Ahmed b. Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Ṣadaka al-Ṭaġlibī. He became famous under the name Ibn Ḥayyāt. He was from Dimashq. He was a poet and writer. He has a famous poetry collection (dīwān). Ibn ʿAsākir said, “With him, the poets in Dimashq came to an end.” His poetry was solid and beautiful. He had memorized many poems and reports of the ancients. Ibn Ḥallīkān quoted the following parts from one of his qaṣīdas, saying that even if he had no other qaṣīda, this alone would suffice for him. Ahmed b. Muḥammad says in this qaṣīda:
“Take a pledge of safety for his heart from the morning wind of Najd. The beautiful scents in its breeze almost carried away his reason. Beware of that wind of his. For whenever that wind blows, its slightest touch becomes a dhikr (remembrance) and love. O my friends, if you had loved, you would know where love resides in the heart afflicted by love. Do you remember? To remember means to long. The one afflicted by love becomes passionate for his beloved. When love and affection enter a person, that person becomes a lover. In the despair and hope of desire, he is also in love with his beloved. Whether his beloved is far or near, he longs for him. The heart of the traveler going to the beloved is filled with love and affection. When the causes of love call him, he immediately says, “Here I am.” If a breeze comes from the direction of Ramal, this breeze makes him ill before it unites him with his beloved. He is veiled among the spears. He appears. But in his heart there are veils because of turning away from the beloved. When a moan is heard in the tribe, he rushes. He fears and takes precautions because the moan comes from the beloved’s companion.”
Ahmed b. Muḥammad passed away in Dimashq in the month of Ramaḍān of this year at the age of ninety-seven.