ba, a female slave
belonging to the Khalif Al-Mahdi, and to whom he appears to have been
devotedly attached. He was born A.D. 747, and died A.D. 826.

Abu Nuwas was a poet of great celebrity. His father, Hani, was a
soldier in the army of Marwan II., the last Omaiyide Khalif, and the
poet was born in A.D. 762, some say in Damascus, others at Busra, and
others at Al-Ahwaz. His mother apprenticed him to a grocer, and the
boy became acquainted with the poet Abu Osama, who discovered his
talent, and induced him to accompany him to Baghdad. There Abu Nuwas
afterwards became celebrated as one of the chief bards at the court of
the Khalif, and his most famous Kasida is that which he composed in
praise of Amin, the son of Harun-ar-Rashid. According to the critics
of his time, he was the greatest poet in Islam, as Amriolkais had been
before that period. When Merzeban was asked which he considered the
greater poet, Abu Nuwas or Rakashi, he replied, 'A curse of Abu Nuwas
in hell contains more poetry than a laudation of Rakashi's in
paradise.' He was a favourite of Amin, whom his brother Mamun
reproached for associating with him, because Abu Nuwas enjoyed the
reputation of being the greatest libertine of all the poets.

Sulaiman, the son of Al-Mansur, complained to the Khalif Amin that Abu
Nuwas had insulted him with lampoons, and desired him to be punished
with death; but Amin replied: 'Dear uncle, how can I order a man to be
killed who has praised me in such beautiful verses?' and thereupon
recited them.

Mamun, the son of Harun, states that he asked the great critic Yakut
bin Sikkit to what poet he gave the preference. He replied: 'Among the
pre-Islamite ones to Amriolkais and Al-Aasha, among the older Muslim
poets to Jarir and Farazdak, and among the more recent to Abu Nuwas.'

Otbi, having been asked who was the greatest poet, replied; 'According
to the opinion of the people, Amriolkais, but according to mine, Abu
Nuwas.'

Al-Khasib, the chief of the revenue office in Egypt, once asked Abu
Nuwas from what family he came. 'My talents,' replied he, 'stand me
instead of noble birth,' and no further questions were asked him. He
was a freethinker, who joked about the precepts of Islam. Once a Sunni
and a Rafidhi desired him to be the umpire in their quarrel, as to who
occupied the most exalted position after the Prophet. He said: 'A
certain Yazid,' and on their asking who this Yazid might be, he
replied: 'An excellent fellow,