Al-KisÃÂâÂÂë (d. ca. 804 or 812) was a Persian polymath and founder of the Kufan School of Arabic grammar. He directly served caliph Harun al Rashid as the Abbasid court tutor for two future caliphs. He is also called one of the âÂÂSeven Readersâ of the seven canonical Qira'at.
A Persian born in al-Kà «fah, he learned grammar from al-RuâÂÂÃÂsë and a group of other scholars. It is said that al-KisÃÂâÂÂë took this moniker from the particular kind of mantle he wore called a kisÃÂâÂÂ.
Al-KisÃÂâÂÂë entered the court of the AbbÃÂsid caliph HÃÂrà «n al-Rashëd at BaghdÃÂd as tutor to the two princes, al-MaâÂÂmà «n and al-Amën. His early biographer Al-Nadim relates Abà « al-Ṭayyib's written account that Al-Rashëd held him in highest esteem. When the caliph moved the court to al-Rayy as the capital of KhurÃÂsÃÂn, al-KisÃÂâÂÂë moved there but subsequently became ill and died. During his illness al-Rashëd paid him regular visits and deeply mourned his death. It seems he died in 804 (189 AH) on the day that the hanëfah official of Al-Rashëd, Muḥammad al-ShaybÃÂnë also died. It is also said he shared his date of death with the judge Abà « Yà «suf in 812 (197 AH). When al-KisÃÂâÂÂë died al-FarrÃÂ' was elected to teach in his stead, according to the account of Ibn al-Kà «fë.
A famous anecdote relates a grammatical contest in Baghdad between the leaders of the two rival schools, with al-KisÃÂâÂÂë representative of Al-Kufah, and Sibawayh of the Baá¹£rans. The debate was organized by the Abbasid vizier Yahya ibn Khalid , or according to some sources the caliph himself Harun, and became known as al-Mas'ala al-Zunburëyah (The Question of the Hornet). At issue was the Arabic phrase: ÃÂÃÂêàãøàãàçÃÂùÃÂñèàãôï ÃÂóùé ààçÃÂòÃÂèÃÂñ ÃÂÃ¥ðç ÃÂàÃÂÃÂ\ÃÂàÃÂ¥ÃÂçÃÂç I always thought that the scorpion is more painful than the hornet in its sting, and so it is (lit. translation). At issue was the correct declension of the last word in the sentence. Sibawayh proposed: <blockquote>... fa-'ida huwa hiya (ÃÂÃ¥ðç ÃÂàÃÂÃÂ), literally ... sure-enough he she</blockquote>meaning "so he (the scorpion, masc.) is she (the most painful one, fem.)"; In Arabic syntax the predicative copula of the verb to be or is, has no direct analogue, and instead employs nominal inflexion. Al-Kisa'i argued that the following form is also correct :<blockquote>... fa-'ida huwa 'iyyaha(ÃÂÃ¥ðç ÃÂàÃÂ¥ÃÂçÃÂç), literally ... sure-enough he her</blockquote> meaning "he is her".
In Sibawayh's theoretical argument the accusative form can never be the predicate. However, when al-Kisa'i was supported in his assertion by four Bedouin -Desert Arab, whom he had supposedly bribed or they had perhaps supported him due to his closeness with the caliph- that the form huwa 'iyyaha, is also correct, his argument won the debate. Such was Sibawayh's bitterness in defeat, he left the court to return to his country where he died sometime later at a young age. Al-Kisa'i was accosted by one of Sibawayh's students after the fact and asked 100 grammatical questions, being proved wrong by the student each time. Upon being told the news about Sibawayh's death, al-Kisa'i approached the Caliph Harun al-Rashid and requested that he be punished for having a share in "killing Sibawayh."
HishÃÂm ibn Mu'ÃÂwëyah and Yaḥya al-FarrÃÂ' were two notable students. The primary transmitters of his recitation method were Abà « al-ḤÃÂrith ibn KhÃÂlid al-Layth (d.845) and Al-Duri
Al-NaqqÃÂsh wrote Al-KitÃÂb al-KisÃÂâÂÂë.and BakkÃÂr wrote The Reading of al- KisÃÂâÂÂë.
Among his books there were:
Al-KisÃÂâÂÂë composed ten leaves of poetry.