Sṣā ˓id al‐Andalusī
Abū al‐Qāsim ṣā ˓id ibn Abū al‐Walīd ibn ˓Abd al‐Raḥmān ibn ˓Uthmān al‐Taghlibi, better known as ṣā ˓id al‐Andalusī or Qāḍi ṣā ˓id, was born in Almeria in southern Spain in AD 1029. He was a philologist, natural philosopher, and historian as well as judge. As his name indicates, he was a member of the tribe of Taghlib, one of the largest tribes of Arabia. When the Arabs invaded Spain in AD 711, members of this tribe entered the country and prospered there.
ṣā ˓id was born into a well‐to‐do family, whose members spent much of their time and wealth in the quest of knowledge and education. His father occupied a highly respected position in the city of Cordoba, and his grandfather, ˓Abd al‐Raḥmān, was a judge in Sidonia, Spain. After receiving his early education in Cordoba, ṣā ˓id toured Muslim Spain to further his education. For the same reason, at the age of 17, he moved to the city of Toledo.
Like most young Arab students, ṣā ˓id studied law, Islamic religion, Arabic language, and...
References
- Al‐Andalusī, ṣā ˓id. Ṭabaqāt al‐ ˒ Umam. Trans. Sema'an I. Salem and Alok Kumar. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991.Google Scholar
- Chejne, Anwar G. Muslim Spain: Its History and Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1974.Google Scholar
- Glassé, Cyril. The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1989.Google Scholar