Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard the jurist and man of letters Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ali al-Qaffal say more than once: I heard Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Yahya al-Suli, the grammarian, say: The first of the Arab poets to praise the Turks was Ali bin al-Abbas al-Rumi, when he said these verses: "When they stand firm, they are a wall of iron; our eyes are left bewildered at the sight. And when they come out to battle, they are a blazing fire that flares up against the enemies. They are the kings of the earth; when they come forth their eyes seem small, but their spirits are great."