Abu al-Arab

Muḥammad ibn Tamīm ibn Tammām al-Tamīmī (; died 945) more commonly known as Abu al-Arab (; ) was a 10th-century Arab Muslim historian, poet, traditionist and faqih of the Maliki school. His most celebrated work is Tabaqat 'Ulama Ifriqiya which include numerous scholars of his time.

Biography Abu al-Arab's year of birth is unknown, though he most probably was born between 864 and 873 in the city of Kayrawan, the cultural center of Ifriqiya (corresponds to modern-day Tunisia), which at the time was under the control of the Fatimid Caliphate. He belonged to a noble Arab family of governors. His great-grandfather held the governorship of Tunis and he also successfully managed to seize control of Kayrawan in the year 799. Sequentially, Abu al-Arab devoted his time to teaching in Kayrawan, his most notable student was Ibn Abi Zayd al-Kayrawani (d. 996).

Works According to al-Zirkili, Abu al-Arab works consist of 3,000 books which are mostly lost.

Tabaqat 'Ulama Ifriqiya (; Classes of Scholars of Ifriqiya) 'Ibad Ifriqiya (; People of Ifriqiya) Kitab al-Tarikh (; Book of History) in seventeen volumes. Manaqib Bani Tamim (; Merits of Bani Tamim) Al-Mihan (; Adversities) Fada'il Malik (; Merits of Malik) Manaqib Sahnun (; Merits of Sahnun) Mawt al-'Ulama (; Death of Scholars) in two volumes.