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Islam Arastirmalari Dergisi, vol.2020, no.43, pp.45-71, 2020 (Scopus)
Abu Saʿd ʿAlā’ b. Ḥasan, also known in sources as Ibn al-Mūṣalāyā out of respect for his Christian grandfather, was born on 6 Shawwāl 412 (13 January 1022) in Karkh quarter of Baghdad. Ibn al-Mūṣalāyā’s father Ḥasan b. Wahb was the first family member employed in the Abbasid administration, serving as a scribe in the chancery department during the caliphate of al-Qā’im (r. 1031-1075). Like his father, Ibn al-Mūṣalāyā chose a scribal career for himself and began working for the chancery department in his twenties. He was appointed head of the chancery sometime before 443/1051 and he remained in this position for more than fifty years. One of the turning points in his life was his conversion to Islam during the reign of al-Muqtadī, after having served as head of the chancery more than forty years. In addition to his role in the chancery, he also served as vice-vizier three times during a period of transitional rule from the Buyids to the Seljuks. He acquired considerable esteem among the Abbasid caliphs and Seljuk sultans for his ethical virtues and success in his job. Ibn al-Mūṣalāyā lost his sight at an old age. Likely due to the fact that he never married, no information about his family members exists in the sources.