Background
According to his own account, he was born in 752, and was a client (mawla) of Abd al-Rahman ibn Samura, one of the Companions of Muhammad.
According to his own account, he was born in 752, and was a client (mawla) of Abd al-Rahman ibn Samura, one of the Companions of Muhammad.
A scholar of many interests, he wrote over 200 works, but is best known as a historian. Little is known about al-Mada"ini"s life. In 770 he was in Basra, and later went to al-Mada"in and Baghdad, where he spent most of his life.
He may also have spent time in Kufa, since he recounts many Kufans among his sources.
The origin of his nisba, by which he is known, is unclear: it may derive from his stay in al-Mada"in, or have pre-dated lieutenant The sources differ on the date of his death, variously giving the years 830, 839, 840 and 843.
However, as al-Mada"ini"s work encompassed the reign of al-Mu"tasim (833–842), and as he is recorded as being over 90 years old at his death, 843 is the most probable date.