Al-Sari al-Raffa'
Al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ (died 362 AH / 973 CE), by his full Arabic name Abū l-Ḥasan al-Sarī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Sarī al-Kindī al-Raffāʾ al-Mawṣilī (Abū l-Ḥasan al-Sarī, son of Aḥmad, son of al-Sarī, from the Kinda tribe, the Darner from Mosul), was an Iraqi poet in the court of emir Sayf al-Dawla, noted for his riddles and ekphrastic poetry. He compiled the anthology al-Muḥibb wa-l-maḥbūb wa-l-mashmūm wa-l-mashrūb, an extensive collection of 'verses about love, fragrant plants, and wine'.
Also recorded as Al-Sarī al-Raffā’ · Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Sarī al-Raffāʼ
Al-Sari al-Raffa'
- Name
- Al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ
- Birth Name
- Abū l-Ḥasan al-Sarī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Sarī al-Kindī al-Raffāʾ al-Mawṣilī
- Birthplace
- Mosul, Abbasid Caliphate (present-day Iraq)
- Died
- 362 AH / 973 CE
- Occupation
- Poet
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ (died 362 AH / 973 CE), by his full Arabic name Abū l-Ḥasan al-Sarī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Sarī al-Kindī al-Raffāʾ al-Mawṣilī (Abū l-Ḥasan al-Sarī, son of Aḥmad, son of al-Sarī, from the Kinda tribe, the Darner from Mosul), was an Iraqi poet in the court of emir Sayf al-Dawla, noted for his riddles and ekphrastic poetry. He compiled the anthology al-Muḥibb wa-l-maḥbūb wa-l-mashmūm wa-l-mashrūb, an extensive collection of 'verses about love, fragrant plants, and wine'.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Al-Sari al-Raffa'. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q12188361 · wikipedia · Al-Sari al-Raffa'
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ • Native Name — السري الرفاء • Birth Name — Abū l-Ḥasan al-Sarī ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Sarī al-Kindī al-Raffāʾ al-Mawṣilī • Birthplace — Mosul, Abbasid Caliphate (present-day Iraq) • Died — 362 AH / 973 CE • Occupation — Poet • Language — Arabic • Notable Works — al-Muḥibb wa-l-maḥbūb wa-l-mashmūm wa-l-mashrūb
Sample poem
Sample poem
One of al-Sarī's riddles runs as follows: Aʿdadtu li-l-layli idhā l-laylu ghasaq, / wa-qayyada l-alḥāẓa min dūni l-ṭuruq, Quḍbāna tibrin ʿariyat ʿani l-waraq / shifāʾuhā in maruḍat ḍarbu l-ʿunuq. • أعددت لليل إذا الليل غسق / وقيد الألحاظ من دون الطرق قضبان تبر عريت عن الورق / شفاؤها إن مرضت ضرب العنق I prepared for the night (when it darkened and fettered the eyes, obscuring the roads) Leaveless twigs of gold which, should they wilt, may be reanimated by cutting their necks. The answer is 'candles'.
Editions
• Al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ, Dīwān al-Sarī al-Raffāʾ, ed. by Ḥabīb Ḥusayn al-Ḥasani, 2 vols. (Baghdad: Manshūrāt Wizārat al-Thaqāfah wa-l-Aʿlām, 1981). • Al-Sarī b. Aḥmad al-Raffāʾ, al-Muḥibb wa-l-maḥbūb wa-l-mashmūm wa-l-mashrūb, ed. Miṣbāḥ Ghalawinjī (vols 1-3) and Majīd Ḥasan al-Dhahabī (vol. 4), 4 vols (Damascus: Maṭbūʿāt Majmaʿ al-Lughah al-ʿArabiyyah bi-Dimashq 1986–87).
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Al-Quda'iAuthor
- Al-Rabi' ibn YunusAuthor
- Al-Raqiq al-QayrawaniAuthor
- Al-SaraqustiAuthor
- Al-Shafi'iAuthor
- Al-ssadiq Al-raddiAuthor
- Al-TughraiAuthor
- Al-TutiliAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Al-Sari al-Raffa'?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.