Conversation so far:
Where was Al-Maʿarri born?
Abu al-'Ala` was born in Ma'arra.
Who were his parents?
Abu al-'Ala` was born in Ma'arra, modern Maarrat al-Nu'man.
What was his childhood like?
Islam.
He was a member of the Banu Sulayman, a notable family of Ma'arra, belonging to the larger Tanukh tribe.
Where did he go to school?
educated at first in Ma'arra and Aleppo.
What did he study?
He started his career as a poet at an early age, at.
How old was he?
He started his career as a poet at an early age, at about 11 or 12 years old.
Who supported his work?
Ma'arra and Aleppo, later also in Antioch and other Syrian cities.
Among his teachers in Aleppo were companions from the circle of Ibn Khalawayh.

Question: What religion were these people?
Self-contained rewrite: What religion were the people in Life?