Abu Nasr al-Jawhari

Abu Nasr al-Jawhari (d. 393 AH / 1002–1003 CE) was a lexicographer, philologist, and master calligrapher of Turkic origin from Farab, renowned as the compiler of the landmark Arabic lexicon Taj al-Lughah wa-Sihah al-Arabiyyah Mujam al-Muallifin+1.

Lineage and Early Education

His full name was Isma'il ibn Hammad al-Jawhari, with some sources naming him Isma'il ibn Nasr ibn Hammad Mujam al-Udaba = Irshad a…+1. He hailed from the city of Farab—also known as Utrar—located beyond the Jaxartes River (Syr Darya) in the lands of the Turks Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1. He was the maternal nephew of the lexicographer Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Farabi, the author of Diwan al-Adab, under whom he began his foundational studies in his hometown Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1.

Travels and Career

Fond of travel and foreign residence, al-Jawhari journeyed to Iraq, where he studied Arabic philology and grammar in Baghdad under Abu Ali al-Farisi and Abu Sa'id al-Sirafi Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1. Seeking firsthand command of pure Arabic, he traveled across the Hejaz and lived among the nomadic Bedouin tribes of Rabiah and Mudar, directly recording their dialectal usage Mujam al-Udaba = Irshad a…+1.

Upon concluding his journeys, al-Jawhari returned east toward Khurasan, stopping in Damghan, where he was hosted by the prominent scribe Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Ali, who studied alongside him Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1. He subsequently moved to Nishapur, establishing himself as a teacher of Arabic language, grammar, and calligraphy, and earning his livelihood by transcribing Qur'anic manuscripts and scholarly works Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1. His students included Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Salih al-Warraq, Isma'il ibn Muhammad ibn Abdus al-Dahhan, and Abu Sahl Muhammad ibn Ali al-Harawi Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1.

Scholarly Standing and Contributions

Biographers praised al-Jawhari as one of the preeminent minds of his era in Arabic philology and literature, noting also his proficiency in theological principles (usul) and poetry Mujam al-Udaba = Irshad a…+1. He was celebrated for his exceptional proportional script (al-khatt al-mansub), often compared in beauty to the calligraphy of Ibn Muqlah, with single Qur'anic codices penned in his hand reportedly valued at one hundred dinars Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1.

His lasting reputation rests on his major lexicon Taj al-Lughah wa-Sihah al-Arabiyyah (popularly known as al-Sihah), which he composed for the scholar Abu Mansur al-Bayshaki Nuzhat al-Alba fi Tabaqat…+1. In it, al-Jawhari pioneered a rhyming alphabetical arrangement by organizing roots into twenty-eight chapters based on their final radical letter and subdividing them by their first, restricting his entries strictly to what he evaluated as authentic linguistic usage Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. He also wrote a treatise on poetic meters titled Arud al-Waraqah, in which his methodology diverged in certain aspects from the classical system of al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi, as well as a grammatical primer titled al-Muqaddimah fi al-Nahw al-Durr al-Thamin fi Asma…+1.

Death

Late in life, al-Jawhari was afflicted by mental distress and delusion Nuzhat al-Alba fi Tabaqat…+1. He ascended to the roof of the Old Mosque in Nishapur—or according to other accounts, the roof of his house—and affixed two wooden door leaves to his body with rope to serve as wings Nuzhat al-Alba fi Tabaqat…+1. Declaring to the onlookers that he would perform an unprecedented act, he jumped in an attempt to fly and fell to his death Nuzhat al-Alba fi Tabaqat…+1.

Because of his sudden death, al-Sihah remained in draft form from the letter Dad onward; his pupil Ibrahim ibn Salih al-Warraq copied and prepared the remainder of the text for fair copy, which gave rise to several scribal corruptions and errors noted by subsequent philologists Nuzhat al-Alba fi Tabaqat…+1. His death is most commonly dated to 393 AH (1002–1003 CE), though other reports place it in 396 AH, 397 AH, 398 AH, or circa 400 AH Mujam al-Muallifin+1. Yaqut al-Hamawi recorded having seen an autograph manuscript of al-Sihah penned by al-Jawhari dated 396 AH Mujam al-Udaba = Irshad a…+1.