Abu al-Barakat al-Anbari
- Died
- 577 AH
- Born in
- Anbar
Abu al-Barakat al-Anbari (513–577 AH / 1119–1181 CE) was an Iraqi Shafi'i jurist, philologist, and grammarian based in Baghdad, best known for his comparative grammatical work al-Insaf fi Masa'il al-Khilaf bayn al-Nahwiyyin al-Basriyyin wa al-Kufiyyin (The Equitable Arbiter on the Disputed Issues Between the Grammarians of Basra and Kufa) and his treatise on grammatical rationale Asrar al-Arabiyya (Secrets of the Arabic Language).
Lineage and Education
His full name was Kamal al-Din Abu al-Barakat Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Sa'id al-Anbari. He was born in Rabi' al-Thani 513 AH. He moved to Baghdad in his youth and studied Shafi'i jurisprudence at al-Madrasa al-Nizamiyya under Abu Mansur Sa'id ibn al-Razzaz, mastering legal differences (khilaf) and serving as a teaching assistant (mu'id) at the school, where he also held sermon sessions.
Al-Anbari studied Arabic philology under Abu Mansur al-Jawaliqi and closely attached himself to Abu al-Sa'adat Hibat Allah ibn al-Shajari to master grammar until he achieved wide recognition. In Hadith, he heard transmissions in Anbar from his father and Khalifah ibn Mahfuz al-Mu'addib, and in Baghdad from Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Khayrun, Abd al-Wahhab al-Anmati, and the judge Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Qasim al-Shahrazuri.
Teaching and Scholarly Career
Al-Anbari held the teaching chair for Arabic grammar at al-Madrasa al-Nizamiyya in Baghdad and became the uncontested foremost authority on Arabic philology in Iraq, drawing students from various regions. His prominent students included the historians and traditionists Ibn al-Dubaythi and Abu Bakr al-Hazimi, the grammarian Abu Bakr al-Mubarak ibn al-Mubarak, and Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Khabbaz.
In addition to his theoretical works, he authored the biographical dictionary Nuzhat al-Alba fi Tabaqat al-Udaba (The Promenade of the Wise on the Classes of Men of Letters), which chronicles the chronological generations of Arabic grammarians and philologists.
Asceticism and Standing
Later in life, al-Anbari withdrew from public office and secluded himself in his home, dedicating his time entirely to worship, devotional practice, and teaching students who sought him out. He practiced strict asceticism, living off the modest monthly rent of half a dinar from a house and a shop left to him by his father, using it to purchase food and paper. When the Abbasid caliph al-Mustadi' bi-Amr Allah sent him a gift of five hundred dinars, he refused it; when advised to accept it for his child, he replied that the Creator who brought him into existence would provide for him. He refused all official stipends and gifts, lit no lamp in his quarters, slept on a reed mat, wore worn clothes at home, and left his residence only to attend Friday prayers.
Ibn al-Najjar praised him as a major grammatical authority, trustworthy, continent, skilled in debate, and exceptionally pious, noting that he lived on coarse fare and remained entirely untainted by worldly ambition. Muwaffaq al-Din Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi described him as unparalleled among devout recluses in his steadfastness, pure dedication, and total absence of pretense.
Death
Al-Anbari died in Baghdad on the night of Friday, 9 Sha'ban 577 AH; another report gives Thursday, 18 Sha'ban. He was sixty-four years old at his death and was buried in the mausoleum enclosure of Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi at Bab Abraz in Baghdad.
Answer updated
List of Works
Nuzhat al-Alba fi Tabaqat al-Udaba is a biographical dictionary of Arabic grammarians and philologists. It records the prominent figures of the grammatical tradition and those close to them in mastery, setting forth their lives and chronological eras across early and later generations.
al-Insaf fi Masa'il al-Khilaf bayn al-Nahwiyyin al-Basriyyin wa al-Kufiyyin is a work on comparative Arabic grammar. It compiles and evaluates the theoretical and grammatical disputes between the grammatical schools of Basra and Kufa.
al-Bulgha fi al-Farq bayn al-Mudhakkar wa al-Muannath is a concise grammatical treatise on the rules and categories of grammatical gender in the Arabic language, serving as an accessible manual for distinguishing between masculine and feminine words.
Asrar al-Arabiyya is a treatise on Arabic grammar and grammatical rationale. It is dedicated to grammatical and inflectional causes, elucidating the underlying reasons for grammatical terms, short vowels, plural patterns, and related topics in syntax and morphology.