al-Hariri of Basra

Abu Muhammad al-Qasim ibn Ali al-Hariri al-Basri (446-516H) was one of the greatest Arabic prose stylists of the Islamic era. His Maqamat (Sessions) — fifty dramatic prose-poem anecdotes featuring the roguish Abu Zayd of Saruj and his narrator al-Harith — is one of the most celebrated works in Arabic literary history, known for its wordplay, puns, rhyming prose, and extraordinary display of Arabic language virtuosity. He was also a scholar who wrote Durrat al-Ghawwas fi Awham al-Khawass, correcting common linguistic errors among educated people. He served as head of intelligence reports (sahib al-khabar) in Basra.