today about any matter of prosody. Come back to me tomorrow.’ I asked a friend of mine for al-Khalīl ibn Ahmad’s work on prosody, and he brought it to me. I studied it that night; I went to bed no prosodist and awoke a prosodist.” (1).

Abū Muhammad Abd al-Azīz ibn Muhammad al-Tabarī said:

“Abū Ja‘far possessed such virtue, learning, intelligence, and powers of memory that no one who knew him could fail to recognize them; for he had combined branches of Islamic learning that, to our knowledge, had never been combined in any other member of this community.” (2).

His Physical Appearance and Moral Character:

Just as Ibn Jarīr’s scholarly stature earned the praise and esteem of the scholars, his moral character was no less exalted. He was a man of dignity and self-restraint, an ascetic, scrupulous in religion, and generous.

Mukhallad ibn Ja‘far al-Daqqāq said:

Muhammad ibn Jarīr recited these verses of his own to us:

“When hardship comes, my companion never knows;
When I prosper, my friend prospers too.

My modesty safeguards my honor,
And gentleness attends me when I seek what I need.

Were I willing to squander my honor,
The road to eminence would be easy for me.”

He said:

He also recited to us:

“Two traits—I will not tread their path:
Wealth’s arrogance and poverty’s abasement.

When wealthy, never grow arrogant;
When poor, hold your head high against fate.” (3)

Al-Farghānī said:

I heard him say, “My father’s allowance was late in reaching me, and I was forced to