Abū'l-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī b. Jabal al-Khurasānī. He was given the nickname Akuk. He was of the mawālī (non-Arab clients). He was born blind. According to another narration, he lost his sight at the age of seven as a result of contracting smallpox. He was dark-skinned and had a mottled complexion. He was among the famous poets, possessing eloquence (faṣāḥa) and rhetorical excellence (balāgha).
After his death, al-Jāḥiẓ praised him in a poem, saying: "I have never seen anyone, whether Bedouin or townsman, with more beautiful expression than him."
"May my father be sacrificed for you, O you who visit me in secret; One who is cautious and fearful, avoiding everything. You visited me, but your beauty betrayed you. How can the night darkness conceal the rising full moon? He observed the silence and solitude, and finally found such a setting. He waited for those conversing at night to fall asleep. During his visit, he was exposed to fearful states. Then, as soon as he greeted, he turned back and departed."
Akuk also said the following about Abū Dulaf Qāsim b. ʿĪsā al-ʿIjlī:
"The world is none other than Abū Dulaf. Between his going out to battle and his staying at home;
When Abū Dulaf turns his back and departs, the world follows after him. All the Bedouin and townsman Arabs on earth hope to receive a share of his generosity. On the day of his pride, they come to him."
When Akuk reached these verses—which were part of a very long qaṣīda (ode)—he satirized the poet Abū Nuwās. As a result, al-Maʾmūn wanted to have him arrested. However, he fled from the palace. Later, when he was caught and brought before al-Maʾmūn, the latter said to him:
– Woe to you! You considered Qāsim b. ʿĪsā (Abū Dulaf) superior to us.
– O Commander of the Faithful! You are from a family whom Allah has chosen among His servants and to whom He has given great sovereignty. I only considered Qāsim b. ʿĪsā superior in comparison to his peers and equals.
– By Allah, when you said, "All the townsman and Bedouin Arabs on earth..." you meant everyone. Nevertheless, I do not deem it lawful to kill you for this poem of yours. However,
– For the shirk (associating partners with God) and kufr (disbelief) in the poem you recited about that wretched servant, I do deem it lawful to kill you:
"You are the one for whom the days descend to his abode. You are the one who turns time from state to state. When you cast your gaze upon someone, you surely decree his provision and his lifespan."
Look, these are things that only Allah does!*
After this, Akuk's tongue was pulled out. He died that same year because of this.
He had also praised Ḥamīd b. ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Ṭūsī in the following poem:
"The world is none other than Ḥamīd; it is comprised of Ḥamīd. His acts of kindness are manifest."