Ibn al-Rumi

Who was Ibn al-Rumi?

Ali ibn al-Abbas ibn Jurayj, also known as Ibn al-Rumi was the son of a Persian mother and a Roman slave father. By the age of twenty he earned a living from his poetry which would culminate in his masterpiece Diwan. His many political patrons included the Tahirid ruler Ubaydallah ibn Abdallah ibn Tahir, Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu'tamid's minister the Persian Isma'il ibn Bulbul, and the politically influential Nestorian family Banu Wahb. He was a Shiite with Mutazilite leanings. He died of illness at the age of 59 although some have suggested that poison or suicide may have been the cause.