Abu al-Khaṭṭāb ʻAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʻAbd al-Majīd (), commonly known as Al-Akhfash al-Akbar () was an Arab grammarian who lived in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

and associated with the method of Arabic grammar of its linguists, and was a client of the

Qais Qais () is an Arabic given name meaning lover or firm. “Qays” and “Qaiss” are alternatives of Qais. Notable people with the name include: *Imru' al-Qais (496-565), Arabic poet in the 6th century ** Imru al-Qays (disambiguation), for namesak ...

tribe.Monique Bernards, "Pioneers of Arabic Language Studies." Taken from ''In the Shadow of Arabic: The Centrality of Language to Arabic Culture'', pg. 214. Ed. Bilal Orfali. Volume 63 of Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics.

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers () is a Dutch international academic publisher of books, academic journals, and Bibliographic database, databases founded in 1683, making it one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands. Founded in the South ...

, 2011. His most notable students were: Sibawayh, Yunus ibn Habib, Abu ʿUbaidah, Abu Zayd al-Ansari and Al-Asma'i. Al-Akhfash revised his student Sibawayh's famous ''Kitab'', the first book ever written on

Arabic grammar Arabic grammar () is the grammar of the Arabic language. Arabic is a Semitic languages, Semitic language and its grammar has many similarities with the Semitic languages#Grammar, grammar of other Semitic languages. Classical Arabic and Modern St ...

, and was responsible for circulating the first manuscripts after his student's untimely death.Khalil I. Semaan, ''Linguistics in the Middle Ages: Phonetic Studies in Early Islam'', pg. 39.

, 1968. Al-Akhfash was also one of the first linguists to contribute significantly to commentary and analysis of

Arabic poetry Arabic poetry ( ''ash-shi‘r al-‘arabīyy'') is one of the earliest forms of Arabic literature. Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry contains the bulk of the oldest poetic material in Arabic, but Old Arabic inscriptions reveal the art of poetry existe ...

. Additionally, he contributed to Arabic

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

as well as

lexicography Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoretical le ...

, recording vocabulary and expressions of the

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tribes which had not previously been recorded.

Ibn Khallikan Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin Ibrāhīm bin Abū Bakr ibn Khallikān (; 22 September 1211 – 30 October 1282), better known as Ibn Khallikān, was a renowned Islamic historian of Kurdish origin who compiled the celebrated biographical encyclopedi ...

's Biographical Dictionary, vol. 2, pg. 244. Trns. William McGuckin de Slane.

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. Sold by

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

and

Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Al-Akhfash Al-Akbar 793 deaths Arab grammarians Medieval grammarians of Arabic Year of birth unknown 8th-century Arab people