of Persian stock, from Arrajān (1), a client of the Banū Ḥanẓala.

In Kūfa he fell in with a group of young men who were pursuing the art of singing; when his maternal uncles became severe with him, he fled to Mosul. His father, Māhān, had come from Arrajān while he was still in the womb, and he was born in Kūfa in 125 AH.

He excelled in belles-lettres, poetry, and music, travelling far and wide in quest of them until he mastered his craft, became renowned, and his fame spread to distant lands. He associated with the caliphs and the Banū Barmak, accumulated great wealth, and enjoyed an extraordinarily pleasant voice. He was a consummate lute-player, fun-loving and given to luxury—may Allah pardon him—and many of his anecdotes are recorded in Kitāb al-Aghānī (2).

He was the father of the distinguished scholar and man of letters, Isḥāq al-Mawṣilī.

He died in 188 AH, according to ʿUmar ibn Shabbah; others say he lived beyond his eightieth year.

23 – al-Muʿāfā ibn ʿImrān ibn Nufayl ibn Jābir ibn Jabalah al-Azdī * (Kh, D, S)

The Imām, Shaykh al-Islām, the jewel of the scholars, Abū Masʿūd al-Azdī al-Mawṣilī, the hadith master.