Abū al-‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Yazīd | |
---|---|
Born | c. 826 (207 AH) |
Died | 898–899 (285 AH)
Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate |
Other names | al-Mubarrad |
Occupation | Grammarian of Basra |
Era | Islamic Golden Age |
Al-Mubarrad (المبرد) [n 1] (al-Mobarrad), [2] [3] or Abū al-‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Yazīd (c. 826 – c. 898), was a native of Baṣrah. He was a philologist, biographer and a leading grammarian of the School of Basra, a rival to the School of Kufa. [4] In 860 he was called to the court of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil at Samarra. When the caliph was killed the following year, he went to Baghdād, and taught there until his death.
A prolific writer, perhaps the greatest of his school, his best known work is Al-Kāmil ("The Perfect One" or "The Complete"). [4] [5]
A leading scholar of Sībawayh's seminal treatise on grammar, "al-Kitab" ("The Book"), [6] he lectured on philology and wrote critical treatises on linguistics and Quranic exegesis ( tafsir). He is said to be the source of the story of Shahrbanu or Shahr Banu — eldest daughter of Yazdegerd III.[ citation needed]
His quote to would-be students was:
Ishaq Al-Nadīm transmitted the written account of Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Khazzāz, [8] [9] who gives al-Mubarrad's full genealogical name: Muḥammad ibn Yazīd ibn ‘Abd al-Akbar ibn ‘Umayr ibn Ḥasanān ibn Sulaym ibn Sa‘d ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Durayd ibn Mālik ibn al-Ḥārith ibn ‘Āmir ibn Abd Allāh ibn Bilāl ibn ‘Awf ibn Aslam ibn Aḥjan ibn Ka‘b ibn al-Ḥarīth ibn Ka‘b ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mālik ibn Naṣr ibn al-Azd, al-Azd said to be the son of al-Ghawth. [10]
According to Sheikh Abū Sa‘īd al- Sīrāfī, [11] [12] [13] Abū al-‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Azdī al-Thumālī [al-Mubarrad] was a protégé of the grammarians al-Jarmī, al-Māzinī, etc. He was descended from a branch of al-Azd, called the Thumālah. [n 2] He began studying Sībawayh's Book with al-Jarmī, but completed it with al-Māzinī, whose linguistic theories he developed. In a citation from the book called Device of the Men of Letters, al-Hakimi wrote that Abū ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Qāsim called Al-Mubarrad a "Sūraḥūn", [n 3] of al-Baṣrah. His origins were in al-Yaman, however his marriage to a daughter of al-Ḥafṣā al-Mughannī [n 4] earned him the name ‘Ḥayyan al-Sūraḥī.’
Abū Sa’īd reports al-Sarrāj [14] [15] [16] and Abū ‘Ali al-Ṣaffār [17] that al-Mubarrad was born in 825-26 (210 AH)and died in 898-99 (285 AH), aged seventy-nine. Others said his birth was in 822-23 (207 AH). Al-Ṣūlī Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya said he was buried in the cemetery of the Kūfah Gate. [18]
Al-Mubarrad related many anecdotes of the poets, linguists and satirists of his circle. In one such tale al-Mubarrad says
He estimated that “Abū Zayd [23] [24] [25] knew a great deal about grammar, but less than al-Khalīl and Sībawayh." [26] He described al-Aṣma’ī [27] as "equal to Abu ‘Ubaydah in poetry and rhetoric but more expert in grammar, although ‘Ubaydah excelled in genealogy." [28]
In another tradition al-Mubarrad read a poem of the poet Jarīr to a student of al-Aṣma‘ī and Abū ‘Ubaydah, [29] [30] called al-Tawwazī, [31] [32] [33] in the presence of the poet’s great grandson Umārah, [34] [35] which began:
until he came to the line
When ‘Umārah asked al-Tawwazī how his master Abū ‘Ubaydah would interpret “Jumanah and Rayyā”, al-Tawwazī replied, “The names of two women,” ‘Umārah laughed saying, ‘These two, by Allāh, are two sandy places to the right and left of my house!' When al-Tawwazi asked al-Mubarrad to write this explanation down, he refused out of respect for Abū ‘Ubaydah. Al-Tawwazī insisted that if he were present, Abū ‘Ubaydah, would accept Umārah’s interpretation, as it was about his own house.’ [n 5] [36]
Explanation of the Names of Allah the Almighty;
The copyists Ismā’īl ibn Aḥmad Ibn al-Zajjājī [40] and Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad al-Shāshī [41] were probably al-Mubarrad’s amanuenses. [42]
Other contemporary grammarians wrote commentaries of lesser value on The Book of Sībawayh. [n 15] Among this group were: Abū Dhakwān al-Qāsim ibn Ismā’īl, [43] who wrote “The Meaning of Poetry”; Abū Dhakwān’s stepson Al-Tawwazī. ‘Ubayd ibn Dhakwān Abū ‘Ali, [42] among whose books there were Contraries, [n 16]Reply of the Silencer, Oaths (Divisions) of the Arabians, Abū Ya‘lā ibn Abī Zur‘ah, a friend of al-Māzinī, who wrote A Compendium of Grammar (unfinished) [44]
Al-Mubarrad‘s leading pupil al-Zajjāj became an associate of al-Qāsim, the vizier of the ‘Abbāsid caliph al-Mu‘taḍid (892-902), and tutor to the caliph’s children. [45] When al-Mu’taḍid was recommended the book Compendium of Speech by Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abi ‘Abbād, [n 17] [46] [47] which was composed in the form of tables, the caliph ordered his vizier, al-Qāsim, [48] [49] [50] [n 18] to commission an expositionary commentary. Al-Qāsim sent first to Tha‘lab, [51] who declined -offering instead to work on Kitāb al-‘Ayn of al-Khalīl- and then to al-Mubarrad, who in turn declined on grounds of age. Al-Mubarrad recommended his younger colleague al-Zajjāj for such a laborious task. [52] Al-Mubarrad had a close friendship with Ibn al-Sarrāj, one of his brightest and sharpest pupils. When al-Mubarrad died al-Sarrāj became a pupil of al-Zajjāj. [53] Al Mubarrad taught Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Durustūyah. [54] [55] and Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn ‘lsā al- Rummānī, [56] [57] [58] wrote a commentary on the “Introduction" (Al-Madkhal) (on grammar) of al-Mubarrad. [59] Ibn al-Ḥā’ik Hārūn, [60] [61] from al-Ḥīrah, a grammarian of al-Kūfah, debated with al-Mubarrad. A conversation between al-Mubarrad and Ibn al-Ḥā’ik is related by al-Nadīm were al-Mubarrad says to Ibn al-Ḥā’ik, “I notice that you are full of understanding, but at the same time free from pride." Ibn al-Ḥā’ik replied, “Oh, Abū al-‘Abbas, it is because of you that Allāh has provided our bread and livelihood.” Then al-Mubarrad said, “In spite of receiving your bread and livelihood, you would be proud if you had a proud nature." [n 19] [62]
Al-Nadīm also relates a tradition from Abū ‘Ubayd Allāh [n 20] that Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad had related that Abū al-‘Abbas Muhammad ibn Yazid [al-Mubarrad] the grammarian [n 21] had said: “I never saw anyone more avaricious for learning than al- Jāḥiẓ, [63] [64] al- Fatḥ [65] [66] [67] ibn Khāqān, and Ismā’īl ibn Isḥaq al- Qāḍī (Judge). [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] Whatever book came into the hands of al-Jāḥīẓ, he read it from cover to cover, while al-Fatḥ carried a book in his slipper and if he left the presence of Caliph al-Mutawakkil to relieve himself or to pray, he read the book as he walked and returned to his seat. As for Ismā’īl ibn Isḥaq, whenever I went in to him there was in his hand a book which he was reading, or else he was turning over some books so as to choose one of them to read. [n 22] [73]
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link)Abū al-‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Yazīd | |
---|---|
Born | c. 826 (207 AH) |
Died | 898–899 (285 AH)
Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate |
Other names | al-Mubarrad |
Occupation | Grammarian of Basra |
Era | Islamic Golden Age |
Al-Mubarrad (المبرد) [n 1] (al-Mobarrad), [2] [3] or Abū al-‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Yazīd (c. 826 – c. 898), was a native of Baṣrah. He was a philologist, biographer and a leading grammarian of the School of Basra, a rival to the School of Kufa. [4] In 860 he was called to the court of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil at Samarra. When the caliph was killed the following year, he went to Baghdād, and taught there until his death.
A prolific writer, perhaps the greatest of his school, his best known work is Al-Kāmil ("The Perfect One" or "The Complete"). [4] [5]
A leading scholar of Sībawayh's seminal treatise on grammar, "al-Kitab" ("The Book"), [6] he lectured on philology and wrote critical treatises on linguistics and Quranic exegesis ( tafsir). He is said to be the source of the story of Shahrbanu or Shahr Banu — eldest daughter of Yazdegerd III.[ citation needed]
His quote to would-be students was:
Ishaq Al-Nadīm transmitted the written account of Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Khazzāz, [8] [9] who gives al-Mubarrad's full genealogical name: Muḥammad ibn Yazīd ibn ‘Abd al-Akbar ibn ‘Umayr ibn Ḥasanān ibn Sulaym ibn Sa‘d ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Durayd ibn Mālik ibn al-Ḥārith ibn ‘Āmir ibn Abd Allāh ibn Bilāl ibn ‘Awf ibn Aslam ibn Aḥjan ibn Ka‘b ibn al-Ḥarīth ibn Ka‘b ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mālik ibn Naṣr ibn al-Azd, al-Azd said to be the son of al-Ghawth. [10]
According to Sheikh Abū Sa‘īd al- Sīrāfī, [11] [12] [13] Abū al-‘Abbās Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Azdī al-Thumālī [al-Mubarrad] was a protégé of the grammarians al-Jarmī, al-Māzinī, etc. He was descended from a branch of al-Azd, called the Thumālah. [n 2] He began studying Sībawayh's Book with al-Jarmī, but completed it with al-Māzinī, whose linguistic theories he developed. In a citation from the book called Device of the Men of Letters, al-Hakimi wrote that Abū ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Qāsim called Al-Mubarrad a "Sūraḥūn", [n 3] of al-Baṣrah. His origins were in al-Yaman, however his marriage to a daughter of al-Ḥafṣā al-Mughannī [n 4] earned him the name ‘Ḥayyan al-Sūraḥī.’
Abū Sa’īd reports al-Sarrāj [14] [15] [16] and Abū ‘Ali al-Ṣaffār [17] that al-Mubarrad was born in 825-26 (210 AH)and died in 898-99 (285 AH), aged seventy-nine. Others said his birth was in 822-23 (207 AH). Al-Ṣūlī Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya said he was buried in the cemetery of the Kūfah Gate. [18]
Al-Mubarrad related many anecdotes of the poets, linguists and satirists of his circle. In one such tale al-Mubarrad says
He estimated that “Abū Zayd [23] [24] [25] knew a great deal about grammar, but less than al-Khalīl and Sībawayh." [26] He described al-Aṣma’ī [27] as "equal to Abu ‘Ubaydah in poetry and rhetoric but more expert in grammar, although ‘Ubaydah excelled in genealogy." [28]
In another tradition al-Mubarrad read a poem of the poet Jarīr to a student of al-Aṣma‘ī and Abū ‘Ubaydah, [29] [30] called al-Tawwazī, [31] [32] [33] in the presence of the poet’s great grandson Umārah, [34] [35] which began:
until he came to the line
When ‘Umārah asked al-Tawwazī how his master Abū ‘Ubaydah would interpret “Jumanah and Rayyā”, al-Tawwazī replied, “The names of two women,” ‘Umārah laughed saying, ‘These two, by Allāh, are two sandy places to the right and left of my house!' When al-Tawwazi asked al-Mubarrad to write this explanation down, he refused out of respect for Abū ‘Ubaydah. Al-Tawwazī insisted that if he were present, Abū ‘Ubaydah, would accept Umārah’s interpretation, as it was about his own house.’ [n 5] [36]
Explanation of the Names of Allah the Almighty;
The copyists Ismā’īl ibn Aḥmad Ibn al-Zajjājī [40] and Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad al-Shāshī [41] were probably al-Mubarrad’s amanuenses. [42]
Other contemporary grammarians wrote commentaries of lesser value on The Book of Sībawayh. [n 15] Among this group were: Abū Dhakwān al-Qāsim ibn Ismā’īl, [43] who wrote “The Meaning of Poetry”; Abū Dhakwān’s stepson Al-Tawwazī. ‘Ubayd ibn Dhakwān Abū ‘Ali, [42] among whose books there were Contraries, [n 16]Reply of the Silencer, Oaths (Divisions) of the Arabians, Abū Ya‘lā ibn Abī Zur‘ah, a friend of al-Māzinī, who wrote A Compendium of Grammar (unfinished) [44]
Al-Mubarrad‘s leading pupil al-Zajjāj became an associate of al-Qāsim, the vizier of the ‘Abbāsid caliph al-Mu‘taḍid (892-902), and tutor to the caliph’s children. [45] When al-Mu’taḍid was recommended the book Compendium of Speech by Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abi ‘Abbād, [n 17] [46] [47] which was composed in the form of tables, the caliph ordered his vizier, al-Qāsim, [48] [49] [50] [n 18] to commission an expositionary commentary. Al-Qāsim sent first to Tha‘lab, [51] who declined -offering instead to work on Kitāb al-‘Ayn of al-Khalīl- and then to al-Mubarrad, who in turn declined on grounds of age. Al-Mubarrad recommended his younger colleague al-Zajjāj for such a laborious task. [52] Al-Mubarrad had a close friendship with Ibn al-Sarrāj, one of his brightest and sharpest pupils. When al-Mubarrad died al-Sarrāj became a pupil of al-Zajjāj. [53] Al Mubarrad taught Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Durustūyah. [54] [55] and Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn ‘lsā al- Rummānī, [56] [57] [58] wrote a commentary on the “Introduction" (Al-Madkhal) (on grammar) of al-Mubarrad. [59] Ibn al-Ḥā’ik Hārūn, [60] [61] from al-Ḥīrah, a grammarian of al-Kūfah, debated with al-Mubarrad. A conversation between al-Mubarrad and Ibn al-Ḥā’ik is related by al-Nadīm were al-Mubarrad says to Ibn al-Ḥā’ik, “I notice that you are full of understanding, but at the same time free from pride." Ibn al-Ḥā’ik replied, “Oh, Abū al-‘Abbas, it is because of you that Allāh has provided our bread and livelihood.” Then al-Mubarrad said, “In spite of receiving your bread and livelihood, you would be proud if you had a proud nature." [n 19] [62]
Al-Nadīm also relates a tradition from Abū ‘Ubayd Allāh [n 20] that Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad had related that Abū al-‘Abbas Muhammad ibn Yazid [al-Mubarrad] the grammarian [n 21] had said: “I never saw anyone more avaricious for learning than al- Jāḥiẓ, [63] [64] al- Fatḥ [65] [66] [67] ibn Khāqān, and Ismā’īl ibn Isḥaq al- Qāḍī (Judge). [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] Whatever book came into the hands of al-Jāḥīẓ, he read it from cover to cover, while al-Fatḥ carried a book in his slipper and if he left the presence of Caliph al-Mutawakkil to relieve himself or to pray, he read the book as he walked and returned to his seat. As for Ismā’īl ibn Isḥaq, whenever I went in to him there was in his hand a book which he was reading, or else he was turning over some books so as to choose one of them to read. [n 22] [73]
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