Abū al-ʻAtāhiyya (Arabic: أبو العتاهية; 748–828), full name Abu Ishaq Isma'il ibn al-Qasim ibn Suwayd Al-Anzi (أبو إسحاق إسماعيل بن القاسم بن سويد العنزي),[1][2][3] was one of the principal Arab poets of the early Islamic era, a prolific muwallad[n 1] poet of ascetics who ranked with Bashshār and Abū Nuwās, both of whom he met.
[8] With his reputation growing, Abū l-ʻAtāhiyya was drawn to Baghdad, the seat of the Abbāsid court where he soon became famous for his verses, especially for those addressed to ‘Utbah[9][10][11][n 3], a concubine of the Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi.
[13] His tomb was on the banks of the Īsā canal[n 4] opposite the Kantarat al-Zaiyātīn ('Oilmen Bridge')[14] The poetry of Abū l-ʻAtāhiyya is notable for its avoidance of the artificiality almost universal during his lifetime.
[12] Ibn Abī Ṭāhir Ṭayfūr (819/20 —893/94) published an anthology of Abū al-‘Atāhiyah’s poetry.
[16] The vizier Ibn ‘Ammār al-Thaqafī (d. 931/ 319 AH) wrote Traditions about Abū al-‘Atāhiyah.