celebrated grammarian of the Arabic language.

After studying in Basra, Iraq, with a prominent grammarian, Sībawayh received recognition as a grammarian himself. Sībawayh is said to have left Iraq and retired to Shīrāz after losing a debate with a rival on Bedouin Arabic usage. His monumental work is al-Kitāb fī an-naḥw (“The Book on Grammar”) or, more simply, al-Kitāb (“The Book”). The work was frequently used by later scholars.