Description

The Buyid wazir Abū I-Faḍl Ibn al-'Amīd (died 970 A.D.) became famous as a poet and expert in epistolary literature (insą'), but also as a scholar and scientist. Until now our only source of information was from fragments and quotations in later literature.
Fortunately, two Arabic manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries have been preserved containing seven letters which were sent to the Buyid emir 'Aḍudaddaula, and confirming posterity's high opinion of him. Moreover, they reveal the originality of a personality which, based on the knowledge of Greek and contemporary sciences, drew new conclusions. The text of the letters is published here together with translations into German, commentary and complete glossary. In a deliberate and complicated style they discuss themes of meteorology, physics, psychology and philosophy. These letters are extremely important for the history of Arabic literature and the history of sciences.