Malik ibn Uqbun
مالك بن عقبون
A Sabian of Harran who rendered the Syriac inscription on their assembly-house at Jiran — Plato's 'know thyself and become divine' — and to whom al-Mas'udi put questions on their practices 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Malik ibn Uqbun, one of the Harranian Sabians. Al-Mas'udi mentions him as the interpreter of a Syriac writing at the door of the Sabians' assembly. 2
The writing on the door
Al-Mas'udi saw on the knocker of the door of the Sabians' assembly a writing in Syriac, a saying of Plato: "Whoever knows himself becomes divine." Malik ibn Uqbun and others explained it. 3
His exchange with al-Mas'udi
Al-Mas'udi addressed him with some of what had reached him about their conditions. He acknowledged some of it and denied some of what was said about the sacrifices. 2
Al-Mas'udi mentions the assembly at Jurjan in one place, and the data confuse "Jaran" with "Jurjan"; the source needs review.
Sources
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p. 542-543
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.542-543
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.546
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Malik ibn Uqbun”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/malik-ibn-uqbun/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.