Abu 'Abd ar-Rahman al-Khalil ibn Ahmad ibn 'Amr ibn Tammam al-Farahidi al-Azdi al-Yahmadi (Arabic: 'bw `bdlrHmn lkhlyl bn 'Hmd lfrhydy; 718 - 786 CE), known as Al-Farahidi, or simply Al-Khalil, famously compiled the first known dictionary of the Arabic language, and one of the first in any language, Kitab al-'Ayn (Arabic: ktb l`yn).. He was one of the earliest Arab lexicographer philologists, and is accredited for introducing the Harakat (vowel marks in Arabic script) system now in standard use, and the study of al-'arud (Arabic prosody), musicology and metre. His linguistic theories formed the basis for the development of prosody studies in the Persian, Turkish and Urdu languages.
Born in 718 to Azdi parents of modest means, al-Farahidi was from southern Arabia (modern day Oman). He later moved to Basra, Iraq in his youth. Originally of the Ibadi sect of Islam, the claim he became Sunni is unsubstantiated. He was one of the companions of Jabir ibn Zayd, the founder of ibadism. He is said to have lived a simple and pious life in Iraq; It was said his parents were converts to Islam, and that his father was the first to be named "Ahmad" after the time of Prophet Muhammad. His nickname, "Farahidi", differed from his tribal name and derived from an ancestor named Furhud (Young Lion); plural farahid. The descendants of his tribe are the modern-day Zahran tribe residing primarily in the Al Bahah Province of Saudi Arabia. While in Basra, he was a student of Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala'. Al-Farahidi notoriously refused lavish gifts from rulers, or to sink to malicious slander or rumor-mongering against intellectual rivals, unlike many of his contemporary Arab and Persian men of letters,. While in Basra, he made a living as a language teacher. He was said to have lived a pious and simple life, performing the pilgrimage to Mecca almost every year. Al-Farahidi lived in a small house made of reeds and once remarked that once he shut his door, his mind did not go beyond it. Although some of his students amassed wealth through their own teaching, most of al-Farahidi's income was from falconry and a garden he inherited from his father. Al-Farahidi's date of death has been listed as both 786 and 791 CE. His preoccupation with deep thoughts led to his death. It is said that one day, al-Farahidi was attempting to work out an accounting system in his head which would save his maidservant from being cheated out of money by a green grocer; he then absent-mindedly bumped into a pillar of a mosque he had wandered into and sustained a fatal fall.

Q: At what age did he begin showing an interest in philosophical ideas?
A: unknown

Q: Who influenced his philosophy?
A: unknown

Q: How did living in Basra affect his life?
A: While in Basra, he made a living as a language teacher. He was said to have lived a pious and simple life,

Q: Were his parents the same religion as him?
A: It was said his parents were converts to Islam,
How old was he when he began studying the Prophet Muhammad?
unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown
unknown