al-Thamanini
- Died
- 442 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu al-Qasim al-Thamanini (d. 442 AH / 1050 CE) was a blind grammarian and philologist based in Baghdad, known for his teaching in al-Karkh and his commentaries on the grammatical and morphological works of Ibn Jinni.
Origin and Education
His full name was Umar ibn Thabit, Abu al-Qasim al-Thamanini al-Darir. His nisba derives from Thamanin (or Suq Thamanin), a small locality in the district of Jazirat Ibn Umar in the territory of Mosul near Mount Judi. According to biographical and geographical lore, it was the first settlement built after the Deluge, named for the eighty survivors who emerged from the Ark with Noah, each erecting a dwelling there.
Al-Thamanini, who was sightless, studied Arabic grammar directly under the renowned philologist Abu al-Fath Ibn Jinni.
Teaching and Standing
Al-Thamanini taught grammar in the al-Karkh quarter of Baghdad. He and his contemporary Abu al-Qasim Ibn Burhan al-Asadi both held instructional circles there simultaneously, creating an informal division among students: while advanced and elite scholars studied under Ibn Burhan, the broader populace and general students attended al-Thamanini's lectures. A large number of students studied under him, including the Sharif Abu al-Ma'mar Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Tabataba al-Alawi, Isma'il ibn al-Mu'ammal al-Iskafi, and Muhammad ibn Aqil al-Daskari.
Biographers characterized al-Thamanini as an accomplished authority who mastered the rules and principles of grammar. He authored Sharh al-Luma', an extensive exposition of Ibn Jinni's foundational grammar manual, as well as Sharh al-Tasrif al-Muluki, a commentary elucidating Ibn Jinni's treatise on Arabic morphology.
Death
Al-Thamanini died in Dhu al-Qi'da 442 AH (1050 CE), during the Abbasid caliphate of al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah.
Answer updated
List of Works
Sharh al-Tasrif lil-Thamanini, also known as Sharh al-Tasrif al-Muluki, is an eleventh-century commentary on Arabic morphology (tasrif). It provides an exposition of al-Tasrif al-Muluki (also entitled Jumal Usul al-Tasrif), a concise foundational manual on Arabic morphology.