Abū l-Faraj ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn Ibn Hindū (d. 423/1032), the scion of a family tracing itself back to the caliph ʿAlī's son al-Ḥusayn (d. 61/680), was a well-known fourth/tenth-century author of poetry and courtly prose, although he was particularly well known for his works on philosophy, logic, and medicine. His career direction was dictated by his continuous quest for a prestigious position at one of the numerous courts then flourishing in Iran. Born in 335/946 in Qum, he went to