Niftawayh
| Niftawayh | |
|---|---|
| Title | The Grammarian |
| Born | 858 Wasit |
| Died | 935 (aged 76–77) Baghdad |
| Resting place | Kufa |
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Occupation | Linguist, Poet, Historian |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Zahiri |
| Main interest(s) | Arabic grammar, Arabic literature |
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Abu Abdillah Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin 'Urfah bin Sulaiman bin al-Mughira bin Habib bin al-Muhallab bin Abi Sufra al-Azdi, better known as Niftawayh, was a Medieval Muslim scholar. He was considered to be the best writer of his time, in addition to an expert in Muslim prophetic tradition and comparative readings of the Qur'an.
Niftawayh was born in Wasit in what is now Iraq. His date of birth is most commonly held to be 858, though the year 864 has been suggested as well. He spent most of his life in Baghdad, where he died on a Wednesday in the month of Safar just an hour after sunrise in the year 935. He was buried at the gate of Kufa the next day. His date of death carries some dispute as well, with some historians suggesting that he died in the year 936 on the same day as Abu Bakr Ibn Mujāhid.
He taught lexicography while in Baghdad. He wrote a history book which, according to his student Al-Masudi, was considered to be one of the most useful of the time.
Interestingly enough, Ibn Khalawayh holds that Niftawayh was the only Muslim scholar with the first name Ibrahim who had a son named Abdullah. According to Tha'ālibī, Niftawayh was called as such due to two facts. First, his knowledge of the Arabic language was unparalleled in his time, as was Sibawayh's during his. Niftawayh possessed an intense interest in Sibawayh's works in grammar, to the point where the former was even referred to as the latter's son. Second, his complexion was of a very dark color and his appearance was compared to asphalt, known as "nift." Thus, the words "nift" and "wayh" were combined and he was known as "Niftawayh al-Nahwi," or Niftawayh the grammarian.
Niftawayh was a follower of the Zahirite rite of Muslim jurisprudence, having been a student of Dawud al-Zahiri. He rejected analogical reason not only as a means for deriving religious verdicts, but also as a poetic device. None of his works on religious topics are known to have survived to the modern era. Alongside Muhammad bin Dawud al-Zahiri, the son of his teacher in jurisprudence, Niftawayh was also a student of the canonical Qur'an reciter Al-Duri.
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