Al-Zamakhshari
Encyclopedia
Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar al-Zamakhshari. Known widely as al-Zamakhshari (in ). Also called Jar Allah (Arabic
for "God's neighbour") (1074 or 1075 – 1143 or 1144) was a medieval Muslim scholar of Chorasmian-Iranian
origin, who subscribed to the Muʿtazilite
theological doctrine, who was born in Khwarezmia, but lived most of his life in Bukhara
, Samarkand
, and Baghdad
.
. He used Persian
for some of his work, although he was a strong supporter of the Arabic language as well as an opponent of the Shu'ubiyya
movement. After losing one of his feet to frostbite
, he carried a notarized
declaration that his foot was missing due to accident, rather than a legal amputation for any crime.
He is best known for Al-Kashshaaf
, a seminal commentary on the Qur'an. The commentary is famous for its deep linguistic
analysis of the verses, however has been criticised for the inclusion of Mu'tazilite philosophical views.
For many years he stayed in Makkah, for which he became known as Jar-Allah ("God's neighbour"). He later returned to Khwarezm
, where he died at the capital Gorgan
(in the present Gulestan Province, Iran).
He died in 1144 at Gorgan
, Khwarezm
.
He studied at Bukhara
and Samarkand
while enjoying the fellowship of jurists of Baghdad
.
theology it was famous among scholars.
Works include:
Chorasmian
language vocabulary is to be found in the form of interlinear glosses throughout a single manuscript (of ca. 596/1200) of the Moqaddemat al-adab by the native Chorasmian
speaker, Zamakhshari. Some other manuscripts of the same work contain but a few such glosses. Thus the Moqaddemat al-adab is a very important primary source for the study of this extinct language.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
for "God's neighbour") (1074 or 1075 – 1143 or 1144) was a medieval Muslim scholar of Chorasmian-Iranian
Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...
origin, who subscribed to the Muʿtazilite
Mu'tazili
' is an Islamic school of speculative theology that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad, both in present-day Iraq, during the 8th–10th centuries. The adherents of the Mu'tazili school are best known for their having asserted that, because of the perfect unity and eternal nature of God,...
theological doctrine, who was born in Khwarezmia, but lived most of his life in Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, and Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Biography
Al-Zamakhshari was born in Zamakhshar, Khwarezmia, and became a renowned scholar of the Mutazilite school of IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He used Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
for some of his work, although he was a strong supporter of the Arabic language as well as an opponent of the Shu'ubiyya
Shu'ubiyya
Shu'ubiyyah refers to the response by non-Arab Muslims to the privileged status of Arabs within the Ummah.There has been discrimination and in many cases oppression of minority groups resulting in many defined periods of cultural struggle throughout Islamic History.-Terminology:The name of the...
movement. After losing one of his feet to frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
, he carried a notarized
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
declaration that his foot was missing due to accident, rather than a legal amputation for any crime.
He is best known for Al-Kashshaaf
Al-Kashshaaf
Al-Kashshaaf 'an Haqa'iq at-Tanzil, popularly known as Al-Kashshaaf is a seminal tafsir by Al-Zamakhshari written in the 12th century...
, a seminal commentary on the Qur'an. The commentary is famous for its deep linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
analysis of the verses, however has been criticised for the inclusion of Mu'tazilite philosophical views.
For many years he stayed in Makkah, for which he became known as Jar-Allah ("God's neighbour"). He later returned to Khwarezm
Khwarezm
Khwarezm, or Chorasmia, is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, which borders to the north the Aral Sea, to the east the Kyzylkum desert, to the south the Karakum desert and to the west the Ustyurt Plateau...
, where he died at the capital Gorgan
Gorgan
Gorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...
(in the present Gulestan Province, Iran).
He died in 1144 at Gorgan
Gorgan
Gorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...
, Khwarezm
Khwarezm
Khwarezm, or Chorasmia, is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, which borders to the north the Aral Sea, to the east the Kyzylkum desert, to the south the Karakum desert and to the west the Ustyurt Plateau...
.
He studied at Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
and Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
while enjoying the fellowship of jurists of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Works
Zamakhshari's fame as a commentator rests upon his commentary on the Qur'an. In spite of its Mu'taziliMu'tazili
' is an Islamic school of speculative theology that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad, both in present-day Iraq, during the 8th–10th centuries. The adherents of the Mu'tazili school are best known for their having asserted that, because of the perfect unity and eternal nature of God,...
theology it was famous among scholars.
Works include:
- Al-KashshaafAl-KashshaafAl-Kashshaaf 'an Haqa'iq at-Tanzil, popularly known as Al-Kashshaaf is a seminal tafsir by Al-Zamakhshari written in the 12th century...
("the Revealer", Arabic: کشاف ) — A tafsirTafsirTafseer is the Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually of the Qur'an. Ta'wīl is a subset of tafsir and refers to esoteric or mystical interpretation. An author of tafsir is a mufassir .- Etymology :...
of the Qur'anQur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
) - Rabi al-AbrarRabi al-AbrarRabi al-Abrar wa nusus al-Akhbar are classical books written about Islam by Mu'tazili Islamic Scholar Zamakhshari .Other transliterations include "Rabi ul-Abrar", "Rabi' al-Abrar", "Rabi-ul-Abrar", "Rabi'ul Abrar" and "Rabi' ul Abrar".-Impact:...
- Asasul-Balaghat dar-Lughat (Arabic:اساس البلاغه) — Literature
- Fasul-ul-Akhbar
- Fraiz Dar-ilm Fariz
- Kitab-Fastdar-Nahr
- Muajjam-ul-Hadud
- Manha Darusul
- Diwan-ul-Tamsil
- Sawaer-ul-Islam
- Muqaddimat al-Adab مقدمه الادب (ArabicArabic languageArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
to Chorasmian LanguageKhwarezmian languageKhwarezmian, also known as Khwarazmian or Chorasmian, is the name of an extinct East Iranian language closely related to Sogdian. The language was spoken in the area of Khwarezm , centered in the lower Amu Darya south of the Aral Sea .Our knowledge of Khwarezmian is...
dictionary) - Kitab al-Amkinah wa al-Jibal wa al-Miyah (کتاب الامکنه والجبال والمیاه) (GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
)) - Mufassal Anmuzaj (مفصل انموذج) (Nahw: Arabic grammar)
- and more
Zamakhshari and the Chorasmian Language
The greater part of the now extinct IranianIranian languages
The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....
Chorasmian
Khwarezmian language
Khwarezmian, also known as Khwarazmian or Chorasmian, is the name of an extinct East Iranian language closely related to Sogdian. The language was spoken in the area of Khwarezm , centered in the lower Amu Darya south of the Aral Sea .Our knowledge of Khwarezmian is...
language vocabulary is to be found in the form of interlinear glosses throughout a single manuscript (of ca. 596/1200) of the Moqaddemat al-adab by the native Chorasmian
Khwarezmian language
Khwarezmian, also known as Khwarazmian or Chorasmian, is the name of an extinct East Iranian language closely related to Sogdian. The language was spoken in the area of Khwarezm , centered in the lower Amu Darya south of the Aral Sea .Our knowledge of Khwarezmian is...
speaker, Zamakhshari. Some other manuscripts of the same work contain but a few such glosses. Thus the Moqaddemat al-adab is a very important primary source for the study of this extinct language.
External links
- http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Zamakhshari
- http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078218
- http://www.understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=3321
- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1130Zamakhshari.html