Hammad Ar-Rawiya
Encyclopedia
Hammad Ar-Rawiya[Abu-l-Qasim Hammad ibn Abi Laila Sapur (or ibn Maisara)] (8th century), Arab
scholar, was of Dailamite descent, but was born in Kufa
. The date of his
birth is given by some as 694 AD, by others as 714.
He was reputed to be the most learned man of his time in regard to the "days of the Arabs" (i.e. their chief battles), their stories, poems, genealogies and dialects. He is said to have boasted that he could recite a hundred long 'qasidas for each letter of the alphabet (i.e. rhyming in each letter) and these all from pre-Islamic times, apart from shorter pieces and later verses. Hence his name Hammad ar-Rawiya, " the reciter of verses from memory."
The Umayyad
caliph Walid is said to have tested him, the result being that he recited 2900 gasidas of pre-Islamic date and Walid gave him 100,000 dirhems. He was favoured by Yazid II
and his successor Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
, who brought him up from Iraq
to Damascus
.
Arabian critics, however, say that in spite of his learning he lacked a true insight into the genius of the Arabic language
, and that he made more than thirty—some say three hundred—mistakes of pronunciation in reciting the Qur'an
. To him is ascribed the collecting of the Mu'allaqat
. No diwan
of his is extant, though he composed verse of his own and probably a good deal of what he ascribed to earlier poets.
Biography in William McGuckin de Slane
's trans. of Ibn Khallikan
, vol. i. pp 470–474, and many stories are told of him in the Kitdb ul-Aghdni, vol. v. pp 164–175.
----
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
scholar, was of Dailamite descent, but was born in Kufa
Kufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
. The date of his
birth is given by some as 694 AD, by others as 714.
He was reputed to be the most learned man of his time in regard to the "days of the Arabs" (i.e. their chief battles), their stories, poems, genealogies and dialects. He is said to have boasted that he could recite a hundred long 'qasidas for each letter of the alphabet (i.e. rhyming in each letter) and these all from pre-Islamic times, apart from shorter pieces and later verses. Hence his name Hammad ar-Rawiya, " the reciter of verses from memory."
The Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
caliph Walid is said to have tested him, the result being that he recited 2900 gasidas of pre-Islamic date and Walid gave him 100,000 dirhems. He was favoured by Yazid II
Yazid II
Yazid bin Abd al-Malik or Yazid II was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 720 until his death in 724.According to the medieval Persian historian Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Yazid came to power on the death of Umar II on February 10, 720. His forces engaged in battle the Kharijites with whom Umar...
and his successor Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik 10th Umayyad caliph who ruled from 723 until his death in 743. When he was born in 691 his mother named him after her father....
, who brought him up from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
.
Arabian critics, however, say that in spite of his learning he lacked a true insight into the genius of 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...
, and that he made more than thirty—some say three hundred—mistakes of pronunciation in reciting 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...
. To him is ascribed the collecting of the Mu'allaqat
Mu'allaqat
The Mu‘allaqāt is the title of a group of seven long Arabic poems or qasida that have come down from the time before Islam. Each is considered the best work of these pre-Islamic poets...
. No diwan
Diwan (poetry)
-Etymology:The English usage of the phrase Diwan Poetry comes from the Arabic word diwan , which is loaned from Persian means designated a list or register. The Persian word derived from the Persian dibir meaning writer or scribe...
of his is extant, though he composed verse of his own and probably a good deal of what he ascribed to earlier poets.
Biography in William McGuckin de Slane
William McGuckin de Slane
William McGuckin , known as Baron de Slane was a nineteenth-century Irish orientalist, student of Antoine-Isaac Silvestre de Sacy, , a teacher also of Jean François Champollion, who was given the French nationality since 31 December 1838,...
's trans. of Ibn Khallikan
Ibn Khallikan
Shams al-Dīn Abū Al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn Khallikān was a 13th Century Shafi'i Islamic scholar of Kurdish origin.-Biography:...
, vol. i. pp 470–474, and many stories are told of him in the Kitdb ul-Aghdni, vol. v. pp 164–175.
----