[1] Ṣafwān was born in Murcia (whence the nisba al-Mursī) into a prominent local family, the Banū Idrīs.
He records that he studied under his own father, Abū Yaḥyā, and also under another relative, the qāḍī Abu ʾl-Qāsim ibn Idrīs.
[1] His closest friend was Abū Muḥammad ibn Ḥāmid (died 1223/4), the vizier of the Caliph al-ʿĀdil.
He wrote panegyrics of the Almohad caliph al-Manṣūr hoping to earn enough money for his daughter's dowry.
Subsequently, Muḥammad appeared to al-Manṣūr in a dream and spoke on behalf of Ṣafwān, whose financial difficulties were promptly addressed by the caliph.