Tabaqat al-Nahwiyyin wa al-Lughawiyyin
- Author died
- 379 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Ma‘ārif
Tabaqat al-Nahwiyyin wa al-Lughawiyyin (The Generations of Grammarians and Lexicographers) is a biographical dictionary compiled by the Andalusian scholar Abu Bakr al-Zubaydi (d. 379 AH / 989 CE), covering the lives and doctrines of Arabic grammarians and lexicographers .
Scope and Structure
The book chronicles the history of Arabic linguistic scholarship from the foundational figure of Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali down to al-Zubaydi's own era, ending chronologically with his teacher Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Rabahi (d. 358 AH) .
Al-Zubaydi organized his work according to both disciplinary and geographical criteria:
- He separated grammarians (al-nahwiyyun) from lexicographers (al-lughawiyyun), dedicating distinct sections to each field .
- Within each discipline, entries are categorized by geographical region into four successive groups: the scholars of Basra, Kufa, Ifriqiya (also termed al-Qayrawaniyyun), and al-Andalus .
- Under each regional division, scholars are arranged into successive generational tiers (tabaqat) .
Method and Significance
Unlike earlier Eastern biographical works—such as Abu Sa'id al-Sirafi's Akhbar al-Nahwiyyin al-Basriyyin, which restricted its scope to Basran grammarians—al-Zubaydi documented both the Eastern schools (Basra and Kufa) and the Western Islamic traditions of North Africa and al-Andalus . His entries record each scholar's prominence in grammar, doctrinal school (madhhab), teachers, regional origins, and the precise vocalization of names .
Transmission and Modern Publication
The work was transmitted in al-Andalus through established scholarly chains; Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili recorded his chain of transmission from Abu al-Hasan Shurayh ibn Muhammad al-Muqri', tracing it back through students of al-Zubaydi who read the text with the author .
In modern print, the text was published in Rome (1920), Cairo (1373 AH), Aleppo (1961), and Beirut (1406 AH) . It was critically edited by Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim and issued by Dar al-Ma'arif as part of the Dhakha'ir al-'Arab series .
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