author
Hariri
1054–1122
Best known for the brilliantly inventive Maqamat, this 11th-century writer turned dazzling wordplay and sharp social observation into one of the classics of Arabic literature.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Basra in 1054, al-Hariri was an Arab poet, scholar of language, and government official whose full name was Abū Muhammad al-Qāsim ibn ʿAlī ibn Muhammad ibn ʿUthmān al-Hariri. He is remembered above all for the Maqamat al-Hariri—a celebrated collection of witty, highly polished episodic tales that became famous across the Arabic-speaking world.
His writing is known for its verbal brilliance: rhymed prose, clever puzzles, and displays of grammar and vocabulary that delighted learned readers while still telling lively stories. The Maqamat follows the quick-witted wanderer Abu Zayd and the narrator al-Harith ibn Hammam, blending humor, performance, and social satire.
Al-Hariri died in 1122, but his work continued to be copied, studied, illustrated, and admired for centuries. For many readers, he stands as one of the great stylists of classical Arabic literature, prized both for his storytelling and for the sheer artistry of his language.