Abu Abd Allah Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn 'Urfa ibn Sulayman ibn al-Mughira ibnHabib ibnal-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra al-Azdi (Arabic:أبو عبد الله إبراهيم بن محمّد بن عرفة العَتَكيّ الأزديّ) better known asNiftawayh, was a Medieval Muslim scholar. He was considered to be the best writer of his time,^[1] in addition to an expert in Muslimprophetic tradition andcomparative readings of theQur'an.^[2]

Niftawayh was born inWasit in what is nowIraq.^[3] His date of birth is most commonly held to be 858, though the year 864 has been suggested as well.^[4] He spent most of his life inBaghdad, where he died on a Wednesday in the month ofSafar just an hour after sunrise in the year 935.^[5] He was buried at the gate ofKufa the next day.^[4] His date of death carries some dispute as well, with some historians suggesting that he died in the year 936 on the same day asAbu Bakr Ibn Mujāhid.

He taughtlexicography while in Baghdad.^[5][6] He wrote a history book which, according to his studentAl-Masudi, was considered to be one of the most useful of the time.^[1]

Ibn Khalawayh holds that Niftawayh was the only Muslim scholar with the first name Ibrahim who had a son named Abdullah.^[4] According toTha'ālibī, Niftawayh was called for two reasons. First, his knowledge of theArabic language was unparalleled in his time, as was Sibawayh's during his. Niftawayh possessed an intense interest in Sibawayh's works in grammar, to the point where the former was even referred to as the latter's son.^[4] Second, his complexion was of a very dark color and his appearance was compared toasphalt, known as "nift."^[2] Thus, the words "nift" and "wayh" were combined and he was known as "Niftawayh al-Nahwi," or Niftawayh the grammarian.

Niftawayh was a follower of theZahiriterite of Muslimjurisprudence, having been a student ofDawud al-Zahiri.^[7] He rejectedanalogical reason not only as a means for deriving religious verdicts, but also as a poetic device.^[8] None of his works on religious topics are known to have survived to the modern era. AlongsideMuhammad bin Dawud al-Zahiri, the son of his teacher in jurisprudence, Niftawayh was also a student of the canonical Qur'an reciterAl-Duri.^[9]

Niftawayh held very positive views of the fifthAbbasidCaliphHarun al-Rashid.^[10] Niftawayh remarked on the caliph's support oftheologians andartists, though he also noted that the caliph later regretted much of his own extravagance in regard to his court's spending. In contrast, he clashed with his contemporaryIbn Duraid, who had written the second dictionary of the Arabic language ever.^[11] Niftawayh accused Ibn Duraid of merely plagiarizing the work ofAl-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi, who had written the first Arabic dictionary,Kitab al-'Ayn.^[12][13]

Niftawayh was intensely disliked by theMu'tazila, an ancient sect of Islam active during his life. While Sunnis and Mu'tazila were hostile to each other in general, Niftawayh's Zahirite views along with his methods in teaching grammar were, in the view of the Mu'tazila, of the "utmost ignorance."^[14]

Abu Ali al-Kali quotes some verses which Niftawayh had written for an anonymous woman in Kali's own book al-Amali:^[4]

My heart fixed on thee, is more tender than thy cheeks;

My strength is less than the power of thine eyes!

Why wilt thou not pity him whose soul is unjustly tortured,

and whom love inclineth towards thee with affection?

• 9th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
• 10th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
• Zahiris
• Medieval grammarians of Arabic
• 9th-century births
• 935 deaths
• 9th-century jurists
• 10th-century jurists
• 9th-century Arabic-language poets
• 10th-century Arabic-language poets
• Hadith scholars
• 9th-century Arab people
• 10th-century Arab people

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from January 2024
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• Year of birth uncertain