Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati أبو حيان الغرناطي | |
|---|---|
| Title | Amir al-Mu'minin fī al-Nahw Sibawayh of the century Shaykh al-Qurrāʼ Lisan al-Arab Athir al-Din Al-Ḥāfiẓ |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1256 / 654 AH |
| Died | 1344 (aged 87–88) / 745 AH |
| Religion | Islam |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age |
| Region | al-Andalus |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Zahiri |
| Creed | Ash'ari[1][2][3] |
| Main interest(s) | Tafsīr, Arabic, Qira'at, |
| Notable work(s) | Al-Bahr al-Muhit |
| Occupation | Scholar, Mufassir, Grammarian, Reciter, Jurist, Traditionist, Historian, Poet |
| Muslim leader | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Muḥammad محمد |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Hayyān an-Nifzī al-Barbarī بن يوسف بن علي بن يوسف بن حيان |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū Ḥayyān أبو حيان |
| Epithet (Laqab) | Athīr al-Dīn أثير الدين |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | al-Gharānaṭī; Al-Andalusi; al-Jayyāni |
Abū Ḥayyān Athīr ad-Dīn al-Gharnāṭī (Arabic: أَبُو حَيَّان أَثِير ٱلدِّين ٱلْغَرْنَاطِيّ, November 1256 – July 1344 CE / 654 - 745 AH), whose full name is Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Hayyān (Arabic: مُحَمَّد ٱبْن يُوسُف ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱبْن يُوسُف ٱبْن حَيَّان), better known as Abū Ḥayyān al-Gharnati (Arabic: أبو حيان الغرناطي,[6] was an Andalusian Sunni Islam scholar. He was the leading commentator on the Quran and foremost Arabic grammarian of his era.[7][8][9] He was also regarded as the best scholar on Quranic recitation of his time. In addition, he was recognized for his scholarship in Islamic jurisprudence, hadith, and history.
His magnum opus, Al-Bahr al-Muhit (Explanation of the Ocean) is the most important reference on Qur'anic expressions and the issues of grammar, vocabulary, etymology, recitation, and the transcriber-copyists of the Qur'an. Quite exceptionally for a linguist of Arabic of his day was his strong interest in non-Arabic languages. He wrote several works of comparative linguistics for Arabic speakers, and gives extensive comparative grammatical analysis and explanation.[10]
Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (d. 852/1449; Rahimahullah), the mentor of Hadith scholars and author of the book "Fath al-Bari bi-Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari", which not a single Islamic scholar can dispense with, was Ash'ari. The shaykh of the scholars of Sunni Islam, Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676/1277; Rahimahullah), author of "Sharh Sahih Muslim" and many other famous works, was Ash'ari. The master of Qur'anic exegetes, Imam al-Qurtubi (d. 671/1273; Rahimahullah), author of "al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an", was Ash'ari. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974/1567; Rahimahullah), who wrote "al-Zawajir 'an Iqtiraf al-Kaba'ir", was Ash'ari. The Shaykh of Sacred Law and Hadith, the conclusive definitive Zakariyya al-Ansari (d. 926/1520; Rahimahullah), was Ash'ari. Imam Abu Bakr al-Baqillani (d. 403/1013; Rahimahullah), Imam al-'Asqalani; Imam al-Nasafi (d. 710/1310; Rahimahullah); Imam al-Shirbini (d. 977/1570; Rahimahullah); Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati, author of the Qur'anic commentary "al-Bahr al-Muhit"; Imam Ibn Juzayy (d. 741/1340; Rahimahullah); author of "al-Tashil fi 'Ulum al-Tanzil"; and others – all of these were Imams of the Ash'aris.
This view is echoed by the later Andalusian Ashʿarite exegete, Abū Ḥayyān al-Gharnāṭī (d. 1344).