KHALIL

IBN AHMAD [

See also:

• ABU

ABU `ABDURRAH*,2AN UL-KHALIL IBN AHMAD IBN `AMR IBN TAMIM] (718-791)  , Arabian philologist, was a'native of Oman . He was distinguished for having written the first Arabic dictionary and for having first classified the Arabic metres and laid down their rules . He was also a poet, and lived the ascetic life of a poor student . His grammatical work was carried on by his pupil Sibawaihi . The dictionary known as the Kitab-ul-'Ain is ascribed, at least in its inception, to Khalil . It was probably finished by one of his pupils and was not known in Bagdad until 862 . The words were not arranged in alphabetical order but according to physiological principles, beginning with `Ain and ending with Ya . The work seems to have been in existence as late as the 14th century, but is now only known from extracts in manuscript . Various grammatical works are ascribed to Khalil, but their authenticity seems doubtful; cf . C . Brockelmann, Gesch. der arabischen Literatur, i. loo (Weimar, 1898) . (G .

W .