Abu Ibrahim al-Farabi
- Died
- 350 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Ibrahim al-Farabi (d. c. 350 AH / 961 CE) was an Arabic lexicographer and philologist from Farab, best known for compiling the dictionary Diwan al-Adab.
Life and Transmission
His full name was Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Husayn al-Farabi. He was of Turkic origin and came from Farab, a district situated beyond the Sayhun River near al-Shash and Balasaghun. Al-Farabi was the maternal uncle of the lexicographer Isma'il ibn Hammad al-Jawhari, the author of the lexicon al-Sihah. He was a contemporary of Abu Mansur al-Azhari, and some biographical sources identify him as an adherent of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence.
Biographical accounts diverge regarding his travels and the transmission of his work. A report recorded by Yaqut al-Hamawi from al-Qadi al-Ashraf al-Qifti relates that al-Farabi traveled far from his homeland and settled in Zabid in Yemen, where he compiled Diwan al-Adab and died before local scholars could read the book directly under his instruction. In contrast, transmission chains documented by manuscript scholars record that his nephew al-Jawhari read Diwan al-Adab directly with al-Farabi in Farab before transmitting it onward to scholars in Baghdad and Khorasan.
Scholarly Standing
Al-Farabi was regarded by biographers as a leading authority in Arabic philology and lexicography whose work attained widespread fame. Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi observed that al-Farabi and his nephew al-Jawhari, despite their Turkic background, established the vocabulary of the Arabic language with a precision that surpassed many native speakers. His lexicon Diwan al-Adab was arranged by morphological patterns and radical types, dividing Arabic vocabulary across six books covering sound, doubled, weak, and hamzated forms, with nouns treated before verbs in each division. He also composed Sharh Adab al-Katib, an explanatory commentary on the text of Ibn Qutaybah, and Bayan al-I'rab. Biographers noted that he should not be confused with the philosopher Abu Nasr al-Farabi, a distinction occasionally blurred in earlier biographical notices.
Death
Al-Farabi died around 350 AH (961 CE). Alternate reports place his death around 370 AH, 375 AH, or 398 AH. The Yemeni report cited by Yaqut estimated his death around 450 AH, though biographers considered this fifth-century dating erroneous given the broad consensus placing his activity in the fourth century AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
Diwan al-Adab ("The Register of Belles-Lettres") is an Arabic dictionary organized around morphological patterns and phonetic root structures.