Ibn al-Khashshab
- Died
- 567 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Ibn al-Khashshab (492–567 AH / 1099–1172 CE) was a Baghdadi grammarian, philologist, and hadith scholar, widely regarded as the leading authority on Arabic grammar in his era and known for his grammatical commentary al-Murtajal fi Sharh al-Jumal .
Lineage and Education
His full name was Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Ahmad ibn Ahmad ibn Abd Allah ibn Nasr ibn al-Khashshab al-Baghdadi . He was born in Baghdad in 492 AH . He studied Arabic language and literature under prominent scholars, including Abu Mansur al-Jawaliqi, Ibn al-Shajari, Ali ibn Abi Zayd al-Fasihi, Abu Bakr ibn Jawamard al-Qattan, and al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Mahwuli . He learned arithmetic and geometry from Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abd al-Baqi al-Ansari, studied the laws of inheritance under Abu Bakr al-Mazrafi, and heard hadith from teachers such as Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Raba'i, Abu al-Ghana'im Muhammad ibn Ali al-Narsi, Abu al-Qasim Hibat Allah ibn al-Husayn, and Abu al-Izz Ahmad ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Kadish .
Scholarly Life and Teaching
Ibn al-Khashshab resided at Bab al-Maratib in Baghdad . He was celebrated for his rapid, accurate, and articulate recitation of hadith texts, as well as his fine calligraphy and textual precision . He was an avid book collector who systematically acquired the libraries of deceased scholars; on one occasion, lacking money when a collection was auctioned for five hundred dinars, he secured a three-day delay and dismantled and sold the teakwood roofing of his own house to raise the sum . In his scholarly writing, he composed al-Murtajal fi Sharh al-Jumal as an explanation of Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani's grammatical manual, leaving several middle chapters untreated, and began a commentary on Ibn Jinni's al-Luma' without completing it .
A large number of scholars attended his teaching circles in Baghdad. His notable students included Abu Sa'd al-Sam'ani, Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudama, Abu al-Yumn al-Kindi, Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi, Abu al-Baqa' al-Ukbari, Abu Muhammad ibn al-Akhdar, and Fakhr al-Din Ibn Taymiyya .
Biographers described him as humorous and witty, but distinctly eccentric in his lifestyle: he was noted for extreme frugality, neglected personal appearance and worn clothing, and an indifference to social decorum, often playing chess on public roads with commoners and watching street performers . He never married and took no concubines .
Standing and Creed
Ibn al-Khashshab was held in the highest esteem for his mastery of Arabic grammar and philology, with contemporaries and later biographers comparing his rank in grammatical knowledge to that of Abu Ali al-Farisi . Abu Sa'd al-Sam'ani praised his vast learning and flawless speed in reading, while Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudama noted that the leading scholars of the time sought his legal-grammatical opinions on difficult linguistic problems .
Regarding creed and school of law, Ibn al-Qati'i recorded that he openly defended the Sunna and championed the madhhab of Ahmad ibn Hanbal . However, Ibn al-Jawzi criticized him for having limited proficiency in jurisprudence and for a perceived lack of religious gravity and concern for the dignity expected of scholars .
Death
Ibn al-Khashshab died on 3 Ramadan 567 AH in Baghdad . He was buried at the Bab Harb cemetery behind the tomb of Bishr al-Hafi . Shortly before his death, he endowed his extensive collection of books as a religious trust (waqf) for the benefit of scholars .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Qasida al-Ajiba wal-Mufrada al-Ghariba Dhat al-Asila al-Mufhama wal-Maani al-Muhkama ("The Wonderful Poem and Rare Oddity, of Silencing Questions and Precise Meanings") is a 112-verse didactic and enigmatic poem composed in the tawil meter. It was designed as a scholarly challenge featuring difficult riddles and obscure problems spanning nine distinct disciplines.
al-Murtajal fi Sharh al-Jumal ("The Improvised Commentary on al-Jumal") is a work on Arabic grammar written as an explanatory commentary on the grammatical treatise al-Jumal by Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani.