# Ibn al-Nadim

> 10th century Arab scholar and bibliographer

**Wikidata**: [Q1384613](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1384613)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_al-Nadim)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ibn-al-nadim

## Summary
Ibn al-Nadim was a 10th-century Arab scholar, bibliographer, historian, and writer. He is best known for authoring the *Al-Fihrist*, a landmark bibliographic work that catalogs and describes the publications and literature of his time.

## Biography
- Known for: Authoring *Al-Fihrist* and cataloging the publications of the 10th century
- Field(s): Bibliography, History, Literature

## Contributions
Ibn al-Nadim compiled and authored the book *Al-Fihrist*. This work serves as a comprehensive catalog that describes and lists books and other publications, acting as a foundational bibliographic record of 10th-century literature and scholarship. 

## FAQs
**What was Ibn al-Nadim's profession?**
He worked as a bookseller, selling books, while also operating as a professional bibliographer, historian, and writer.

**What is Ibn al-Nadim's most famous work?**
He is best known for writing the book *Al-Fihrist*, which systematically describes and lists books and other publications.

**What is Ibn al-Nadim's full name?**
His full name is Muhammad ibn Abi Yaqub Ibn al-Nadim.

## Why They Matter
Ibn al-Nadim's significance lies in his role as a preservationist of human knowledge. By systematically describing and listing the publications of his era in *Al-Fihrist*, he created an indispensable historical and bibliographic record. Without his work, much of the information regarding 10th-century literature, authors, and scholarly works would have been lost to history. His meticulous cataloging fundamentally shaped the field of bibliography and provided historians with a vital primary source for understanding the intellectual landscape of the era.

## Notable For
- Authoring the book *Al-Fihrist*
- Working as a 10th-century bookseller
- Pioneering bibliographic practices by describing and listing publications
- Contributing to the historical record as a historian and writer

## Body

### Identity and Background
Muhammad ibn Abi Yaqub Ibn al-Nadim was a 10th-century Arab scholar and bibliographer. As a human whose intellectual pursuits spanned multiple disciplines, he engaged with the exploration and presentation of history as a historian, and he used written words to communicate ideas and produce literary works as a writer. 

### Professional Life
Ibn al-Nadim's professional life was deeply intertwined with the literary world of his time. He worked as a bookseller, a person engaged in selling books, which positioned him at the center of the 10th-century book trade. This occupation provided him direct access to a vast array of texts and publications, directly facilitating his broader scholarly endeavors.

### Bibliographic Contributions
Leveraging his access to the literary market, Ibn al-Nadim became a prominent bibliographer—a person who describes and lists books and other publications. His defining achievement in this field is the book *Al-Fihrist*. Through this work, he systematically cataloged the intellectual output of his era, creating a detailed inventory of available literature and scholarship.

## References

1. LIBRIS. 2013
2. International Standard Name Identifier
3. Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition
4. al-Aʻlām (Dār al-ʻIlm, 2002)
5. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
6. Virtual International Authority File
7. CERL Thesaurus
8. [Source](https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/ibnun-nedim)
9. HMML Authority File