Among the shaykhs he was the most dignified in bearing and the most elegant in dress. In Damascus he received hadith from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Hasan al-Darani and a group of others, and Abu al-ʿIzz ibn Kadish granted him an authorization. I say: he died in Rabiʿ al-Awwal of the year 584 AH, and he endowed his books to the Sumaysatiyya (1).
87 – Ibn al-Taʿāwīdhī, Abu al-Fath Muhammad ibn ʿUbayd Allah al-Baghdadi *
The chief of poets, Abu al-Fath Muhammad ibn ʿUbayd Allah (2) al-Taʿāwīdhī, the Baghdadi man of letters, grandson of al-Mubarak (3) ibn al-Mubarak al-Taʿāwīdhī (4).
His father had been one of the retainers of the Banū al-Muẓaffar, and he himself served as a scribe in the Dīwān of Fiefs. His Dīwān (5) runs to two volumes. Among those who transmitted from him was ʿAlī ibn al-Mubārak ibn Wārith.
(1) A ribat (religious hostel) attributed to Abu al-Qasim ʿAli ibn Muhammad al-Samisati, who died in Damascus in 453 AH/1061 CE. He had endowed his adjacent house to the mosque for the benefit of needy Muslims; see Yaqut, Muʿjam al-buldan, 3/152.
(*) Biographical entries may be found in: Ibn al-Dibithi, Taʾrikh, fol. 59 (Shahid ʿAli ms.); al-Mundhiri, al-Takmila, 1, no. 60; Abu Shama, al-Rawdatayn, 2/123; Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-aʿyan, 4/466; Abu al-Fida, al-Mukhtasar, 3/80; Ibn al-Wardi, Tarikh, 2/100; al-Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam, fol. 114 (Ahmad III 2917/14) and al-ʿIbar, 4/253; al-Aʿlam, fol. 211; al-Mukhtasar al-muhtaj ilayh, 1/66; al-Safadi, al-Wafi, 4/11; Nukat al-humyan, 259; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, 12/329; al-ʿAyni, ʿIqd al-juman, 17, fol. 53; Ibn Taghribirdi, al-Nujum, 6/105; Ibn al-ʿImad, Shadharat al-dhahab, 3/281; Ibn al-Ghazzi, Diwan al-Islam, fol. 26; and related works.
(2) His original name was Nashtakin, but his son ʿUbayd Allah replaced it.
(3) He was widely renowned and died in 553 AH/1158 CE.
(4) The nisba refers to the craft of writing amulets and talismans.
(5) His diwan has been printed.