Qudāma ibn Jaʿfar al-Kātib al-Baghdādī (; c. 873 – c. 932/948), was a Syriac scholar and administrator for the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

Life

Little is known with certainty about Qudama's life and work. He was probably born ca. 873/874, possibly at

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

. His grandfather was a

Syriac Christian Syriac Christianity (, ''Mšiḥoyuṯo Suryoyto'' or ''Mšiḥāyūṯā Suryāytā'') is a branch of Eastern Christianity of which formative theological writings and traditional liturgies are expressed in the Classical Syriac language, a vari ...

. Whether it was his grandfather, or he himself, who converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

under al-Muktafi bi-Allah in ca. 902–908 is unclear. Ibn al-Nadim described him as a master of literary style, a polished writer and distinguished philosopher of Logic despite having an uneducated father. He held various junior administrative positions in the caliphal secretariat in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, and eventually rose to a senior post the treasury department. Various dates for his death have been supplied, ranging from 932 to 939/940 and 948.

Works

Of his several books on philosophy, history, philology, and administration, only three survive: * the ''Kitab al-Kharaj'' ( -the ''Book of the

Land Tax A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land without regard to buildings, personal property and other improvements upon it. Some economists favor LVT, arguing it does not cause economic inefficiency, and helps reduce economic inequali ...

'', in full form ''Book of the Land Tax and the Art of the Secretary''), for which Qudama is chiefly known. The last four sections of the original eight, survives. It was written after 928 as a manual for administrators, and deals with the structure of the state and the army, as well with geographic details, including valuable accounts on the Caliphate's neighbours, especially the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. It also included a now lost section on literary rhetoric.Bonebakker (1986), p. 320 * the ''Kitab al-Alfaz'' (''Book of Words'') or ''Jawahir al-Alfaz'' (''Jewels of Words''), a compilation of synonyms and phrases for the use of poets and orators, as well as containing an introduction on the figures of speech. * the ''Kitab Naqd al-Shi'r'' ( -''Book on Poetic Criticism''), an essay and guide on composing good

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

. * The Cleanser ("Sabun" or "soap")of Sorrow () * Dismissal of Anxiety () * Epistle about Abu 'Ali ibn Muqlah known as "The Brilliant Star" () * Withstanding Grief () * Wines of Thought () * Book of Unconsciousness () * Book of Politics () * Refutation of

Ibn al-Mu'tazz Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz (; 861 – 29 December 908) was the son of the caliph al-Mu'tazz and a political figure, but is better known as a leading Arabic poet and the author of the ''Kitab al-Badi'', an early study of Arabic forms of poetry. ...

() * The Pleasure of Hearts and the Provision of the Traveller () To Ibn Jaʿfar was once also attributed the ''Naqd al-nathr'', now known to be the ''Kitāb al-Burhān fī wujūh al-bayān'' of Ibrāhīm ibn Wahb al-Kātib.P. Shinar, “Ibn Wahb”, in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', 2nd edn ed. by P. Bearman and others, 12 vols (Leiden: Brill, 1960-2005), .

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* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Qudama Ibn Ja'far 870s births 10th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 9th-century geographers 9th-century scholars 9th-century writers 10th-century Iranian geographers 10th-century scholars 10th-century writers Officials of the Abbasid Caliphate Arab geographers Scholars from the Abbasid Caliphate Arabists People from Basra Syriac writers Converts to Islam from Christianity 10th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate 10th-century government officials 9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate