Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati

Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati
أبو حيان الغرناطي
TitleAmir al-Mu'mininal-Nahw
Sibawayh of the century
Shaykh al-Qurrāʼ
Lisan al-Arab
Athir al-Din
Al-Ḥāfiẓ
Personal life
Born1256 / 654 AH
Died1344 (aged 8788) / 745 AH
EraIslamic Golden Age
Regional-Andalus
Main interest(s)Tafsīr, Arabic, Qira'at,
Notable work(s)Al-Bahr al-Muhit
OccupationScholar, Mufassir, Grammarian, Reciter, Jurist, Traditionist, Historian, Poet
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceZahiri
CreedAsh'ari
Muslim leader
Arabic name
Personal (Ism)Muḥammad
محمد
Patronymic (Nasab)ibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Hayyān an-Nifzī al-Barbarī
بن يوسف بن علي بن يوسف بن حيان
Teknonymic (Kunya)Abū Ḥayyān
أبو حيان
Epithet (Laqab)Athīr al-Dīn
أثير الدين
Toponymic (Nisba)al-Gharānaṭī; Al-Andalusi; al-Jayyāni

Abū Ḥayyān Athīr ad-Dīn al-Gharnāṭī (Arabic: أَبُو حَيَّان أَثِير ٱلدِّين ٱلْغَرْنَاطِيّ, November 1256 – July 1344 CE / 654 - 745 AH), whose full name is Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Hayyān (Arabic: مُحَمَّد ٱبْن يُوسُف ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱبْن يُوسُف ٱبْن حَيَّان), better known as Abū Ḥayyān al-Gharnati (Arabic: أبو حيان الغرناطي, was an Andalusian Sunni Islam scholar. He was the leading commentator on the Quran and foremost Arabic grammarian of his era. He was also regarded as the best scholar on Quranic recitation of his time. In addition, he was recognized for his scholarship in Islamic jurisprudence, hadith, and history.

His magnum opus, Al-Bahr al-Muhit (Explanation of the Ocean) is the most important reference on Qur'anic expressions and the issues of grammar, vocabulary, etymology, recitation, and the transcriber-copyists of the Qur'an. Quite exceptionally for a linguist of Arabic of his day was his strong interest in non-Arabic languages. He wrote several works of comparative linguistics for Arabic speakers, and gives extensive comparative grammatical analysis and explanation.