Akhbar al-Nahwiyyin - Abu Tahir ibn Abi Hashim
- Author died
- 349 AH
- Editions
- t Majdi al-Sayyid
Akhbar al-Nahwiyyin (Accounts of the Grammarians) is a biographical work compiled by the Baghdadi Quranic reciter and scholar Abu Tahir Abd al-Wahid ibn Umar ibn Abi Hashim (280–349 AH / 893–960 CE), devoted to recording historical reports, anecdotes, and transmissions concerning Arabic grammarians .
Author and Context
The author, Abu Tahir Abd al-Wahid ibn Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Hashim al-Bazzar—whose ancestor Abu Hashim was named Yasar—was born in 280 AH (893 CE) and resided on the eastern side of Baghdad . Recognized as one of the preeminent authorities of his era in Quranic readings (qira'at) and the Arabic language, he studied grammar through works such as Sibawayh's al-Kitab, which he read under Abu Muhammad Ibn Durustawayh al-Farisi, and affiliated himself with the Kufan school in grammatical doctrine . Among his principal teachers in recitation and transmission were Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid, Ahmad ibn Sahl al-Ushnani, Said ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Darir, and Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud .
Following the death of Ibn Mujahid, scholars unanimously chose Abu Tahir to succeed him in his teaching circle in Baghdad, and prominent students gathered around him . His students included leading figures such as Abu al-Hasan Ibn al-Hammami, Abd al-Aziz ibn Ja'far al-Farisi, and Ibrahim ibn Makhlad . Abu Tahir died on Thursday, with eight nights remaining in Shawwal 349 AH (November 960 CE) .
Scope and Scholarly Standing
Akhbar al-Nahwiyyin forms part of the early biographical tradition (kutub al-akhbar and tabaqat) dedicated to chronicling the lives, lineages, transmissions, and linguistic debates of Arabic grammarians. Abu Tahir was praised by the bibliographer and biographer Abu Amr al-Dani, who stated that no one surpassed him after Ibn Mujahid in knowledge, understanding, truthful speech, and uprightness of method .
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