Abà « 'Abd AllÃÂh Muḥammad ibn 'ImrÃÂn ibn Mà «sàibn Sa'ëd ibn 'Abd AllÃÂh al-MarzubÃÂnë al-KhurÃÂsÃÂnë () (c. 909 â 10 November 994), was a prolific author of adab, (news), history and ḥadëth (traditions). He lived all his life in his native city, Baghdad, although his family came originally from KhurÃÂsÃÂn.
Al-MarzubÃÂnë came from a wealthy Arab family connected to the royal court of the AbbÃÂsid caliph. Ibn al-JawÃÂlëqë in his KitÃÂb al-Mu'arrab, explains that al-MarzubÃÂnë inherited a Persian epithet "Marzban", which means 'Guardian of the frontier'. The Buyid amir âÂÂAá¸Âà «d al-Dawla was known to visit his residence on the east bank of the Tigris, where he would also entertain members of a literary circle dedicated to the conservation and transmission of Arabic philological literature. Fellow authors in his circle were Abà « Ya'qà «b al-Najëramë (d.1031), Abà « Sa'ëd al-SërÃÂfë (d. 979) and Abà « Bakr Muḥammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik al-TÃÂrëkhë. He edited the first dëwÃÂn (collected poems) by the Umayyad caliph Muawiyah I (r. 661âÂÂ680), which he produced in a small volume of about three kurrÃÂsa, â ca., 60 ff.
Abà « Bakr al-KhwÃÂrizmë led the funeral service. He was buried in his house on Shari Amr al-Rà «më (Amr the Greek Street), on the eastern quarter of BaghdÃÂd.
He was the last of the authorities of literary and oral tradition IsḥÃÂq al-Nadëm met. He was cited by the Mu'tazilite theologian Abà « 'Abd AllÃÂh al-á¹¢aymarë (d. 927/8), Abà « al-QÃÂsim al-Tanà «khi (940 â 994), Abà « Muḥammad al-Jauhari, et al. Some sectarian-based criticismattributed to al-MarzubÃÂnë's religious leanings and madhhab, despite his publication of Ḥanafë, Shë'i and Mu'tazila riwÃÂya and akhbar (biographies).seems to have led to the relative neglect of his writings by Sunni scholars in later centuries.
Among his books were:
IsḥÃÂq al-Nadëm records that 20,000 ff from sources written in al-MarzubÃÂnë's handwriting had survived to his day.