Al-Nasāʾī and others declared him reliable, and when he died his brother mourned him and wept. It was said that the brother had died a year before him, but the sound position is that he himself died in the year 100 AH, and because of his piety he was nicknamed “the monk” (1) — may Allah have mercy on him. His ḥadiths appear in all the canonical compilations, and Allah knows best.

225 – al-Akhtal Ghiyāth b. Ghawth al-Taghlibī, the Christian *
He was the premier poet of his age; his full name is Ghiyāth b. Ghawth al-Taghlibī, the Christian. Someone asked al-Farazdaq, “Who is the greatest of the poets?” He replied, “For self-praise, suffice it to mention me; for satire, Jarīr; and for panegyric, the son of the Christian woman.” ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān used to lavish al-Akhtal with generous stipends and preferred his poetry to that of others.

Al-Ukhaytil (2) said:
“People’s sole concern is life, yet I see …
that long life adds nothing but derangement;
And if you are ever in need of treasure you will not find …
a hoard comparable to righteous deeds.” (3)

It is reported that a bishop once chained and humiliated al-Akhtal. When he was reproached for enduring it, he replied, “It is religion; it is religion!” (4)

He amassed great wealth from the Umayyads and died several years before al-Farazdaq.