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al- FARAZDA| , "the lump of dough", properly Tamm§m b. óŠ§lib ( Abå Fir§s ), famous Arab satirist and panegyrist, died atBaßra about 110/728 or 112/730.

Born in Yam§ma (Eastern Arabia) on a date which is uncertain (probably after 20/640), this poet was

descended from the sub-tribe of Muþš§¯Ši#, of the D§rim group of the TamÊm. His father, óŠ§lib [ q.v. ], is said

to have played some part, in the Baßra area, in the conflict between #AlÊ and Mu#§wiya; to this fact must beattributed the later idea that al-FarazdaÎ entertained pro-#Alid sympathies which, however, are not veryapparent in his works. The talent for verse does not seem to have been widespread in his family; however

al-FarazdaÎ, endowed with a prodigious memory and precocious talent, seems very soon to have made

himself known in his tribe by laudatory and epigrammatic compositions in the Bedouin style. The accession of the Umayyad dynasty must have been a decisive factor in the career of the young poet, because of the choices

to which it limited him. By the bonds of affinity as much as by obligation, al-FarazdaÎ was first led to choosehimself protectors in Yam§ma, then at Baßra, amongst people more or less bound to the fortunes of the family

ruling in Syria. This attitude is particularly noticeable in the relations he maintained, for example, with theBanå Bakra, who were secretly flirting with the #Alids, though supporting the Umayyads.

The satire attributed to al-FarazdaÎ against the caliph Mu#§wiya, contrary to what Nallino maintains, is far

from being definitely authentic.Nevertheless circumstances, fortuitous or contrived, must have affected his behaviour occasionally: it is

known, for example, that al-FarazdaÎ, as a result of some rather obscure proceedings, had to flee from #Ir§Îand seek refuge in Medina to escape the threat that Ziy§d, the governor of Baßra, laid upon his life (in49/669). At Medina the poet was welcomed most warmly by the local authorities, and he remained in this

town till 56/675-6; he then returned to #Ir§Î immediately after the death of Ziy§d to attach himself to thelatter's son, #Ubayd All§h. In 67/686, the panegyrist confirmed his attachment to the Umayyad branch of the

Marw§nids which was in power, by celebrating prince Bi¯Šr, who had come to #Ir§Î, and his brother #Abdal-#AzÊz, whose praises he sang in a threnody in 85/704 ( DÊw§n, ed. ‘§wÊ , 225 ff.). [II 788b] There is no doubtthat under the governorship of al-\aþšþš§þš [ q.v. ], probably because of the intrigues of his enemy òšarÊr, who

was in the good graces of this powerful personage, al-FarazdaÎ was more or less in disgrace. Nevertheless he

dedicated a number of laudatory poems to al-\aþšþš§þš and to some members of his family. Perhaps hisdelicate position in relation to the governor of #Ir§Î prevented al-FarazdaÎ from obtaining the protection of the caliph #Abd al-Malik and it is to be noted that no ode was addressed by him to this ruler. On the other

hand, under WalÊd I, al-FarazdaÎ became the official poet of the caliph, as witness numerous panegyrics

dedicated to him and to his two sons. Under Sulaym§n he enjoyed the same favour. It was otherwise on theaccession of #Umar II in 99/717, when al-FarazdaÎ was rather in the shade. However, the insurrection of

YazÊd b. al-Muhallab gave the poet the chance to recover favour and, under the caliph YazÊd II, he violentlyattacked the rebel whom he had celebrated several years before, at the time of his power (see the panegyrics to

YazÊd II and to Maslama, dated 101/720 and 102/720-1 in DÊw§n, 262-7 and 201). At this time, al-FarazdaÎ,

who was eighty years old, hardly ever left Baßra. Caught up in the whirlwind of conflicts between the"YemenÊ " and |aysÊ factions, he experienced many difficulties with governors of #Ir§Î belonging to one or

other of them. Twice he was thrown into prison because of this, but succeeded in getting out thanks to localsupport.

In his career, struggles against rivals occupied a prominent place. Political attitudes, notably attachment to

the "YemenÊ " or the |aysÊ faction, provoked or aggravated these enmities. In the background one can alsosense some tribal partisanship. This is the reason for the implacable hostility nursed by al-FarazdaÎ for òšarÊr,also a TamÊmÊ , but of another branch. There is no doubt that the contentions between these two rivals havebeen a fruitful source for anecdotal literature (as one can ascertain from Kit§bal- AÿŠ§nÊ 3, viii, 32-7). Moreover,

al- FARAZDA| , "the lump of dough", properly Tamm§m b. óŠ§lib ( Abå Fir§s ), famous Arab satirist and panegyrist, died atBaßra about 110/728 or 112/730.

Born in Yam§ma (Eastern Arabia) on a date which is uncertain (probably after 20/640), this poet was

descended from the sub-tribe of Muþš§¯Ši#, of the D§rim group of the TamÊm. His father, óŠ§lib [ q.v. ], is said

to have played some part, in the Baßra area, in the conflict between #AlÊ and Mu#§wiya; to this fact must beattributed the later idea that al-FarazdaÎ entertained pro-#Alid sympathies which, however, are not veryapparent in his works. The talent for verse does not seem to have been widespread in his family; however

al-FarazdaÎ, endowed with a prodigious memory and precocious talent, seems very soon to have made

himself known in his tribe by laudatory and epigrammatic compositions in the Bedouin style. The accession of the Umayyad dynasty must have been a decisive factor in the career of the young poet, because of the choices

to which it limited him. By the bonds of affinity as much as by obligation, al-FarazdaÎ was first led to choosehimself protectors in Yam§ma, then at Baßra, amongst people more or less bound to the fortunes of the family

ruling in Syria. This attitude is particularly noticeable in the relations he maintained, for example, with theBanå Bakra, who were secretly flirting with the #Alids, though supporting the Umayyads.

The satire attributed to al-FarazdaÎ against the caliph Mu#§wiya, contrary to what Nallino maintains, is far

from being definitely authentic.Nevertheless circumstances, fortuitous or contrived, must have affected his behaviour occasionally: it is

known, for example, that al-FarazdaÎ, as a result of some rather obscure proceedings, had to flee from #Ir§Îand seek refuge in Medina to escape the threat that Ziy§d, the governor of Baßra, laid upon his life (in49/669). At Medina the poet was welcomed most warmly by the local authorities, and he remained in this

town till 56/675-6; he then returned to #Ir§Î immediately after the death of Ziy§d to attach himself to thelatter's son, #Ubayd All§h. In 67/686, the panegyrist confirmed his attachment to the Umayyad branch of the

Marw§nids which was in power, by celebrating prince Bi¯Šr, who had come to #Ir§Î, and his brother #Abdal-#AzÊz, whose praises he sang in a threnody in 85/704 ( DÊw§n, ed. ‘§wÊ , 225 ff.). [II 788b] There is no doubtthat under the governorship of al-\aþšþš§þš [ q.v. ], probably because of the intrigues of his enemy òšarÊr, who

was in the good graces of this powerful personage, al-FarazdaÎ was more or less in disgrace. Nevertheless he

dedicated a number of laudatory poems to al-\aþšþš§þš and to some members of his family. Perhaps hisdelicate position in relation to the governor of #Ir§Î prevented al-FarazdaÎ from obtaining the protection of the caliph #Abd al-Malik and it is to be noted that no ode was addressed by him to this ruler. On the other

hand, under WalÊd I, al-FarazdaÎ became the official poet of the caliph, as witness numerous panegyrics

dedicated to him and to his two sons. Under Sulaym§n he enjoyed the same favour. It was otherwise on theaccession of #Umar II in 99/717, when al-FarazdaÎ was rather in the shade. However, the insurrection of

YazÊd b. al-Muhallab gave the poet the chance to recover favour and, under the caliph YazÊd II, he violentlyattacked the rebel whom he had celebrated several years before, at the time of his power (see the panegyrics to

YazÊd II and to Maslama, dated 101/720 and 102/720-1 in DÊw§n, 262-7 and 201). At this time, al-FarazdaÎ,

who was eighty years old, hardly ever left Baßra. Caught up in the whirlwind of conflicts between the"YemenÊ " and |aysÊ factions, he experienced many difficulties with governors of #Ir§Î belonging to one or

other of them. Twice he was thrown into prison because of this, but succeeded in getting out thanks to localsupport.

In his career, struggles against rivals occupied a prominent place. Political attitudes, notably attachment to

the "YemenÊ " or the |aysÊ faction, provoked or aggravated these enmities. In the background one can alsosense some tribal partisanship. This is the reason for the implacable hostility nursed by al-FarazdaÎ for òšarÊr,also a TamÊmÊ , but of another branch. There is no doubt that the contentions between these two rivals havebeen a fruitful source for anecdotal literature (as one can ascertain from Kit§bal- AÿŠ§nÊ 3, viii, 32-7). Moreover,

Extract from the Encyclopaedia of Islam CD-ROM Edition v.1.1

© 2001 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands



it is certain that this opposition inspired al-FarazdaÎ and his enemy likewise with the poems which most

clearly characterize their work. These diatribes should not however, allow us to forget those otherrelationships, of a different kind, maintained with al-AÈwaß [ q.v. ] at Medina, with the "reader"-grammarian

Abå #Amr ibn al-#Al§" [ q.v. ], or with al-\asan al-BaßrÊ (cf. AÿŠ§nÊ 1, xix, 14).

Al-FarazdaÎ seems to have been too unusual a figure not to have stimulated the imagination of the

"logographers" who interested themselves in him. In the biographical facts we have, there often comes to lighta tendency to exaggerate the eccentricities of his personality, to accentuate his cowardice, bawdiness,drunkenness, and venality. This harsh approach is in fact of little concern because it does not touch on the

essentials. What is important in reality is to discover in al-FarazdaÎ the traits which are of relevance for thepanegyrist, the satirist, and the representative of a generation torn between bedouin culture and the new

ethics. On these lines might be explained certain traits of his character, his recantations and his final

impenitence, all to be found echoed in his poetry.

The greater part of his poetry has survived, because of TamÊmÊ particularism on the one hand, and also

because of the favour al-FarazdaÎ still retained in learned circles in Baßra. After an oral transmission about

which we have few facts, his poetry was equally well received at Kåfa (see AÿŠ§nÊ 1, xix, 2, 11 f.) There is nodoubt that it is from this time that al- [II 789a] FarazdaÎ, along with òšarÊr and al-A¦Šãal [ q.v. ], becomes one of a

trio who for several centuries furnished a theme for discussion among the cultivated. In his own lifetime,al-FarazdaÎ did not hesitate to appropriate the verses of his contemporaries (cf. Ibn Sall§m, 126 and AÿŠ§nÊ 3,ii, 266-7, viii, 96); there is also reason to doubt the authenticity of many of the poems which appear inal-SukkarÊ 's recension in the 3th/9th century. The DÊw§n, in ‘§wÊ 's edition, numbers about 7,630 verses,

which is the largest total that is known in the whole of Arabic poetry. His work is presented in the form of

fragments or of complete poems of 20 to 30 verses, rarely more. Many poems are in ÎasÊda form. Withal-FarazdaÎ this form had a tripartite structure with a short nasÊb ( e.g., DÊw§n, ed. ‘§wÊ , 7, 8, 74-6, etc.), but

usually and this is remarkable this elegiac prelude is omitted (so ibid., 84-7, 99 f., 228-33 etc.), and veryfrequently the ÎaßÊda is reduced to the laudatory elements alone (so ibid., 57-9, 63-7, 70-1, 99-101, 309-14,

etc.). The thematic sequence in the ÎaßÊda with nasÊb often anticipates the sequence which imposed itself on the"classical" theoreticians (so ibid., 219-24, 302-8 etc.). Too often the threnodic form is difficult to find in this

poet, but we have a good specimen in the threnody composed on Bi¯Šr ( ibid., 268-70). The various types of poem are unequally represented in al-FarazdaÎ. First and foremost come the laudatory themes made up of the traditional sterotypes, among which should be pointed out the traditional theme of the greatness as caliph

and the religious value of the Caliph-Im§m (so ibid., 63-7, 89-92 lines 12 ff., 219-24 lines 18 ff. etc.). Naturallyenough, tribal and personal fa¦Šr is frequent in this poet. Like his contemporaries, al-FarazdaÎ treated the

epigram in short impromptus or developed it as a thematic element in a ÎaßÊda. In this latter case he obtains aneffect of contrast with the laudatory elements (so ibid., 115-23 where the glories of the D§rim are contrasted

with the "shames" of the Kulayb, òšarÊr's tribe). In al-FarazdaÎ, more than in his contemporaries, the satirical

genre has a rare vigour and obscenity ( e.g., the piece directed against al-Tirimm§È, in DÊw§n, 135-7). Thetraditional wisdom, poorly represented in the work of this panegyrist and satirist, is of a distressing banality,

and the Islamic ethic has in no way enriched in depth a spirit completely impregnated with Bedouin culture.

Sometimes, however, the poet seems to have been able to strike a moving tone, in lamenting, for example, thedeath of a child (so DÊw§n, 764 and AÿŠ§nÊ 1, xix, 12-3). It is worth noting that, dissolute as al-FarazdaÎ issupposed to have been, he did not to all intents and purposes write in the Bacchic genre (cf. Ibn |utayba,

294). Likewise this epicurean hardly felt the need to celebrate his loves, and the ode composed on a gallant

adventure confirms this deficiency in his sensibility ( ibid., 255-62). Similarly in the fragments, in any casesuspect, on his separation from his wife Naw§r, the poet is without deep emotion and reduced to repeating

banal formulas (see AÿŠh§nÊ 1, xix, 9).

it is certain that this opposition inspired al-FarazdaÎ and his enemy likewise with the poems which most

clearly characterize their work. These diatribes should not however, allow us to forget those otherrelationships, of a different kind, maintained with al-AÈwaß [ q.v. ] at Medina, with the "reader"-grammarian

Abå #Amr ibn al-#Al§" [ q.v. ], or with al-\asan al-BaßrÊ (cf. AÿŠ§nÊ 1, xix, 14).

Al-FarazdaÎ seems to have been too unusual a figure not to have stimulated the imagination of the

"logographers" who interested themselves in him. In the biographical facts we have, there often comes to lighta tendency to exaggerate the eccentricities of his personality, to accentuate his cowardice, bawdiness,drunkenness, and venality. This harsh approach is in fact of little concern because it does not touch on the

essentials. What is important in reality is to discover in al-FarazdaÎ the traits which are of relevance for thepanegyrist, the satirist, and the representative of a generation torn between bedouin culture and the new

ethics. On these lines might be explained certain traits of his character, his recantations and his final

impenitence, all to be found echoed in his poetry.

The greater part of his poetry has survived, because of TamÊmÊ particularism on the one hand, and also

because of the favour al-FarazdaÎ still retained in learned circles in Baßra. After an oral transmission about

which we have few facts, his poetry was equally well received at Kåfa (see AÿŠ§nÊ 1, xix, 2, 11 f.) There is nodoubt that it is from this time that al- [II 789a] FarazdaÎ, along with òšarÊr and al-A¦Šãal [ q.v. ], becomes one of a

trio who for several centuries furnished a theme for discussion among the cultivated. In his own lifetime,al-FarazdaÎ did not hesitate to appropriate the verses of his contemporaries (cf. Ibn Sall§m, 126 and AÿŠ§nÊ 3,ii, 266-7, viii, 96); there is also reason to doubt the authenticity of many of the poems which appear inal-SukkarÊ 's recension in the 3th/9th century. The DÊw§n, in ‘§wÊ 's edition, numbers about 7,630 verses,

which is the largest total that is known in the whole of Arabic poetry. His work is presented in the form of

fragments or of complete poems of 20 to 30 verses, rarely more. Many poems are in ÎasÊda form. Withal-FarazdaÎ this form had a tripartite structure with a short nasÊb ( e.g., DÊw§n, ed. ‘§wÊ , 7, 8, 74-6, etc.), but

usually and this is remarkable this elegiac prelude is omitted (so ibid., 84-7, 99 f., 228-33 etc.), and veryfrequently the ÎaßÊda is reduced to the laudatory elements alone (so ibid., 57-9, 63-7, 70-1, 99-101, 309-14,

etc.). The thematic sequence in the ÎaßÊda with nasÊb often anticipates the sequence which imposed itself on the"classical" theoreticians (so ibid., 219-24, 302-8 etc.). Too often the threnodic form is difficult to find in this

poet, but we have a good specimen in the threnody composed on Bi¯Šr ( ibid., 268-70). The various types of poem are unequally represented in al-FarazdaÎ. First and foremost come the laudatory themes made up of the traditional sterotypes, among which should be pointed out the traditional theme of the greatness as caliph

and the religious value of the Caliph-Im§m (so ibid., 63-7, 89-92 lines 12 ff., 219-24 lines 18 ff. etc.). Naturallyenough, tribal and personal fa¦Šr is frequent in this poet. Like his contemporaries, al-FarazdaÎ treated the

epigram in short impromptus or developed it as a thematic element in a ÎaßÊda. In this latter case he obtains aneffect of contrast with the laudatory elements (so ibid., 115-23 where the glories of the D§rim are contrasted

with the "shames" of the Kulayb, òšarÊr's tribe). In al-FarazdaÎ, more than in his contemporaries, the satirical

genre has a rare vigour and obscenity ( e.g., the piece directed against al-Tirimm§È, in DÊw§n, 135-7). Thetraditional wisdom, poorly represented in the work of this panegyrist and satirist, is of a distressing banality,

and the Islamic ethic has in no way enriched in depth a spirit completely impregnated with Bedouin culture.

Sometimes, however, the poet seems to have been able to strike a moving tone, in lamenting, for example, thedeath of a child (so DÊw§n, 764 and AÿŠ§nÊ 1, xix, 12-3). It is worth noting that, dissolute as al-FarazdaÎ issupposed to have been, he did not to all intents and purposes write in the Bacchic genre (cf. Ibn |utayba,

294). Likewise this epicurean hardly felt the need to celebrate his loves, and the ode composed on a gallant

adventure confirms this deficiency in his sensibility ( ibid., 255-62). Similarly in the fragments, in any casesuspect, on his separation from his wife Naw§r, the poet is without deep emotion and reduced to repeating

banal formulas (see AÿŠh§nÊ 1, xix, 9).





The language and style of the works ascribed to al-FarazdaÎ are of a remarkable homogeneity: very rarely

does one find a laboured effect due to the use of rare terms or hapax legomena. In this poet as in hiscontemporaries of the #Ir§ÎÊ circle, only the five current metres are employed; raþšaz is employed only

sporadically. From this point of view, his work is well worth attention, in the sense that it enables us to assess

the prosodic resources available in this epoch to a poet dependent on the TamÊmÊ tradition. [II 789b] Put beside

the poetry of òšarÊr, it is thoroughly representative of the poetry of the great nomads of Eastern Arabia at itsheight, at the very moment when, in contact with the big #Ir§ÎÊ cities, it was to yield before new influences.(R. Blachere)

Ibn Sall§m, •abaÎ§t , indexIbn |utayba, ÷Ši#r , index AÿŠ§nÊ 3, i, 116, 148-9, viii, index and especially 33-8, 44-5, xv, 441-7, and AÿŠ§nÊ 1, xix, 1-61$midÊ , 166 and index

Marzub§nÊ , Mu#þšam, ed. Krenkow, 272, 477, 486-7idem, Muwa¯Š¯ŠaÈ, index

Ibn öŠallik§n, Wafay§t , Cairo 1310, ii, 196-202

BaÿŠd§dÊ , öŠiz§na, Cairo 1347, i, 202-7 (summarizes or quotes Ibn |utayba and AÿŠ§nÊ ). The #Ir§ÎÊ anthologists and others have frequently quoted or mentioned al-FarazdaÎ, see esp.: òš§Èií, Bay§n, index

Ibn |utayba, #Uyån, indexIbn #Abd Rabbih, #IÎd , Cairo 1359/1940, index (72 mentions and quotations)

|ura¯Ši, òšamhara, 336-44. Edition of the DÊw§n by SukkarÊ (see Fihrist , 158, l. 27-8)

for the manuscripts of the DÊw§n, see Brockelmann, I, 56, S I, 85MuÈ. b. \abÊb, NaÎ§"i· òšarÊr wa'l- FarazdaÎ , ed. Bevan, passim

editions of the DÊw§n by R. Boucher, Divan de Ferazdaq, recit de MuÈ. b. \abÊb, Paris 1870 (1st part, 270 nos.)and by J. Hell, photolithographic ed., Munich-Leipzig 1900-1 (2nd part)

note also other editions, Beirut (n.d. and 1937), Cairo (1293, very defective)another edition by ‘§wÊ , ÷ŠarÈ DÊw§n al- FarazdaÎ , Cairo 1354/1936 (782 poems and fragments, amounting

to about 7630 versesbesides the fragments and short pieces, it includes about 80 long satires, 94 panegyrics, 24 threnodies, oftenbrief

it is an uncritical and mediocre edition, with glosses often of slight importancethere is no indication how the known mss. were utilised

it seems to reproduce Boucher and Hell, but it has the advantage that it adds the text of the NaÎ§"i· )a partial French translation by Boucher (Paris 1870-5)and by Hell (Leipzig 1902: trans. of the panegyric to WalÊd II), also idem, in ZDMG , lix (1905), 595-600 and

lx, 1-35on the Muhallabids, cf. Rosen in Zapiski , xvii (1906), 931-48

Schwarz in ZDMG , lxxiii (1919), 80-5 and Krenkow in Islamica, ii, 344-54. Notes and studies: Caussin de

Perceval, Notice sur ... al-Farazdaq, in JA, xiii (1834), 507-52Hell, Einleitung über das Leben des FarazdaÎ , Leipzig 1902

Lammens, Etudes sur le regne du Calife omaiyade Mo'awia I er , in MFOB , iii (1908), 145 ff. (= 281-448 of theoffprint)

Nallino, Litterature arabe, indexBlachere, Litt., III, 3rd part, chap. I, section C.



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