ولادة بنت المستكفي
ولادة بنت المستكفي
Wallada bint al-Mustakfi, Umayyad princess and famed salon poetess who had her bold couplets embroidered in gold on her sleeve hems; Ibn Zaydun's beloved until she lampooned him as al-Musaddas for courting her black songstress 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- al-Andalus & Europe
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Wallada bint al-Mustakfi billah Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Ubayd Allah ibn al-Nasir, an Andalusian woman of letters. al-Maqqari mentions her in Nafh al-Tib 2.
al-Maqqari's description
al-Maqqari describes her as unique in her time, graceful in conversation and praiseworthy in discussion. He says that she was famous for chastity and modesty 2.
Ibn Zaydun
al-Maqqari reports that the name of Ibn Zaydun was linked with hers. When he inclined toward her slave-girl, she wrote him verses reproaching him, and called him al-Musaddas (the Hexagonal) 3.
Sources
- Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari, p. 209-210
- Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari, p.209
- Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari, p.210
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “ولادة بنت المستكفي”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/wallada-bint-al-mustakfi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.