At a glance
- Roles
- Poet
- Era
- The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
- Region
- Levant & Iraq · Egypt & Nile
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Al-Mutanabbi, Abu al-Tayyib Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Mutanabbi, whom Ibn al-Imad describes as the greatest of the poets of Arabic. 1
In Egypt
He came to Egypt as a guest of Kafur al-Ikhshidi. Fatik al-Rumi al-Ikhshidi was known for generosity, but he could not go to seek al-Mutanabbi's service for fear of Kafur. They met by chance in the desert without an appointment, and Fatik gave him a gift worth a thousand dinars, then followed it with other gifts. 1
He asked Kafur's leave to praise Fatik, and was given it. He praised him with an ode beginning "You have no horses to give nor money". 1
The lament for Fatik
Fatik died in Egypt in Shawwal 355 AH, and al-Mutanabbi lamented him with an ode beginning "Grief disturbs and consolation restrains". Ibn al-Imad describes it as one of the outstanding elegies, and says he left Egypt with it. 1
Connections
- Participated in
- The killing of al-Mutanabbi (354 AH)
- Authored
- Diwan al-Mutanabbi
People and things also explored
Fatik ibn Abi al-Jahl al-Asadi· The killing of al-Mutanabbi (354 AH)· Diwan al-Mutanabbi
Sources
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali , p. 14-15
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Mutanabbi”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/al-mutanabbi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.