Abà « IsḥÃÂq IbrÃÂhëm ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Sarë al-ZajjÃÂj () was a grammarian of Basrah, a scholar of philology and theology and a favourite at the AbbÃÂsid court. He died in 922 at BaghdÃÂd, the capital city in his time.
Abà « IsḥÃÂq IbrÃÂhëm ibn Muḥammad al-Sarë (Surrë) al-ZajjÃÂj had been a glass-grinder â al-ZajjÃÂj means 'the glassman'before abandoning this trade to study philology under the two leading grammarians, al-Mubarrad of the Baá¹£ran school and Tha'lab of the Kufan school. As top student and class representative he advised al-Mubarrad. He studied "Al-KitÃÂb" of Sëbawayh with the Baá¹£rah grammarian Abà « Fahd.
Al-ZajjÃÂj entered the AbbÃÂsid court, first as tutor to al-QÃÂsim ibn âÂÂUbayd AllÃÂh, son of the vizier âÂÂUbayd AllÃÂh ibn SulaymÃÂn ibn WahbâÂÂs and later, as tutor to the sons of the caliph al-MuâÂÂtaá¸Âid.
On his succession to the vizierate, Caliph al-MuâÂÂtaá¸Âid ordered vizier al-QÃÂsim to commission an exposition of the Compendium of Speech by Maḥbarah al-Nadëm. Both ThaâÂÂlab and Al-Mubarrad declined the project for lack of knowledge and old age respectively. Al-Mubarrad proposed his friend and relative novice al-ZajjÃÂj, who was commissioned to work on just two sections as a trial of his abilities. In doing his research he consulted books on language by ThaâÂÂlab, al-Sukkarë, et al. He was assisted by al-Tirmidhë the Younger, as his amanuensis. The bound two-section commentary greatly impressed Caliph al-MuâÂÂtaá¸Âid and al-ZajjÃÂj was given the work to complete the commentary for the payment of three hundred gold dënÃÂr. The finished manuscript was kept in al-MuâÂÂtaá¸Âid's royal library, and the issuing of any copies to other libraries was prohibited.
Winning the caliph's favour, he received a royal pension of three hundred gold dënÃÂr from three official roles as court companion, jurist and scholar.
Among al-ZajjÃÂj's pupils were the grammarian Abà « Alë al-FÃÂrisë and Abà « âÂÂl-QÃÂsim Abd ar-RaḥmÃÂn, author of the Jumal fi âÂÂn-Nawhi, Ibn al-SarrÃÂj and âÂÂAlë al-MarÃÂghë the rival of Abu al-âÂÂAbbÃÂs ThaâÂÂlab.
Al-ZajjÃÂj had a dispute with al-KhayyÃÂá¹Â, a grammarian-theologian of Samarqand, whom he met in BaghdÃÂd.
Al-ZajjÃÂj died at BaghdÃÂd on 13 October 922 [Friday, 18th, or 19th, Jumada al-Akhirah 310 AH]other sources give 924 and 928 [311 and 316 AH.], aged over eighty.
Abà « Alë al-FÃÂrisë wrote a treatise in refutation of al-ZajjÃÂj, titled KitÃÂb al-masÃÂâÂÂil al-maslahat yurwiha âÂÂan az-ZajjÃÂj wa-tuâÂÂraf bi-al-AghfÃÂl (); the AghfÃÂl ('Negligences', or 'Beneficial (Corrected) Questions'), in which he refutes al-ZajjÃÂj in his book MaÃÂni (Rhetoric).