Ali, Safiya, Rebeca

Prof. Sabahat Adil

ARAB 2231
4/10/17
Autobiography group exercise

Ibn al-Muqaffa

Genealogy/tribal info
My father was a state official under the Umayyad administration. Due to envious people he was
falsely accused of stealing money from the Caliph's estate. May God have mercy on his enemies! My
father's hand was crushed in punishment, and thus we now bear the nickname Muqaffa.

Ethnicity/occupation/years of birth and death/ geographical info

I was born in Persia in 724, and moved from my place of origin, searching for a job. Finally, I
worked with the governors of Shapur and Kirman. Then there was chaos, and the government was
overthrown, and I had to escape. After a while, I returned to Basra when the Abbasid rulers were
settled. I was not born in Basra, but I kept returning there like a moth to the light.

Intellectual training and standing: isnad (chain of knowledge/tradition- validity/certification)***

I devoted myself to learning from many books and stories, and since I had a deep knowledge of
the Persian language in my background, I was able to translate and complete the Kalila wa Dimna.
I have been blessed with the ability to write many more texts to entertain and teach the people at court,
but the mischievous deeds of Dimna and the morals of Kalila were very well liked by the regular
people, who used to learn their tales by heart. I had to work hard to make the original more suitable for
our people, for such wickedness (that is, Dimna's) could not go on unpunished. Such is the fate the
envious and backtalkers must face! Another of my books that was very well received was the Mirror I
wrote for princes. In it you can find many useful pieces of advice if you want to know how to behave
properly and manage your servants and estate effectively.

Various distinctive features pertaining to life

My main achievements were the mastering of rhymed prose and frame-tale, and the completion of
Kalila wa Dimna. I have written many other treatises on Law and Logic as well, but none have been so
popular as the fables in my translation.