She then sold him to the great court musician Ibrahim al-Mawsili, who appreciated his talent, completed Mukhariq's education and considered him as his successor.
[1] Mukhariq ascribed to a school, begun by Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi and much in vogue at the time, whereby he altered the notes or the rhythm of a song at every performance.
Later authors in the Kitab al-Aghani and the Iqd al-farid rejected this school, and considered it to have caused the loss of traditional Arabic music.
[1] Despite such criticism, Mukhariq enjoyed a firm reputation as one of the best singers of his time, with the quality of his voice being known to captivate audiences.
According to the 15th-century historian Ibn al-Taghribirdi, for instance, while Ibrahim and Ishaq al-Mawsili "sang well to the accompaniment of the lute, in pure vocal work Mukhariq outshone them both".