Arabic Beyond the Arabs
Ibn al-Hajib: the Kurdish soldier's son who wrote «al-Kafiya»
ابن الحاجب: ابنُ الجنديّ الكرديّ صاحب «الكافية»
Ibn al-Hajib's father was a Kurdish soldier who served as chamberlain (ḥājib) to one of Saladin's emirs, so the son was known as «the chamberlain's son». He was born in Isna in Upper Egypt, studied in Cairo, then taught in Damascus. Grammar was his main field: he wrote al-Kafiya on syntax and al-Shafiya on morphology. Both became teaching texts with many commentaries, the most famous by Radi al-Din al-Astarabadi.
- In brief
- Named after his father's post, he wrote the grammar the schools taught
- Outside Arabic
- al-Kāfiya · al-Shāfiya
«ابن الحاجب الكردي الدويني الأصل الإسنائي المولد … وكان أبوه جنديًا كرديًا حاجبًا للأمير عز الدين موسك الصلاحي … وكان الأغلب عليه النحو.»
«al-Duwini» refers to Dvin in Armenia, his family's town. Al-Suyuti said of al-Radi's commentary on al-Kafiya: «nothing like it was written on it, nor indeed in most books of grammar».
Click a card to see it full size; each has a download button for sharing.
Sources
Spotted a mistake, or have something to add?
Your note comes to us only; it is not published here. We read it, and if it holds we correct the card.
