Abd al-Ghani al-Daqar
- Died
- 1423 AH
- Born in
- -
Abd al-Ghani al-Daqar (1335–1423 AH / 1916–2002 CE) was a Syrian scholar of Islamic jurisprudence, Arabic linguistics, and hadith based in Damascus . He is noted for his contributions to Arabic lexicography and grammar, including his reference work Mu'jam al-Qawa'id al-Arabiyya ("Dictionary of Arabic Rules"), as well as his biographical and editorial studies .
Lineage and early education
His full genealogy is recorded as Abd al-Ghani ibn Muhammad Ali ibn Abd al-Ghani ibn Muhammad Ali al-Daqar al-Dimashqi . He was raised in Damascus under the tutelage of his father, the prominent educator and scholar Ali al-Daqar . Because his father adhered strictly to traditional religious curricula and discouraged students from pursuing secular literature, al-Daqar studied classical literary texts discreetly. Over successive years, he read the Mu'allaqat along with their commentaries and the entirety of al-Kamil by al-Mubarrad under the linguist Izz al-Din al-Tanukhi without his father's knowledge . Tensions regarding his literary interests surfaced at home when his elder brother, Ahmad al-Daqar, reported to their father that he had purchased al-Nazarat by Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti, drawing his father's reprimand .
Intellectual orientation and standing
Although associated juristically with the Shafi'i school, al-Daqar maintained independent intellectual and theological stances . Unlike circles surrounding his family's school that were linked with the Tijani Sufi order, al-Daqar was not a Tijani; he was receptive to the Salafi movement and openly described himself as Zahiri, Wahhabi, and a man of letters (adib), while sustaining amicable relations across scholarly circles .
In hadith and transmission, his chains of narration (asanid) were documented by his student Nur al-Din Talib al-Dumi in a dedicated compilation titled Ghanimat al-Umr bi-Asanid al-Shaykh Abd al-Ghani al-Daqar . Scholars who narrated on his authority include Abdullah ibn Aqil, Abd al-Rahman al-Fariwa'i, and Yusuf al-Mar'ashli . In addition to linguistic works, he edited classical texts such as al-Nawawi's legal vocabulary manual Tahrir Alfaz al-Tanbih and authored scholarly biographies of early legal authorities, including al-Imam al-Shafi'i: Faqih al-Sunna al-Akbar .
He died in 1423 AH (2002 CE) .
Answer updated
List of Works
Mujam al-Qawaid al-Arabiya (Dictionary of Arabic Rules) is an Arabic reference work covering grammar, morphology, and orthography. Completed on 25 Dhu al-Qi'da 1404 AH (21 August 1984 CE), the book provides a comprehensive reference drawn directly from classical authorities. Arranged alphabetically in the standard Arabic dictionary format rather than by traditional thematic chapters, its entries define grammatical rules, parsed expressions, functional particles, and morphological topics alongside textual attestations from the Quran and classical Arabic poetry.