Muḥammad ibn Tamīm ibn Tamām al-Tamīmī (Arabic: محمد بن تميم بن تمام التميمي; died 945) more commonly known as Abu al-Arab (أبو العرب; lit.'Father of the Arabs') was a 10th-century ArabMuslim historian, poet, traditionist and faqih of the Maliki school.[1] His most celebrated work is Tabaqat 'Ulama Ifriqiya (lit.'Classes of Scholars of Ifriqiya') which include numerous scholars of his time.
Biography
Abu al-Arab year of birth is unknown, though he most probably was born between 864 and 873 in the city of Kayrawan, the cultural center of Ifriqiya (corresponds to modern-day Tunisia), at the time was under the control of the Fatimid Caliphate. He belonged to a noble Arab family of governors. His great-grandfather held the governorship of Tunis and he also successfully managed to seize control of Kayrawan in the year 799.[1] Abu al-Arab studied under a number of scholars who were themselves took knowledge from the renowned Kayrawani jurist Sahnun (d. 854/55), and he wrote a detailed account of Sahnun's life.[2] Sequentially, Abu al-Arab devoted his time to teaching in Kayrawan, his most notable student was Ibn Abi Zayd al-Kayrawani (d. 996).[1] Abu al-Arab participated in Abu Yazid's revolt against the Fatimids, eventually he was imprisoned. Few years later, he died in 945.[1]
