Istifan Al Rahib

Istifan the monk was in Mosul in the time of a monk called Mikhabil, and it was related of him that he practised alchemy. According to Ibn al-Nadim, his books appeared in Mosul after his death. ²

Ibn al-Nadim saw among these books Kitab al-Rushd (The Book of Right Guidance), Kitab al-Bab al-A'zam (The Greatest Gate), the book of supplications and offerings used before the alchemical work, Kitab al-Ikhtiyar al-Najumi li-l-Sina'a (The Astral Selection for the Craft), Kitab al-Ta'liqat (The Book of Glosses), and Kitab al-Awqat wa al-Azmina (The Book of Times and Seasons). ²

His exact date needs an additional source.