For what was Ibn al-A'rabi famous, and what are his most well-known works?
Al-Azhari said of Ibn al-A'rabi that he was a righteous, ascetic, pious, and truthful person who memorized what no one else memorized. He mentioned among his works "Tabaqat al-Nussak" (Classes of Ascetics), "Karamat al-Awliya'" (Miracles of Saints), and "Tarikh al-Qaba'il" (History of Tribes). Al-Dhahabi spoke of him in "Siyar" (Biographies) saying that he was the Imam of language, Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Hashimi, born in Kufa in the 150th year of the Hijra. He believed that Abu Ubaidah and Al-Asma'i knew nothing. Tha'lab accompanied him for nineteen years and said that about a hundred people would attend his مجلس (gathering/lecture), and he never saw a book in his hand. The knowledge of language and memorization culminated in him. He has literary and historical works, and he was a follower of the Sunnah and tradition. He died in Samarra in the the 231st year of the Hijra. It was said that he was the stepson of Al-Mufaddal ibn Muhammad Al-Dabbi, and he believed in the permissibility of interchanging the letters ض (dad) and ظ (zha) in Arabic speech.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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