1. Lisan ad-Din Ibn al-Khatib was an Arab Andalusi polymath, poet, writer, historian, philosopher, physician and politician from Emirate of Granada.
13 Facts About Ibn al-Khatib
1. 2.
Ibn al-Khatib was a contemporary and acquaintance of Ibn Khaldun.
3.
Ibn al-Khatib's body was burned before being buried at Bab Mahruq, a city gate in Fes.
4.
Ibn al-Khatib's poetry was influenced by court poets from the Mashriq, or Islamic east, especially Abu Nuwas, Abu Tammam, and al-Mutanabbi.
5.
Ibn al-Khatib was released due to interference by the Marinid sultan of Morocco.
6.
Ibn al-Khatib joined a host of Andalusi refugees in Morocco, settling in the Atlantic town of Sale.
7.
Ibn al-Khatib eventually strengthened his position while organizing the expulsion of several of his North African political rivals from Granada.
8.
When Ibn Khaldun had some diplomatic success at Granada's court, Ibn al-Khatib, fearing him as a rival, organized his expulsion.
9.
Ibn al-Khatib's intrigues had made him an unpopular figure in some circles, causing two of his students, ibn Zamrak and ibn Farkun, to join hands with his most powerful enemy in Granada, the Grand Qadi al-Nubahi, a man who had long held a grudge against Ibn al-Khatib.
10.
Ibn al-Khatib wrote a refutation of the fatwa, in which he harshly attacked al-Nubahi.
11.
Ibn al-Khatib's future turned bleak when a Granada-supported coup removed ibn Ghazi from office and brought a new sultan to power, Abu al-Abbas Ahmad al-Mustansir.
12.
Indebted to Granada, the new sultan ordered Ibn al-Khatib to be arrested and a trial be held in the Moroccan capital city of Fes, in which a Granadan group of emissaries, including his former student Ibn Zamrak, was actively involved.
13.
Ibn al-Khatib was said to have been strangled on the night of his trial, as the people couldn't reach a conclusion on his alleged heresy and thus didn't want him to receive an unjust verdict.