Ibn al-Muqaffa'

Jul 1, 2026 · 1 views

Persian-born litterateur who mastered Arabic and translated 'Kalila wa Dimna', helping found the Arabic prose and epistolary tradition.

سنوات الحياة724 – 759

الحقبةالعصر العباسي

مكان الميلادجور (فيروزآباد)، فارس

التخصصالأدب والترجمة

“'The essence of refinement begins with good conduct toward God, then toward oneself, then toward others.'”

الإنجازات

Translated 'Kalila wa Dimna' into Arabic in a refined literary style
Helped found the Arabic literary epistle and artistic prose tradition
Authored works on ethics and statecraft
Influenced generations of later Arab writers with his style

أهم الأعمال

Kalila wa Dimna (translation)
Al-Adab al-Saghir
Al-Adab al-Kabir

Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa' was born in Persia in 724 CE under the name Ruzbih, and worked as a secretary to several governors before converting to Islam and adopting the name Abdullah, mastering Arabic to a level that made him one of its finest stylists.

He translated 'Kalila wa Dimna' from Middle Persian into Arabic in an elevated literary style that became a model for Arabic artistic prose, and authored 'al-Adab al-Saghir' and 'al-Adab al-Kabir' on ethics and statecraft.

Legacy

Ibn al-Muqaffa' is regarded as one of the founders of the Arabic literary epistle and artistic prose. He was executed in 759 CE by order of Caliph al-Mansur amid political turmoil, yet his literary influence endured within the Arabic heritage.