Ibn Muqsim al-Attar
- Died
- 354 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Abu Bakr Ibn Muqsim al-Attar (265–354 AH / 878–965 CE) was a Baghdadi scholar of Qur'anic recitations (qira'at), Arabic grammar, and exegesis, best known for his exegesis al-Anwar and for his controversial doctrine permitting any Qur'anic reading that conforms to Arabic grammar and the consonantal outline of the Uthmanic codex .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ya'qub ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Dawud ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Miqsam al-Attar, bearing the kunya Abu Bakr . He was born in Baghdad in 265 AH (878 CE), though another report places his birth in 250 AH .
Education and Teaching
Ibn Muqsim studied the Arabic language and grammar under Tha'lab and transmitted his sessions (Majalis Tha'lab) . He studied Qur'anic recitation under Idris al-Haddad, Dawud ibn Sulayman, and Abu Qabisa Hatim al-Mawsili . In hadith, he heard transmissions from Abu Muslim al-Kajji, Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Baghandi—whom he met in 278 AH—Ja'far al-Firyabi, Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Abi Shayba, Musa ibn Ishaq, and Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Marwazi .
He subsequently held teaching sessions in recitation and hadith in Baghdad. Among those who recited the Qur'an under his instruction were Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Tabari, Abu al-Faraj al-Nahrawani, Abu al-Hasan al-Hammami, Ibn Dawud al-Razzaz, and al-Faraj ibn Muhammad al-Qadi . Hadith was transmitted from him by Ibn Rizqawayh and Abu Ali ibn Shadhan .
Recitation Controversy and Trial
Ibn Muqsim adopted an approach to Qur'anic variants whereby he deemed permissible any reading that conformed to Arabic linguistic grammar and matched the unpointed consonantal outline of the Uthmanic codex (rasm al-mushaf), asserting that such a reading was valid to recite in prayer and elsewhere even without a transmitted chain of narration (isnad) . Critics cited examples of his readings, such as his suggestion that in the verse فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْأَسُوا مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا نَجِيًّا (Yusuf: 80), reciting the word as nujaba' (نجباء) would be permissible based on Arabic grammar and the unpointed script, a reading that scholars rejected as departing from consensus and deviating from the verse's meaning .
This methodology drew sharp condemnation from contemporary scholars of recitation. The matter was brought before the ruling authorities, who summoned him to an assembly attended by reciters and jurists . During the inquiry, led by Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid, Ibn Muqsim was questioned, stood threatened with corporal punishment, and recanted after Ibn Mujahid intervened to avert the beating; Ibn Muqsim reportedly stated, "No one has placed me under greater obligation than Ibn Mujahid" . A written record of his repentance was drawn up and signed by witnesses present at the council . However, several biographers and contemporary reciters noted that following the death of Ibn Mujahid, Ibn Muqsim returned to teaching and reciting according to his chosen method until his death .
Abu Tahir ibn Abi Hashim severely criticized Ibn Muqsim in Kitab al-Bayan, describing his stance as an innovation that replaced adherence to transmitted report with speculative linguistic deduction . Abu Ahmad al-Fardi related that he saw Ibn Muqsim multiple times in dreams praying with his back turned to the qibla, interpreting the dream as an indication of his departure from scholarly consensus in recitations .
Standing
Ibn Muqsim was widely acknowledged for his expertise in Arabic philology and Kufan grammatical traditions. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi declared him trustworthy (thiqa), describing him as among the most memorant of people regarding Kufan grammar and exceptionally knowledgeable in recitations . Abu Amr al-Dani described him as renowned for precision and exactitude, learned in Arabic, a preserver of the language, and an able compiler of works on Qur'anic sciences, while noting that his adoption of anomalous readings drew public denunciation . Yaqut al-Hamawi praised his work in Qur'anic exegesis, Kitab al-Anwar, remarking that he had not seen anything like it . In hadith criticism, Ibn Abi al-Fawaris mentioned that it was reported that Ibn Muqsim's son had inserted narrations into his material .
Death
Ibn Muqsim died on 8 Rabi' al-Thani 354 AH (April 965 CE) in Baghdad . Other reports give his death year as 352 AH or 355 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
Ahadith al-Attar an Shuyukhihi (Hadiths of al-Attar from His Teachers) is a short hadith compilation (juz'). The work is a traditional collection comprising prophetic reports and narrations received and transmitted directly from various teachers and prominent traditionists.