Death of al-Raghib al-Isfahani, most probably Rabi' II 412

وفاة الراغب الأصفهاني، ربيع الآخر ٤١٢هـ على الأرجح

c. June 1021 CE · Rabi' II 412 AH

Muhammad Adnan Jawahirji's study 'A view on dating al-Raghib al-Isfahani' in the Damascus Academy journal concluded that he died in Rabi' II 412, a study the editor of Kashf al-Zunun calls sound and dependable ¹; it agrees with al-Suyuti's statement in the Bughya that he died early in the 5th/11th century, which recent scholarship has confirmed ². The late sources waver: Hajji Khalifa placed him among the people of the sixth century, which al-Zirikli's al-A'lam followed in dating his death 1108 CE ³, while the margin of al-Bayhaqi's Tarikh hukama' al-Islam gives 402 and As'ad Talas argued for 452 ¹.

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Era: The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
Region: Persia & Central Asia

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The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era

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Overview

al-Raghib al-Isfahani died most probably in Rabi' II 412: Muhammad Adnan Jawahirji's study 'A view on dating al-Raghib al-Isfahani' in the Damascus Academy journal reached this date, and the editor of Kashf al-Zunun describes it as a sound, dependable study ¹. It agrees with al-Suyuti's statement in the Bughya that he died early in the 5th/11th century, which recent scholarship has confirmed ².

The late sources' confusion

Hajji Khalifa placed al-Raghib among the people of the sixth century; al-Zirikli's al-A'lam followed and dated his death 1108 CE ³. The margin of al-Bayhaqi's Tarikh hukama' al-Islam gives 402, while As'ad Talas argued for 452 in the Arab Academy journal; the Kashf al-Zunun editor ascribes the confusion to each writer transmitting from a different source ¹.

Connections

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Had participant: al-Raghib al-Isfahani
Occurred at: Isfahan

People and things also explored

al-Raghib al-Isfahani in the orbit of al-Sahib Ibn Abbad's circle, about 385· al-Raghib composes the Mufradat alfaz al-Qur'an among his Qur'anic monographs, early 5th/11th century· al-Raghib writes during the vizierate of Abu al-Abbas al-Dabbi, 385–399· al-Raghib al-Isfahani· Isfahan· Jameh Mosque of Isfahan· Battle of Isfahan (1497)· Battle of Isfahan in 624 AH

Sources

Kashf al-Zunun an Asami al-Kutub wa'l-Funun — Hajji Khalifa (Furqan ed.) , p. 197-198
Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 8 p. 389
al-Alam — al-Zirikli , 2/261-262

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Death of al-Raghib al-Isfahani, most probably Rabi' II 412”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/raghib-dies-412/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-01.

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al-Raghib al-Isfahani in the orbit of al-Sahib Ibn Abbad's circle, about 385

In his literary anthologies al-Raghib al-Isfahani alludes several times to contemporaries who can be identified as members of the circle of the Buyid vizier al-Sahib Ibn Abbad (d. 385/995), showing that he flourished in the age of that famous literary salon — with no sound evidence that he ever left his native Isfahan.