Abu 'Ubaida
Encyclopedia
Abu ’Ubaida or Ubayda(Ma’mar ibn ul-Muthanna) (728–825) was a Muslim
scholar.
Born in Basra
, he was a mawla (“client”) of a family from the Arab tribe of Quraish, and said to have been Jewish.” In his youth, he was a pupil of Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala'
, and in 803 he was called to Baghdad
by the Caliph
Harun al-Rashid
. He died in Basra.
He was one of the most learned and authoritative scholars of his time in all matters pertaining to the Arabic language
, antiquities and stories, and is constantly cited by later authors and compilers. Al-Jahiz
held him to be the most learned scholar in all branches of human knowledge, and Ibn Hisham
accepted his interpretation even of passages in the Qur’an
. The titles of 105 of his works are mentioned in the Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadim
, and his Book of Days is the basis of parts of the history of Ibn al-Athir and of the Kitab al-Aghani
of Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, but nothing of his (except a song) seems to exist now in an independent form.
He is often described as a Kharijite. This, however, is true only insofar as he denied the privileged position of the Arab people before God
. He was, however, a strong supporter of the Shu’ubiyah movement, i.e., the movement which protested against the idea of the superiority of the Arab race over all others. This is especially seen in his satire
s on Arabs (which made him so hated that no man followed his bier
when he died). He delighted in showing that words, fables, customs, etc., which the Arabs believed to be peculiarly their own, were derived from the Persians. In these matters he was the great rival of al-Asma’i
.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
scholar.
Born in Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, he was a mawla (“client”) of a family from the Arab tribe of Quraish, and said to have been Jewish.” In his youth, he was a pupil of Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala'
Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala'
Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala' al-Basri was the qari' of Basra, Iraq and an Arab linguist.He was the teacher of Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi and Yunus ibn Habib. He died in Kufa....
, and in 803 he was called to 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...
by the Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid
Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....
. He died in Basra.
He was one of the most learned and authoritative scholars of his time in all matters pertaining to the Arabic 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...
, antiquities and stories, and is constantly cited by later authors and compilers. Al-Jahiz
Al-Jahiz
Al-Jāḥiẓ was an Arabic prose writer and author of works of literature, Mu'tazili theology, and politico-religious polemics.In biology, Al-Jahiz introduced the concept of food chains and also proposed a scheme of animal evolution that entailed...
held him to be the most learned scholar in all branches of human knowledge, and Ibn Hisham
Ibn Hisham
Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Malik bin Hisham , or Ibn Hisham edited the biography of Muhammad written by Ibn Ishaq. Ibn Ishaq's work is lost and is now only known in the recensions of Ibn Hisham and al-Tabari. Ibn Hisham grew up in Basra, Iraq, but moved afterwards to Egypt, where he gained a name...
accepted his interpretation even of passages in the Qur’an
Qur'an
The 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...
. The titles of 105 of his works are mentioned in the Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadim
Ibn al-Nadim
Abu'l-Faraj Muhammad bin Is'hāq al-Nadim , whose father was known as al-Warrāq was a Shia Muslim scholar and bibliographer. Some scholars regard him as a Persian, but this is not certain. He is famous as the author of the Kitāb al-Fihrist...
, and his Book of Days is the basis of parts of the history of Ibn al-Athir and of the Kitab al-Aghani
Kitab al-Aghani
Kitab al-aghani , is an encyclopedic collection of poems and songs that runs to over 20 volumes in modern editions by the 8th/9th-century litterateur Abu l-Faraj al-Isfahani . Abu l-Faraj claimed to have taken 50 years in writing the work, which ran to over 10 000 pages...
of Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, but nothing of his (except a song) seems to exist now in an independent form.
He is often described as a Kharijite. This, however, is true only insofar as he denied the privileged position of the Arab people before God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. He was, however, a strong supporter of the Shu’ubiyah movement, i.e., the movement which protested against the idea of the superiority of the Arab race over all others. This is especially seen in his satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
s on Arabs (which made him so hated that no man followed his bier
Bier
A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.In Christian burial, the bier is often placed in the centre of the nave with candles surrounding it, and remains in place during the funeral.The bier is a flat frame,...
when he died). He delighted in showing that words, fables, customs, etc., which the Arabs believed to be peculiarly their own, were derived from the Persians. In these matters he was the great rival of al-Asma’i
Al-Asma'i
Al-Asma'i or Asma`i, Abd al-Malik ibn Quraib al-Asma`i was an Arab scholar of the Basra school of Arabic grammar.He was also a pioneer of Natural Science and Zoology...
.