Title ibn Qutaybah Died 889 AD, Baghdad, Iraq Role Scholar | Name Ibn Qutaybah Religion Islam Era Islamic Golden Age | |
Main interest(s) politics, history, Tafsir, Hadith, Kalam and Arabic literature Notable work(s) Training of the Secretary, `Uyun al-akhbar, Gharib al-Qur’an Books Ibn Coteiba's Handbuch Der Geschichte/ Ibn Coteiba's Handbook of History | ||
Abū Muhammad Abd-Allāh ibn Muslim ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī al-Marwazī or simply Ibn Qutaybah (Arabic: ابن قتيبة, Ibn Qutaybah; 828 – 13 November 889 CE / 213 – 15 Rajab 276 AH) was a renowned Islamic scholar of Persian origin. He served as a judge during the Abbasid Caliphate, but was best known for his contributions to Arabic literature. He was a polymath who wrote on diverse subjects, such as Qur'anic exegesis, hadith, theology, philosophy, law and jurisprudence, grammar, philology, history, astronomy, agriculture and botany.
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Biography
His full name is Abū Muḥammad ʿAbdullāh b. Muslim ibn Qutaybah ad-Dīnawarī. He was born in Kufa in what is now Iraq. He was of Iranian descent; his father was from Merv. Having studied tradition and philology he became qadi in Dinawar during the reign of Al-Mutawakkil, and afterwards a teacher in Baghdad where he died. He was the first representative of the school of Baghdad philologists that succeeded the schools of Kufa and Basra.
Legacy
He was viewed by Sunni Muslims as a hadith Master, foremost philologist, linguist, and man of letters. In addition to his literary criticism and anthologies, he was also known for his work in the problems of Tafsir or Qur'anic interpretation. He also authored works on astronomy and legal theory. His book Uyun al-Akhbar, along with the romantic literature of Muhammad bin Dawud al-Zahiri and Ibn Abi Tahir Tayfur, were considered by lexocographer Ibn Duraid to be the three most important works for those who wished to speak and write eloquently.