Khalil ibn Ahmad

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Khalíl ibn Ahmad Al Farāhídi (أبو عبد الرحمن ، الخليل بن أحمد الفراهيدي) (c. 718–c. 791) was writer and philologist from southern Arabia (modern day Oman) who compiled the first dictionary of the Arabic language, the Kitab al-Ayn.

He was born in Oman and moved to Basra, Iraq where he converted from the Ibadi sect of Islam to become a Sunni.

Kitab al-Ayn (The source book), while started by Khalil ibn Ahmad it was probably completed by one of his students, Al-Layth ibn Al-Muzaffar. It was titled "The source" because the goal of its author was to clarify those words which were composed the original or source Arabic vocabulary.

The dictionary was not arranged alphabetically but rather by phonetics, following the pattern of pronunciation of the Arabic alphabet from the deepest letter of the throat ﻉ (ayn) to the last letter pronounced by the lips, that being م (mìm).

Khalil ibn Ahmad also wrote a treatise on verse forms of Arabic poetry but most of his works are now lost.

He also set the final shapes for Harakat as we know them today.

His dictionary was printed by Maktabah Al Hilal, having been reviewed by Dr. Mahdi al Makhzūmi and Dr. Ibrāhim Al Samirā'ì in eight volumes; there is however some reservations whether or not the book in its modern form is the original as authored by Al Khalil or is a work based on his original work. Al Khalil died in Basra some time between 777 and 791. Sibawayh was one of his students.