Man Ismuhu Amr min al-Shuara
- Author died
- 296 AH
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- Man Ismuhu Amr min al-Shuara
Man Ismuhu ‘Amr min al-Shu‘ara’ (Those Named ‘Amr Among the Poets) is an onomastic biographical monograph by the Abbasid scholar, administrator, and short-lived vizier Muhammad ibn Dawud ibn al-Jarrah (243–296 AH / 857–908 CE) . Structured as an epistolary treatise, it compiles biographies, genealogies, and poetic specimens of Arab poets sharing the given name ‘Amr from the pre-Islamic period through the early Abbasid era .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed in response to an inquiry by the scholar Yahya ibn Ali ibn Yahya al-Munajjim (Abu Ahmad) . During a discussion between the two scholars concerning reports from the early philologist al-Asma'i, al-Munajjim noted that al-Asma‘i and Khalaf al-Ahmar had collectively enumerated thirty poets named ‘Amr across both the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyya) and Islam, but that he himself could not identify that entire tally . He consequently requested that Ibn al-Jarrah document all such poets known to him .
In his introduction, Ibn al-Jarrah clarifies that al-Asma‘i and Khalaf al-Ahmar had restricted their count to the most prominent figures, whereas the total number of both minor and prolific poets named ‘Amr substantially exceeded thirty, in addition to newer poets who lived after their generation . To demonstrate the breadth of the name among poets, he transmits an account through Ibn Qutayba and Muhammad ibn Sa‘d al-Kurrani in which the genealogist Abu Damdam recited poetry by one hundred separate poets named ‘Amr .
Structure and Content
The work is organized sequentially according to chronological and tribal divisions, beginning with pre-Islamic poets of Mudar . The opening entry is devoted to Hashim ibn ‘Abd Manaf, the great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad, whose original name was ‘Amr . The text proceeds through numerous pre-Islamic, early Islamic, and later poets belonging to various northern and southern Arab tribes, including Kinana, Asad, Hudhayl, Tamim, and Sulaym .
For each entry, Ibn al-Jarrah adopts a concise biographical framework that provides:
- The poet's full lineage (nasab), agnatic branch, and distinguishing epithets or nicknames .
- Historical narratives, tribal battles (ayyam), or personal anecdotes (akhbar) associated with the poet .
- Selected poetic verses illustrating the poet's style, including rajaz meters and notable elegies .
Entries include figures such as the pre-Islamic brigand and warrior ‘Amr Dhu al-Kalb al-Hudhali, ‘Amr ibn ‘Adi ibn Zayd al-‘Ibadi (who was involved in the demise of the Lakhmid ruler al-Nu‘man ibn al-Mundhir), and Abbasid-era figures such as ‘Amr ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Sulami, an active partisan during the civil war between al-Amin and al-Ma'mun .
Sources and Transmission
Ibn al-Jarrah relied on direct auditory transmission and written sources from prominent 3rd-century AH philologists and traditionists . Among the authorities cited throughout the text are:
- Abu Hatim al-Sijistani (via ‘Asal ibn Dhakwan and Ibn Qutayba)
- Abu Ubayda
- Ibn Abi Khaythama (Ahmad ibn Zuhayr ibn Harb), quoting Ibn al-A'rabi
- Abu al-Fadl al-‘Abbas ibn al-Faraj al-Riyashi
- Abu Ja‘far Ahmad ibn ‘Ubayd
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