Ibn Hisham an-Nahwi

Jamal ad-Din Abdullah ibn Yusuf ibn Hisham al-Ansari (708-761 AH / 1309-1360 CE), known as Ibn Hisham an-Nahwi (the Grammarian), was an Egyptian Arabic linguist considered by many to be the greatest grammarian since Sibawayh. Born in Cairo, he should not be confused with the earlier Ibn Hisham who edited the Seerah. He studied under the leading grammarians and scholars of Egypt, including Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi and Taj ad-Din al-Fakihani.

Ibn Hisham authored several works that became the standard Arabic grammar texts in Islamic education. His Mughni al-Labib an Kutub al-Aarib (Enriching the Intelligent from Books of Parsing) is a comprehensive and analytically rich grammar organized by Arabic particles and grammatical structures, widely regarded as the most important advanced Arabic grammar reference. His Qatr an-Nada wa-Ball as-Sada (The Dewdrops) and its self-commentary Shudur adh-Dhahab (The Golden Nuggets) are intermediate-level grammar texts that have been studied by millions of students. He also wrote Awdah al-Masalik ila Alfiyyat Ibn Malik, one of the clearest commentaries on Ibn Malik's Alfiyyah.

Ibn Khaldun famously stated that Ibn Hisham's knowledge of Arabic grammar surpassed that of Sibawayh himself. His works are distinguished by their clarity of expression, systematic organization, and the depth of linguistic analysis that extends beyond mere rule-listing to genuine understanding of the Arabic language's internal logic. He died in Cairo in 761 AH (1360 CE). His grammar texts remain at the core of Arabic language education across the Muslim world.