Name

Ibn Muqla

Original name

Ibn Muqla, Abū ʿAlī Muḥammad b. ʿAlī

Main activity

Vizier

Secondary activity

Calligrapher, Collector of land-taxes, Secretary in central administration, person in charge of the dīwān of real estates

Title

Name variations

"

Education place

Baghdad

Education institution

Activity place

Fars, Baghdad

Activity institution

Government (Vizierate)

Activity start date

928

Activity end date

936

Place of birth

Baghdad

Date of birth

885

Place of death

Baghdad

Date of death

940

Bibliographical references

Descriptive card

Ibn Muqla had a complicated political life. He had renewed his vizierate twice (928–930, 932–933 and 934–936). He started as a home-taxes collector in the region of Fārs and then was appointed his vizierates in Baghdād where he lived and participated in religious life, giving effective support to the Sunnī reaction which took plce after the end of the caliphate of al-Muqtadir (r. 908–932). Ibn Rā'iq opposed Ibn Muqla when the former became amīr al-umarā' by confiscating the possessions of the latter. He, nevertheless, suceeded in letting the caliph imprisoning Ibn Rā'iq and cutting his right hand off. Some time later, when the amīr Bajkam was coming to Baghdād, Ibn Muqla's tongue was cut out, and he died, neglected in prison on 10 shawwāl 328/20 July 940. Ibn Muqla was also a famous calligrapher, inventor of the "proportioned script" ("al-khaṭṭ al-mansūb") which was later improved by Ibn al-Bawwāb, and is attributed to him also the invention of the thuluth script – in addition to five other styles, including naskh which eventually superseded kūfī in Qur'ānic transmission script. None of Ibn Muqla's authentic work exists today, his work is only known through other sources like Ibn al-Nadīm.

Entry author

Olivier Salem