Ibn Hajar & Badrudin Ayni

Collapsing Minaret & conflict between Ibn Hajar vs Badrudin Ayni Poetry – العيني وابن حجر

Ibn Hajar and Al-‘Ayini were related to each other (their wives were sisters), but they had some personal issues … boys will be boys! 😂

So when an opportunity arose, they took a dig at each other.

The minaret of the Masjid in Egypt at which both Ibn Hajar and Badrudin ‘Ayini were teaching started to lean towards one side and was about to collapse.

So Ibn Hajar wrote the following poem:

لِجَامِعِ مَولانَا المُؤيَّدِ رَونَقٌ *** مَنارَتُهُ بالحُسنِ تَزهُو وَبِالزَّينِ
تَقُولُ وَقَد مَالَت عَنِ القَصدِ أَمهِلُوا *** فلَيسَ علَى جِسمِي أَضَرُّ مِن العَينِ
“The mosque of the sultan [al-muayyad] was radiant *
Its minaret shining with beauty and adornment *
But it says as it leans [as if falling] “Slow down*
for, nothing is more harmful to me than the evil eye [AL-‘AYN]!”

​[NOTE: “‘Ayin” (eye), he was taking a dig at ‘Ayni lol].

People plastered this poem all over the city walls and people used to recite it in the markets.

Badrudin ‘Ayini understood that it was aimed at him, so he wrote a counter-poem:

منارَةٌ كعَروسِ الحُسنِ إِذ جُلِيَت *** وَهَدمُها بقَضاءِ اللهِ والقَدَرِ
قَالُوا أُصِيبَت بعَينٍ، قُلتُ ذَا غَلَطٌ *** مَا أَوجَب الهَدمَ إلاَّ خِسَّةُ الحَجَرِ​
“The minaret’s beauty was like a bride adorned *
Its collapse is according to the decree and will of God *
Some say that it was afflicted by evil eye – but i say: WRONG! *
Nothing but bad quality stone [HAJAR] caused it to collapse!”

[NOTE: “Hajar” (stone), he was taking a dig at Ibn Hajar lol].

[“Shadharāt al-Dhahab”, of Ibn al-‘Imad, 9/211-212].