Amazing Pre-Social Media Influencer!
from Shane's Muslim Connect
Who’s your favorite social media influencer? I know, I know, I don’t have one either!
Well, I didn’t until today! Now I’m really big on a Muslim influencer who lived in the late eighth century and among many other things, introduced a new and improved type of deodorant to Europe.
Ali Ibn Nafi, better known as Ziryab, (The Blackbird) was born in 789 in Bagdad (or thereabouts). The biographical details may be fuzzy, but his impact on downstream culture was immense.
Ziryab showed exceptional music chops early on. In fact, it seems that besting his teacher may have led to his high-tailing it west out of Bagdad. His intercontinental journey landed him in Cordoba (now Spain) where he soon became a favorite at open mic night in the court of Abd ar-Rahman II.
With a royal salary of 200 gold dinars per month (which I’m guessing was somewhere north of minimum wage), Ziryab began to expand his influence on several aspects of Andalusian culture:
Music: He brought the Oud, a Middle Eastern lyre, to Europe. By adding an extra pair of strings, he contributed to the evolution of the guitar and his music helped develop what eventually became Spanish Flamenco music. Further, he started the first music conservatory in Europe, welcoming men and women as students.
Food: Ziryab also influenced the foodie culture of Cordoba, lifting the lowly asparagus from weed status to delicacy. He advocated crystal drink wear over heavy, metal cups, normalized tablecloths and established the basic pattern of three course meals: soup, entree, and dessert!
Fashion: The Blackbird brought bangs to Europe! He also advocated for seasonal clothing, bright colors for spring, white only in summer, and darker, heavier fabrics and colors for fall. (He would have adored all things pumpkin spice!)
Hygiene: Ziryab may have been the basic inventor of deodorant! At least he advocated a new approach to combatting body odor along with creating toothpaste that actually tasted good.
I tell you a bit of Ziryab’s story because he's an amazing and relatively unknown guy, but also as a reminder of some of the good gifts of God that have come to us through Muslims. He loves them, uses them and desires for them to inherit his kingdom. May it be increasingly so!