# Muhammed ibn Dawud: The Man of Our Times & the Abbassid Language of Brotherhood

Jennifer Tobkin discusses Muhammad ibn Dawud al-Isfahani (d. 297/909), compiler of an anthology of poetry called "Kitab al-Zahra" ("The Book of the Flower") and author of some 500 lines of poetry in it as well as commentary on poems by other poets. Ibn Dawud is arguably more famous for the legend that he died from love for a male friend than for any of his own writings. As early as the 11th century, biographical dictionaries such as "Ta'rikh Baghdad" told the story of Ibn Dawud's writing those poems of his which appear in "Kitab al-Zahra" for a man who did not reciprocate Ibn Dawud's feelings for him and eventually dying from this unrequited love.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2013
- By: Library Of Congress
- Genres: History
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021689176/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021689176?play=1)