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For other uses, see Jarir (disambiguation).
Jarir (
Jarir ibn `Atiyah al-Khatfi (ca.
650 – ca.
728) was an
Arab poet and
satirist. He was born in the reign of the
caliph Othman, and was a member of the tribe
Kulaib, a part of the
Banu Tamim. He was a native of
al-Yamamah, but also spent time in
Damascus at the court of the
Umayyad caliphs.
Little is known of his early life, but he succeeded in winning the favor of
Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef, the governor of Iraq. Already famous for his verse, he became more widely known by his feud with rival poets
Farazdaq and
Akhtal. Later he went to
Damascus and visited the court of the
caliph Abd al-Malik and that of his successor,
Al-Walid I. From neither of these did he receive a warm welcome. He was, however, more successful with
Umar II, and was the only poet received by the pious caliph.
His verse, like that of his contemporaries, is largely
satire and
eulogy.