His kunyah was Abū'l-Ḥasan. He was among the Iraqi writers. It is said that he had some inclination towards Shīʿism. This was a very common situation in those regions. May Allah not increase the number of the Shīʿites. One day a man came to him and said:
"Last night in my dream I saw the commander of the believers, Ḥaḍrat ʿAlī, who said to me, ‘Go to Ibn Fatīra and tell him to give you ten dinars.’"
"When did you see him?"
"I saw him at the beginning of the night."
"I saw him at the end of the night. He said to me: ‘If a man with such and such characteristics comes to you and asks you for something, do not give him anything!’"
Upon this answer from Ibn Fatīra, the man turned and left. Ibn Fatīra called him back and gave him something.
The following poem, transmitted by Ibn Saʿī and previously attributed to another, is a poem worthy of being read:
“When I encountered distressful states, testing people,
I sought from them a trustworthy brother.
In my joyful day and in my distressful day I pondered.
Calling out to the tribes, I said, ‘Is there no helper for me?’ In my distressful days, I saw none but one who cooled his heart against me,
And in my joyful day, none but one who envied me.”