critical Standing and Method

Ibn Rashiq established himself as one of the preeminent figures of literary criticism in western Islam by synthesizing the extensive critical and rhetorical traditions of the Islamic East with the scholarship of North Africa Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. In al-Umda, which he dedicated to Ali ibn Abi al-Rijal, he arranged the various branches of poetic theory, metrics, and rhetorical embellishments into a structured manual; Ibn Khaldun later praised it as the unrivaled authority on the art of poetry Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. He also addressed the contested topic of poetic borrowing and plagiarism in his short treatise Quradat al-Dhahab ("Scraps of Gold"), and documented the poets of his milieu in his biographical anthology Unmudhaj al-Zaman ("The Exemplar of the Age") al-Wafi bil-Wafayat+1.

Later Years and Death

Following the invasion of Ifriqiya by the Bedouin tribes and the sacking of Kairouan around 449 AH, Ibn Rashiq accompanied al-Mu'izz ibn Badis to al-Mahdiyya Wafayat al-Ayan+1. He later crossed to Sicily and settled in Mazara, where he was received by its local ruler, Ibn Matkud, who studied his books with him, and where he taught his critical writings to local students Wafayat al-Ayan+1. Ibn Rashiq died in Mazara in 463 AH / 1070–1071 CE, though other reports date his death to 456 AH or around 450 AH, with some accounts stating he died in Kairouan Wafayat al-Ayan+1.