Arabic Beyond the Arabs
al-Sirafi: the son of «Bahzad» who explained Sibawayh's Book
السِّيرافيّ: ابنُ «بَهْزاد» الذي شرح كتاب سيبويه
al-Sirafi's father was a Magian named Bahzad; when he became Muslim his son renamed him ʿAbdallah. The son came from Siraf on the Persian coast, settled in Baghdad and served there as a judge. He was among the most learned in Basran grammar and wrote a fine commentary on Sibawayh's Book. He lived only on what he earned copying books by hand, and would not go out to his sessions until he had copied ten leaves.
- In brief
- His father was a Magian who became Muslim; the son was a master of Basran grammar
- Outside Arabic
- al-Sīrāfī · Sharḥ Kitāb Sībawayh
«وكان أبوه مجوسيًّا اسمه بهزاد، فسماه أبو سعيد عبد الله.»
Ibn Khallikan (Wafayat al-Aʿyan 2/78): «He was among the most learned in the grammar of the Basrans, and commented on Sibawayh's Book and did it well … and he ate only from the earnings of his own hand, copying and living on it.»
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