Ali ibn al-Mughira al-Athram

Ali ibn al-Mughira, Abu al-Hasan al-Athram (d. 232 AH), was a master of grammar, rare words and lexicography, and worked as a bookseller and copyist. He heard from Abu Ubayda Ma'mar ibn al-Muthanna and Abu Sa'id al-Asma'i, and al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, al-Hasan ibn Mukarram, Ahmad ibn Abi Khaythama, Abu al-Abbas Tha'lab and others transmitted from him. In Baghdad, among the transmitters of lexicography were al-Lihyani, al-Asma'i and Ali ibn al-Mughira al-Athram. ¹

Abu Mishal related that when Ismail ibn Subayh brought Abu Ubayda from Basra to Baghdad in the days of al-Rashid, he summoned al-Athram, who was then a copyist, placed him in one of his houses and locked the door on him. He handed him Abu Ubayda's books and ordered him to copy them out. Abu Mishal and a group of Abu Ubayda's pupils would come to al-Athram, who would pass a book to them under the door, give them a wage, ask them to copy and record it, and agree with them a time for returning it to him; and they did so. Al-Athram read to Abu Ubayda and heard from him while Abu Ubayda did not know what was being done. Abu Ubayda was the most protective of people about his books, and had he known what al-Athram had done, he would have stopped him and shown him no leniency. ²

He died in Jumada al-Ula in the year 232. ²