Maʿn ibn Muḥammad (1)—son of Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṣumādih (2).

His grandfather Muḥammad was the ruler of the city of Washqa (3). His cousin, Prince Mundhir ibn Yaḥyā al-Tujībī, marched against him but failed to defeat him; he therefore ceded Washqa to him and fled, though Mundhir was regarded as one of the shrewdest of men.

That grandfather’s son, Maʿn, became the son-in-law of the ruler of Valencia, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿĀmir. Almería had already come under the latter’s authority, and he installed this Maʿn as his deputy there. Maʿn, however, feared him and seized the city for himself, and his grip on it was firmly established. After Maʿn, the city passed to his son al-Muʿtaṣim Muḥammad, who was forbearing, open-handed, and highly praised. He entered into friendly dealings with Ibn Tāshfīn and supported him; later, however, Ibn Tāshfīn resolved to take the lands from Ibn Ṣumādih—who at that time controlled Almería, Bajjāna (4), and al-Ṣumādihiyya—so Ibn Ṣumādih displayed open defiance toward him. In spite of that, he was a man of virtue, religion, justice, humility, and sound intellect (5).

He transmitted—through his father, from his grandfather—the latter’s book entitled The Abridged Glossary of Unusual Qurʾānic Expressions. From him the narration was taken down by Ibrāhīm ibn Aswad al-Ghassānī.

The armies of Ibn Tāshfīn besieged him for a time, during which he fell ill. On one occasion he heard a sudden alarm and exclaimed, “There is no god but Allah; everything has been spoiled for us—even death.” His slave-girl replied: