Whoever has a splinter thrust into his eye—
ask him that very moment what blindness is like.
Whoever is deprived of knowledge and denied wealth—
he and the dog stand upon the same level. (1)
197 – Al-Qazzāz, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Tamīmī *
A great scholar and master of belles-lettres, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Tamīmī al-Qayrawānī, the grammarian.
He authored The Compendium (al-Jāmiʿ) on language, one of the rarest and most prized of books. (2)
Known by the honorific al-Qazzāz, he also produced works for al-ʿAzīz al-ʿUbaydī, the ruler of Egypt. (3)
He was dignified, of high standing, and beloved by the common people; he would engage only in knowledge—whether religious or worldly.
He composed fine poetry (4), enjoyed wide renown in Egypt, and lived to the age of ninety.
(1) Some of these verses may be found in Fawat al-Wafayat 3/424–425; al-Wafi bi-l-Wafayat 4/62; al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya 12/13; and Husn al-Muhadara 1/562.
(*) Further biographical material is given in Mujam al-Udaba 18/105–109; Inbah al-Ruwat 3/84–87; al-Muhammadun min al-Shuara 65–66; Wafayat al-Ayan 4/374–376; Talkhis Ibn Maktum 196–198; al-Wafi bi-l-Wafayat 2/304–305; Mirat al-Janan 3/27; Isharat al-Taʿyin, fol. 46; Bughyat al-Wuʿat 1/71; Kashf al-Zunun 1/576; Rawdat al-Jannat 178; and Hadiyat al-Arifin 2/61.
(2) Yaqut observes in Mujam al-Udaba: “It is a large, well-proportioned work, comparable to al-Tahdhib by Abu Mansur al-Azahari, and arranged alphabetically.” Al-Qifti reports in Inbah al-Ruwat that al-Qazzaz said: “I do not know anyone who preceded him in composing such a book, nor has any scholar of this craft equalled his ability to make distant matters accessible, ease the points of entry, and gather scattered material along these lines.” See also Wafayat al-Ayan 4/375.
(3) For his other works, consult Mujam al-Udaba 18/109; al-Wafi bi-l-Wafayat 2/305; and Hadiyat al-Arifin 2/61.
(4) For his poetry, see Mujam al-Udaba 18/107–109; al-Wafi 2/305; Inbah al-Ruwat 3/84–85; and Wafayat al-Ayan 4/375–376.