Sa'id al-Afghani

Sa'id al-Afghani was a professor of Arabic language and literature at the University of Damascus. He was regarded as one of the 20th century's leading scholars in both fields. He was born in Damascus in 1911 to an Afghan father and a Syrian mother. He spoke Arabic as his mother tongue and was appointed as a professor of Arabic language and later dean of the faculty of arts at the University of Damascus. He also taught at universities in Jordan, Libya and Saudi Arabia. He died on February 18, 1997, in Mecca, where he was buried. Afghani's most well-known work is al-Mujaz, a book attempting to simplify Arabic grammar for those unfamiliar with the language. He was a strong supporter of reforming the way Arabic grammar was understood and taught, blaming traditionalists and their opposition to any reform for the failure of language education in Arab countries. He was also learned in the field of Islamic studies, devoting much attention to the aspects of Muslim jurisprudence. He was a follower of the Zahirite school of Islamic law, and edited and commented on the works of Ibn Hazm, one of the school's champions. He also wrote a biography of Aisha, the wife of the prophet Muhammad, and was the founder of Al-Arabi, a magazine showcasing the arts and culture of the Arab world. He was a respected and influential figure in the intellectual and cultural life of the Arab world.