Ibn Munadhir

Ibn Munād̲h̲ir (Arabic: ابن مناذر), full name Muhammad ibn Munadhir as-Subiri al-Yarbu'i (died 813 or 814) was an Arab poet from the Abbasid period. A pioneer of Arabic poetry, he lived contemporary to the rule of the Abbasid caliphs, al-Mansur until al-Amin.

Biography Early life Born in the city of Aden in Yemen, Muhammad ibn Munadhir as-Subiri al-Yarbu'i was born on an unknown date of birth. He moved to Basra in his teenage years where he was educated in matters of religion and language; afterwards he eventually made a living out of being a poet, writing eloquent poetry which praised and satisfied the rulers which included the caliphs al-Mansur and Harun al-Rashid. The poems he wrote dealt with themes like love, praise, satire as well as elegies. He also wrote poetry about 'Abd al-Hamid, the man whom he fell in love with.

Criticism According to the Hadith scholar and traditionist Yahya ibn Ma'in, Ibn Munadhir would indulge in strange rituals during his seclusion in Mecca. He gave two examples, which were; that Ibn Munadhir would release desert scorpions into the prayer halls of the Sacred Mosque, as well as pour ink into the ablution fountains for his personal amusement. However, Yahya ibn Ma'in did not mention anything about Ibn Munadhir's supposed homosexuality.