Muhammad ibn Sadan al-Darir
- Died
- 231 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Muhammad ibn Sadan al-Darir (d. 231 AH / 845–846 CE) was a Baghdadi Quranic reciter and grammarian of the Kufan school, noted for his contributions to grammatical studies and Quranic variant readings.
Background and Education
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Sadan was born in Baghdad and raised in Kufa, adhering to the Kufan grammatical tradition. He was an associate of the prominent Kufan philologists al-Kisa'i and al-Farra', and earned a livelihood teaching commoners. He studied under several scholars, transmitting hadith and recitations from Abu Mu'awiya al-Darir, 'Abdullah ibn Idris, Yahya ibn Wadih (Abu Tumayla), Ishaq ibn Muhammad al-Musayyabi, al-Musayyab ibn Sharik, and 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Aban.
A number of scholars studied and transmitted from him, including Muhammad ibn Sa'd (the scribe of al-Waqidi), 'Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Bara', Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Marwazi, and 'Ubayd ibn Muhammad al-Marzuban.
Scholarly Standing and Reception
Ibn Sadan was regarded as trustworthy (thiqah) in transmission and recognized among the prominent reciters and grammarians of his era. He initially recited and taught according to the canonical reading of Hamzah al-Zayyat, but later established his own independent recitation choice (ikhtiyar). This personal selection drew criticism from Ibn al-Munadi, who remarked that by selecting his own reading, "both the foundational rule and its branch became corrupted for him, though he remained an accomplished grammarian."
In his scholarly writings, he composed Mukhtasar al-Nahw (The Abridgment of Grammar) and authored Kitab al-Qira'at (The Book of Recitations), an extensive work compiling Quranic variant readings. He also authored Kitab al-Hudud (The Book of Definitions), patterned after the grammatical definitions of al-Farra'.
Death
Ibn Sadan died in 231 AH (845–846 CE) during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Wathiq. Sources differ regarding the exact day: Ibn al-Munadi and Ibn al-Nadim record that he died on the Day of 'Arafah (9 Dhu al-Hijjah), whereas Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Naqqash reported that his death took place on the Day of Eid al-Adha (10 Dhu al-Hijjah).
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Waqf wal-Ibtida fi Kitab Allah (Pausing and Resuming in the Book of Allah) is an early treatise on Quranic recitation and Arabic grammar. It examines the rules and mastery of Quranic pauses and starts as an integral part of grammatical vocalization, addressing pauses on complete and incomplete speech, the stopping practices of early reciters, rules of commencement, disconnected letters, and the syntax of various Quranic particles.