Declared trustworthy by Abū Ḥātim (1) and al-Nasāʾī (2). He died in 211 AH. Al-Bukhārī did not record any of his narrations. Aḥmad’s kunya was Abū Isḥāq, and he had his ḥadith committed to memory.
32 – al-Aṣmaʿī, Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Qurayb* (D, T)
The imām, the erudite scholar, the ḥāfiẓ, the decisive authority in Arabic letters, the “Tongue of the Arabs”: Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Qurayb ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAlī ibn Aṣmaʿ ibn Muẓahhir ibn ʿAbd Shams ibn Aʿyā ibn Saʿd ibn ʿAbd ibn Ghanm ibn Qutaybah ibn Maʿn ibn Mālik ibn Aʿṣur ibn Saʿd ibn Qays ʿAylān ibn Muḍar ibn Nizār ibn Maʿadd ibn ʿAdnān al-Aṣmaʿī, the Basran linguist, historian, and one of the foremost authorities.
It is said that his father’s name was ʿĀṣim, and that his nickname was Qurayb.
(1) Al-Jarh wa-l-Taʿdil, vol. 2, p. 40.
(2) Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 4, p. 27.
(*) Tarikh Ibn Maʿin, p. 374; Al-Tarikh al-Kabir, vol. 5, p. 428; Al-Maʿarif of Ibn Qutaybah, pp. 543–544; Al-Jarh wa-l-Taʿdil, vol. 5, p. 363; Maratib al-Nahwiyyin, pp. 46–65; Tabaqat al-Nahwiyyin by al-Zabidi, pp. 167–174; Akhbar al-Nahwiyyin al-Basriyyin, pp. 58–67; Tarikh Isfahan, vol. 2, p. 130; Al-Fihrist, pp. 60–61; Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 10, pp. 410–420; Al-Ansab by al-Samʿani, vol. 1, p. 293; Tarikh Ibn ʿAsakir, vol. 10, fols. 239/1–247/1; Nuzhat al-Alba, pp. 112–124; Inbaʾ al-Ruwat, vol. 2, pp. 197–205; Tahdhib al-Asmaʾ wa-l-Lughat, vol. 2, p. 273; Wafayat al-Aʿyan, vol. 3, pp. 170–176; Tarikh Abi l-Fidaʾ, vol. 2, p. 30; Tahdhib al-Kamal, fol. 861; Tadhhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 3, no. 6/2; Al-ʿIbar, vol. 1, p. 370; Mizan al-Iʿtidal, vol. 2, p. 662; ʿUyun al-Tawarikh, vol. 7, fol. 308; Mirʾat al-Jinan, vol. 2, p. 64; Tabaqat al-Qurraʾ by Ibn al-Jazari, vol. 1, p. 470; Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 6, p. 415; Al-Nujum al-Zahira, vol. 2, p. 190; Rawdat al-Jannat, pp. 458–462; Bughyat al-Wuʿat, vol. 2, pp. 112–113; Al-Muzhir, vol. 2, pp. 404–405; Khulasat Tadhhib al-Kamal, p. 245; Tabaqat al-Mufassirin, vol. 1, pp. 354–356; Shadharat al-Dhahab, vol. 2, pp. 36–38; Sharh al-Sharishi, vol. 2, p. 256.
(3) In the base manuscript the word is vocalised with a doubled h preceded by kasra, matching Al-Ikmal, Al-Ansab and Al-Jamhara; Al-Qamus reads it with a doubled h preceded by fatha; Tabsir al-Muntabih records it as Muzhar, on the pattern of Muhsin.