He has a collection of poetry (dīwān). His real name is ʿAlī b. ʿAbbās b. Jurayj Abū'l-Ḥasan. However, he became known by the pen name Ibn al-Rūmī. He was the freedman of ʿAbdullāh b. Jaʿfar. He is among the famous poets. Let us present some examples from his poetry:
"When you praise the miserly, you are reminding them of virtues found in others.
Thus, you are gifting them with a long sorrow and yearning. In this situation, it is only fitting if they do not provide you with sustenance."
"If time clothes you in the trousers of health,
And you are not deprived of delicious and sweet foods,
Then do not envy those who live in luxury.
For whatever time bestows upon them, it takes away just as much from them."
As many friends as you have, you have just as many enemies. So
do not acquire too many friends. Most illnesses and troubles arise from eating or drinking. If tomorrow your friend turns into an open enemy, do not be surprised, for affairs are always changing.
If many things please you,
Making friends with many is part of uprightness.
But what you see as abundant is rare.
Surely, when you put on clothes, you will encounter wolves.
Therefore, keep your distance from the many.
There are many who disgust a person.
And there are a few who please a person.
Large lakes are not blameworthy.
But with a little sweet water, a person can also quench their thirst."
"Inherited nobility from one's ancestors is of no benefit. A person attains nobility only through what they have achieved.
Punish me only for the deeds I have done.
But do not think that honor is passed down from father to son like lineage.
A person can only become a leader and master through good deeds.
Otherwise, even if he counts many noble and honorable fathers and grandfathers, he cannot be noble.
A branch, even if it comes from a fruit-bearing root, if it bears no fruit,
People consider it firewood.
Noble people attain honor through their lofty character.
Otherwise, they cannot become noble by merely mentioning their mothers and fathers."
"My heart is sick, complaining and ill.
If the one to whom I complain is compassionate, I tell him of my heart's illness.
On his face is an eternal bright day.
In his hair is a pitch-black night.
When he turns and comes, it is as if the full moon is shining.
When he walks, it is as if a branch is swaying side to side.
When he calls out, he calls like a deer.
My eyes rejoiced with him and their sweetness was prolonged.
How many torments and tortures are inflicted by those who are happy with him.
You looked, you turned to the heart, you struck your arrow into the heart.
Then that arrow turned toward me, I almost died.
Woe to me, if he turns his face away and leaves, the arrows strike. Their blows are very painful.
O you who deem my blood lawful and forbid mercy to me;
Your making lawful and forbidding is not just."
"Your opinions, your faces, your swords,
Have a say in events; when the stars forbid.
It is known that these are a kind of sign for the path of hudā (guidance). These are lamps, they illuminate the darkness. The others are stones thrown at devils."
It is reported that Ibn al-Rūmī was born in the year 221 of the Hijra and died in this same year. There are various reports that he died a year later or in the year 276 of the Hijra.
The cause of his death is said to be as follows: Qāsim b. ʿAbdullāh, vizier of al-Muʿtaḍid, feared his satire and tongue. He instructed someone to feed him something poisoned in his presence. When Ibn al-Rūmī ate the poisoned item, he realized he had been poisoned and rose to leave the gathering. Vizier Qāsim asked, "Where are you going?" He replied, "I am going to where you have sent me." Vizier Qāsim said, "Give my greetings to my father." Ibn al-Rūmī replied, "I am not going to Hell; I have no business there."
Among the famous personalities who died in this year is Muḥammad b. Sulaymān b. Ḥarb Abū Bakr al-Bāghandī al-Wāsiṭī. He was among the scholars of hadith. Abū Dāwūd would ask him about hadith. Nevertheless, he was criticized and said to be a weak transmitter of hadith.
Another famous personality who died in this year is Muḥammad b. Ghālib b. Ḥarb Abū Jaʿfar al-Dabbī. He was known by the nickname Tanhām. He heard hadith from Sufyān, Kabīsa, and Kaʿnabī. He was among the trustworthy transmitters. Al-Dāraquṭnī said that he sometimes made mistakes. He died in the month of Ramadan of this year, at the age of ninety.