al-Harawi, Abu Ubayd
- Died
- 401 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Ubayd al-Harawi (d. 401 AH / 1011 CE) was a Shafi'i lexicographer and scholar from Herat, best known for his pioneering work explaining rare terms in scripture and hadith, al-Gharibayn.
Lineage and Education
His full name is recorded as Abu Ubayd Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Ubayd al-Abdi al-Mu'addib al-Harawi al-Fashani; another attribution gives his lineage as Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, or simply Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman. His nisba al-Harawi links him to the city of Herat in Khurasan, while al-Fashani (also rendered al-Bashani) refers to Fashan, a village in its district.
Al-Harawi studied Arabic philology and lexicography under the prominent scholar Abu Mansur al-Azhari, under whose guidance he trained and developed his scholarship. In hadith, he transmitted from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yasin and Abu Ishaq Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yunus al-Bazzaz al-Hafiz. Among those who narrated from him and transmitted his scholarship were Abu Uthman al-Sabuni, Abu Umar Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Malihi, and Abu Sahl Muhammad ibn Ali al-Harawi.
Scholarly Standing and Reception
Al-Harawi attained widespread recognition for compiling al-Gharibayn (The Two Rare Vocabularies), becoming the first lexicographer to merge the obscure vocabulary of both the Quran and Hadith into a unified alphabetical reference. Designed for accessibility, the dictionary omitted extended chains of transmission and focused on grammatical analysis and concise definitions of root words.
Ibn Khallikan characterized him as one of the major scholars, noting that al-Gharibayn circulated across Islamic lands as an indispensable reference. His work became a foundational source for later lexicographers; Abu Musa al-Madini composed a supplement to address omissions, and Ibn al-Athir later relied on both texts when compiling al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa-al-Athar (The Ultimate in Rare Hadith Vocabulary).
Biographers also noted personal traits from contemporary accounts: he was reported to prefer informal dress (al-badhla), to have indulged privately in drink, and to have associated with literary figures in social gatherings of music and pleasure.
Death
Al-Harawi died in the month of Rajab in 401 AH (February 1011 CE), with one report specifying his death on the sixth of Rajab.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Gharibayn fi al-Quran wa al-Hadith (The Two Rare Vocabularies in the Quran and Hadith) is a classical dictionary of obscure and difficult vocabulary found in the Quran and Prophetic Hadith. Composed to provide an accessible reference for students, it combines the rare terms of both scripture and hadith into a single unified work, focusing on linguistic, grammatical, and semantic clarification rather than chains of narration.