Al-Akhfash al-Akbar

Abu al-Khaṭṭāb ʻAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʻAbd al-Majīd , commonly known as Al-Akhfash al-Akbar was an Arab grammarian who lived in Basra and associated with the method of Arabic grammar of its linguists, and was a client of the Qais tribe.

His most notable students were: Sibawayh, Yunus ibn Habib, Abu ʿUbaidah, Abu Zayd al-Ansari and Al-Asma'i. Al-Akhfash revised his student Sibawayh's famous Kitab, the first book ever written on Arabic grammar, and was responsible for circulating the first manuscripts after his student's untimely death. Al-Akhfash was also one of the first linguists to contribute significantly to commentary and analysis of Arabic poetry.

Other Akhfashs Al-Akhfash al-Akbar is one of three famous grammarians known by the name Al-Akhfash, distinguished by epithets denoting relative age: al-Akbar (“the Greater / Oldest”), al-Awsāt (“the Middle”), and al-Aṣghar (“the Younger”).