Baha' al-din Zuhair
Baha al-Din Zuhayr (1186–1258) was an Arabian poet born at or near Mecca, and became celebrated as the best writer of prose and verse and the best calligrapher of his time.
Also recorded as Baha al Din Zuhayr · Baha al-Din Zuhayr · Baha Zuhair
Baha' al-din Zuhair
- Name
- Baha al-Din Zuhayr
- Born
- 1186
- Died
- 1258
- Place of death
- Egypt
- Occupation
- poet · writer
- Languages
- Arabic
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Baha al-Din Zuhayr (1186–1258) was an Arabian poet born at or near Mecca, and became celebrated as the best writer of prose and verse and the best calligrapher of his time.
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wikidata · Q2879252 · wikipedia · Baha al-Din Zuhayr
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Baha al-Din Zuhayr • Native Name — بهاء الدين زهير • Born — 1186 • Died — 1258 • Place of death — Egypt
Life
Life
He entered the service of Sultan Malik As-Salih Najm ud-Din in Mesopotamia, and was with him at Damascus until the Sultan was betrayed and imprisoned. Baha' al-din then retired to Nablus where he remained until Najm ud-Din escaped and obtained possession of Egypt, whither he accompanied him in 1240. There he remained as the Sultan's confidential secretary until his death, due to an epidemic, in 1258. His poetry consists mostly of panegyric and brilliant occasional verse distinguished for its elegance. It has been published with English metrical translation by E. H. Palmer (2 vols., Cambridge, 1877). His life was written by his contemporary Ibn Khallikan (see de Slane's trans. of his Biographical Dictionary, vol. i, pp. 542–545).
Quotes
Quotes
Spurn not the mildest man on Earth: Who knows but someday you may need his aid? Cloth of soft texture is of greater worth than rougher stuff, when robes are to be made. لا تَطَّرِح خامل الرجال فقد تَضْطَرّ يوماً الى ارادتِهِ فاللينُ في البُرْدِ مُحْتَقَرٌ خيرٌ منَ اليُبسِ عند حاجتِهِ (translation: E.H. Palmer, The Poetical Works of Baha Ed-Din Zuheir, 2 vols., Cambridge 1877, p. 34)
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Mecca.
Birth place
Cairo.
Death place
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reference work
- “Baha al-Din Zuhayr”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2879252: Baha' al-din Zuhair
General reference · Wikidata
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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 16 August 2026.
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