Ibn Yamin
Ibn Yamin was a Persian poet who served under the Ilkhanate, Sarbadars, and Kartids.
Biography
Ibn Yamin was born in 1286/87 in the town of Faryumad in western Khorasan. He belonged to a family of local landowners, a status they had seemingly held since ancient times. His father was the mustawfi of the governor of Khorasan, Khwaja Ala al-Din Muhammad. Ibn Yamin was educated in his hometown, which was then a center of culture. He had a typical education, being primarily related to medicine and literature. At a young age, Ibn Yamin became interested in poetry due to his father also being a poet. Following his father's death in 1323/24, Ibn Yamin was appointed court poet, financial official, and later mustawfi of Khwaja Ala al-Din Muhammad. He also eventually received the title of amir. Ibn Yamin disliked the court life, and fell into a conflict with his Khwaja Ala al-Din Muhammad, who was replaced by Tari Tagha'i between 1327–1329. The new governor was a tyrant who initially confiscated most of Ibn Yamin's property, and then later took the rest. In 1337, Ibn Yamin went to the city of Gurgan, where he served as the court poet of Togha Temür, a claimant to the Ilkhanate throne. In 1341, Ibn Yamin entered into the service of the Sarbadars.Ibn Yamin died at Faryumad in 1368.
A Shia Muslim, Ibn Yamin was one of the first poets to write about the Twelve Imams and the Battle of Karbala.
Categorization of knowledge and ignorance
One of Ibn Yamin's most famous poems categorizes knowledge and ignorance into four states:In the unknown unknowns category, ignorance is compounded by the lack of self-awareness about one's limitations.