Al-Amīr al-Mukhtār ʿIzz al-Mulk Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abīʾl Qāsim ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Azīz al-Ḥarranī al-Musabbiḥī al-Kātib, commonly known simply as al-Musabbihi (
Arabic:
المصبحي) (4 March 977 – April/May 1030), was a
Fatimid historian, writer and administrative official. He is known to have authored some 40,000 pages of manuscripts dealing with an array of topics, including history, psychology, law, grammar, sexology and cooking.
Akhbār Miṣr, a contemporary chronicle of Egyptian history and news, was among al-Musabbihi's well-known works. However, like the vast majority of al-Musabbihi's works, only fragments of
Akhbār Miṣr survived; most of his writings disappeared not long after his death.
Al-Musabbihi was a devout
Sunni Muslim born in
Fustat, where he lived most of his life and died. He was known to be loyal to the Fatimid government and maintained particularly close ties with Caliph
al-Hakim (r. 996–1021). Early in his career, he served in the Fatimid military and was made a provincial governor in
Upper Egypt before becoming a leading figure in the Fatimids' central administration in
Cairo.
Life
Al-Musabbihi was born a
Ismaili Shia state and maintained a particularly close relationship with the eccentric caliph
al-Hakim (r. 996–1021).
[3] The latter was known to get along with the residents of Fustat.
[3] Al-Musabbihi died in Fustat in April/May 1030.
[3]Writings
Al-Musabbihi was a prolific writer, who authored numerous manuscripts on a variety of subjects, including history, practical psychology, sexology, law, grammar and cooking.[3] The later medieval historians Ibn Khallikan and Ibn Sa'id al-Andalusi documented in detailed lists all of al-Musabbihi's works and the amount of pages for each work; al-Musabbihi's total work amounted to roughly 40,000 pages, with some works alone consisting of over a thousand pages.[3] However, most of his work disappeared not long after he died.[3]
History of Egypt
Among al-Musabbihi's main works was the roughly 13,000-page chronicle of Egypt's history, known as Akhbār Miṣr.Escorial in
Spain.
[3] This section of al-Musabbihi's work documented events occurring in the caliphate between 1023/24 and 1024/25 and also contained poems and letters by other writers who were well-acquainted with al-Musabbihi.
[3] According to
Thierry Bianquis, this manuscript "provides an insight into the contemporary literary composition, in elegant prose and poetry, of Egypt and Iraq at the beginning of the 11th century".
[3] The modern Egyptian historian Ayman Fuad Sayyid claims the 15th-century Egyptian historian
al-Maqrizi had in his possession chapter 34 of
Akhbar Misr, which recorded events for the year 1004/05.
[3]
Akhbar Misr was a contemporary work in which al-Musabbihi recorded the day-to-day events in the Fatimid Caliphate and at the end of the year, recorded the obituaries of notable individuals.
References
- ^ a b c Bianquis 1993, p. 650.
- ^ Bianquis 1993, p. 650–651.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Bianquis 1993, p. 651.
- ^ Bianquis 1993, pp. 651–652.
Bibliography
|
|---|
| International | |
|---|
| National | |
|---|
| Academics | |
|---|
| Other | |
|---|
