Abu Ubayda Mamar ibn al-Muthanna
- Died
- 209 AH
- Born in
- Basra
Abu Ubayda Mamar ibn al-Muthanna (110–209 AH / 728–824 CE) was an early philologist, genealogist, and scholar of Arabic literature and tribal history based in Basra . He is best known for his pioneering philological work Majaz al-Quran (The Metaphorical Modes of the Quran) and his historical compilation al-Dibaj (The Brocade) .
Origin and Early Life
Abu Ubayda's birth is most commonly placed in Rajab 110 AH, the night the early scholar al-Hasan al-Basri died; other transmissions record his birth in 112 AH or 114 AH . He was affiliated as a client (mawla) to the Qurayshite clan of Taym, specifically Banu Ubayd Allah ibn Mamar al-Taymi or Banu Salama of Taym ibn Murra, with Uthman ibn Affan, the judge of Basra, recorded as his maternal uncle . Regarding his paternal ancestry, an account related by Abu al-Ayna reports that his grandfather was Jewish from Bajarwan, while Allan al-Shu'ubi noted that he was of Persian descent and bore the nickname Sabakht or Sahb .
Scholarly Career and Travels
Abu Ubayda studied lexicography, poetry, and transmission under prominent authorities of his era, including Abu Amr ibn al-Ala, the rajaz poet Ru'ba ibn al-Ajjaj, and Hisham ibn Urwa . In 188 AH, he was invited from Basra to Baghdad at the request of Ishaq ibn Ibrahim through the vizier al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi, where he transmitted portions of his works and engaged in scholarly assemblies before later journeying to Fars . It was in the council of al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi that he was prompted to explain the Quranic expression طَلْعُهَا كَأَنَّهُ رُءُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ , which inspired the subsequent compilation of Majaz al-Quran .
A considerable circle of scholars transmitted from him, including Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, Ali ibn al-Madini, Umar ibn Shabba, Abu Uthman al-Mazini, and Ali ibn al-Mughira al-Athram . The poet Abu Nuwas was also among his regular attendees, openly praising his vast erudition .
Theological Views and Reception
Abu Ubayda was recognized for his unmatched command of pre-Islamic lore, battle days, and classical Arabic vocabulary; al-Jahiz stated that no scholar of his era possessed greater comprehensive knowledge across disciplines, and al-Mubarrad described him as the most complete of his cohort . Ali ibn al-Madini corroborated his reliability by declaring that he narrated only authentic material from the desert Arabs, and Yahya ibn Main affirmed that there was no harm in his narrations .
Conversely, multiple contemporaries and later biographers criticized him on doctrinal and personal grounds. He was widely reported to hold Kharijite sympathies and was accused of Shu'ubite tendencies due to his extensive documentation of tribal defects . Ibn Qutayba noted that despite his encyclopedic knowledge, he lacked skill in parsing poetic meter and was prone to misreading while reciting the Quran directly from the text .
Death
Abu Ubayda died in 209 AH, having reached nearly one hundred years of age; alternative dates reported for his passing include 208, 210, 211, and 213 AH . Classical sources recount that few or no people attended his funeral prayer in Basra due to widespread resentment over his sharp-tongued attacks on the lineages of his contemporaries .
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List of Works
This early Arabic historical and literary work compiles concise accounts of pre-Islamic and early Islamic Arabs, their battle days, and notable figures organized according to specific traits and virtues. It brings together rare historical reports, chains of transmission, and poetic verses concerning Arab tribes and personalities, grouping individuals into categories such as the generous, the wise, the shrewd, and the loyal.
This classical collection and commentary gathers the poetic flytings and mutual lampoons exchanged between the Umayyad poets Jarir and al-Farazdaq. Alongside preserving the poetic texts and their metrical rejoinders, the work provides historical and genealogical commentary, detailing tribal lineages, battle days, personal rivalries, the origins of their dispute, rare vocabulary, and grammatical points.
This work of Quranic philology and exegesis focuses on the linguistic interpretation of difficult vocabulary and the rhetorical and syntactic patterns of Quranic discourse. Proceeding verse by verse, it explains idiomatic paths of Arabic expression and customary speech, substantiating meanings through numerous citations of pre-Islamic and early Arabic poetry.
This literary treatise compiles narrative reports and poetry regarding filial impiety, filial devotion, and familial estrangement. It examines verses and accounts concerning rebellious offspring, the laments and reproaches composed by aggrieved fathers, examples of dutiful children, and the yearnings of parents whose sons migrated from the desert to urban settlements.
This lexicographical and philological monograph documents equine anatomy, physical traits, terminology, and Arabian cultural traditions regarding horses. It surveys the status and veneration of horses in pre-Islamic times and Islam, examines equine body parts and conformational qualities, and substantiates its terminology and descriptions with classical Arabic verse.