The Escape Day: Al-Mutanabbi is on the Run!

Abstract

Al-Mutanabbi chose the day of his escape from Egypt, escaping himself, and asking for freedom, after he was convinced of his request for the emirate by traveling to Egypt, with the intention of Kafir al-Ikhshidid. When he missed this matter, there was no shame in him remaining a prisoner there. The opinions of researchers and informants differed, so stories were woven around him to show his actions. In the order of escape as one of the supernatural, some of them even linked the personality of Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, in the events of his migration, and the personality of Al-Mutanabbi in the events of his escape, as a result of the etymological relationship between the two titles.

        However, the real reason for the success of this exodus, as revealed in this paper, is Al-Mutanabbi’s connection with two figures who had a clear impact on the planning of the exit from Egypt and his success: the first of them was Emir Belbas Abdulaziz bin Yusuf Al-Khuza’i, and this matter is confirmed by evidence in the poetry that was mentioned by Al-Mutanabbi. The second is Abu Bakr Al-Farghani, one of Kafur’s companions, who revealed the orphan novel reported by the Egyptian historian Al-Maqrizi. It is a novel whose events indicate the existence of a link between Al-Mutanabbi and this character, despite his strong relationships with others in Kafur’s entourage, which is shown in this paper.