Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Utbi
Al-Utbi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Utbi c. 961 |
| Died | 1036/1040 |
| Occupations | Historian, Poet |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Samanid era, Ghaznavid era |
| Notable works | Kitab al-Yamini |
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Utbi, called al-Utbi (c. 961 – 1036/1040), was an Arab historian, poet, and courtier. Born in Rayy, al-Utbi traveled to Nishapur with his uncle, Abu Nasr al-Utbi, who was a courtier for the Samanids. Al-Utbi became sahib al-barid, working as a secretary for the Turkic general Abū ʿAlī Simjūr and for the Ziyarid ruler Qabus ibn Wushmagir. He later worked for the Ghaznavid Sabuktigin, alongside the poet Abu 'l-Fath al-Busti. He was neither an official court historian nor a trained scholar, so his writing lacks precise dates and a consistent chronological order.
In 999, al-Utbi, as an envoy for Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, was sent to Gharchistan to convince that ruler to recognize Mahmud as his overlord. He was patronized by the vizier Ahmad b. Hasan al-Maymandi. Later al-Utbi was removed from his position as sahib al-barid, due to plots by the governor. He spent the rest of his life in retirement, dying in the later period of Sultan Masʽud I's reign (1036/1040).
The history of his family goes back to Utba ibn Ghazwan, the founder of the city of Basra.