Al-Mutalammis
Al-Mutalammis, real name Jarīr ibn ʻAbd al-Masīḥ, was a 6th-century Arab Christian poet. He was the maternal uncle of fellow poet Tarafa. Al-Mutalammis was from the Banu Bakr tribe.
Biography
His real name was Jarir ibn 'Abd al-Masih and he was from the tribe of Banu Bakr. His patronymic Ibn 'Abd al-Masih implies that he was an Arab Christian and not a follower of pre-Islamic polytheism. His nephew was the poet Tarafa.
Ibn Sallam al-Jumahi places Al-Mutalammis in the seventh of the later classes of poets that lived before Islam.
Conflict with the Lakhmids
Al-Mutalammis and his nephew Tarafa travelled to the city of Al-Hira around the 6th century, where they visited 'Amr ibn Hind, the Lakhmid ruler of the city. The three men had generally good relations until Tarafa recited a poem which was insulting towards 'Amr ibn Hind. After the two poets had left Al-Hira, 'Amr ibn Hind sent a message to both of them which ordered them to come forward to ancient Bahrain for their execution. Tarafa, not wanting to break the royal seal, went ahead to Al-Hira for his execution, while Al-Mutalammis instead ignored the letter and threw it away, hence saving his life. He escaped via camel to the Ghassanids.
Legacy
Al-Mutalammis died around 580 CE in the Syrian city of Bosra. A fictionalized version of him appears in the book 1001 Arabian Nights, where he escapes from the king Al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir. Some of his poetry has been compiled into a book known as the Dīwān Shiʿr al-Mutalammis al-Ḍubaʿī.