One of the medical practitioners who rubbed shoulders with the Abbasid kings was Ab? Bakr Mu?ammad Zakariyy?’ al-R?z? (864-925), later Latinized as Rhazes. In this paper, I will investigate the role that al-R?z? perceived for himself in the king’s court and how his position as personal physician was understood by other members of the king’s court. I will consult a variety of sources, including selected works by al-R?z?, accounts of bio-bibliographers, and contemporaneous accounts of adab literature on the court. Most importantly, I will be referring to a letter composed by al-Razi to one of his pupils on the occasion of his appointment as personal physician. By understanding the circumstances surrounding the composition of each text, I seek a better understanding of the role of al-Razi, as physician and courtier.