{"id":52235,"date":"2024-09-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/2024\/09\/05\/how-does-dr-ali-muhammad-al-sallabi-compose-his-books-and-articles\/"},"modified":"2024-09-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T00:00:00","slug":"how-does-dr-ali-muhammad-al-sallabi-compose-his-books-and-articles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/2024\/09\/05\/how-does-dr-ali-muhammad-al-sallabi-compose-his-books-and-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"How does Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi compose his books and articles!?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How does Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi compose his books and
\narticles!?<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Inspired
\nby experience<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

By:<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/b>Dr. Taleb Abdul-Jabbar Al-Dughim<\/b><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Questions
\nand criticisms are repeatedly<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span>raised regarding Dr.
\nAli Muhammad Al-Sallabi\u2019s methodology in writing his books and articles,
\nwhether in Quran interpretation, Quranic stories, or Islamic history.
\nSometimes, accusations are directed at him directly via social media networks
\nwithout verification or objectivity, which renews controversy and debate, and
\nstirs up gossip. These criticisms often target the credibility and academic
\nintegrity of Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi. One asks: How can Dr. Sallabi doctor
\npublish this large number of books and articles? Another responds: He writes
\nbooks on Islamic history like if he is gathering firewood at night, unable to
\ndistinguish between what is beneficial and what is harmful. Others reject the
\nlack of accurate documentation in his articles and publications, questioning
\nthe extent of his commitment to academic integrity. Others criticize his
\nquotations and inaccurate reasoning without asking permission from contemporary
\nauthors and references!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Although
\nDr. Sallabi has repeatedly answered these questions and explained in his
\npublications and press interviews with some researchers and interested parties
\nthe nature of his work, his interests, and his methodology in research and
\nwriting, I think it is fair to share my opinion about his writings, given that
\nI worked with him for more than six years, during which I reviewed, examined,
\nedited, and added to his works, which counted more than fifteen works. Based on
\nthis experience, the questions raised motivate me to present my point of view
\nas follows:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Firstly:<\/span><\/b>
\nDr. Salabi\u2019s methodology in writing has not changed over the past three
\ndecades, whether in the way he collects or documents scientific material, or his
\nfrequency of citing original sources or modern (scientifically approved)
\nwritings. He works to gather information, arguments and evidence to support his
\nideas. Sometimes, he relies in a single book on more than 150 sources and
\nreferences, as in his book \u201cThe Modern Muslim State\u201d (200 sources and
\nreferences), his famous book \u201cThe Prophet Biography\u201d (359 ones), his book \u201cThe
\nKing Prophets (peace be upon them) and the Alleged Temple of Solomon\u201d (228),
\nhis book \u201cLot (PBUH)\u201d (188), his book \u201cHud (PBUH)\u201d (177), and his book \u201cSalah
\nal-Din al-Ayyubi\u201d (215). These are not all his works, rather  just a few examples.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

There
\nare many examples in Dr. Sallabi’s books about the intensive use of references,
\nas we find in a single chapter or section of a book that does not exceed 50
\npages, about 50 documented sources and references. Sometimes, in a single
\nscientific paper or article (5 – 15 pages), he relies on 20 sources and
\nreferences, and inserts a clear reference to the author of the source or
\nreference, with accurate documentation of the year, publishing institution,
\nedition number, etc. He does not rely on one reference only, but rather derives
\nthe scientific content of his books from a wide range of sources, where he
\ncannot consult all of their authors about what to take from their books, or how
\nto take, or how they’d like to take! In this case he is typical, like any
\nresearcher and author who takes insights from the works and ideas of previous
\nauthors, researchers, and specialists, so he sometimes quotes or paraphrase,
\nand sometimes adds from his own ideas to what he took, and this is thus the
\nmajority of authors and writers do at all times and places, and Dr. Sallabi is
\nnot an exception!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Secondly<\/span><\/b>:
\nI spent a long time editing and reviewing the doctor\u2019s methodology during
\nwriting books. Through my constant communication with him, my direct access to
\nthe original drafts and blueprints of his books, and having supervised the
\nreview and editing of many of his books, I clearly observed that he follows a
\nwell-organized timetable in his work – despite being busy with the issues of
\nthe International Union of Muslim Scholars and his reform efforts for political
\nand social affairs in Libya.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The
\ndoctor divided his writing plan into a sequence of stages; starting with the
\nstage of buying books from exhibitions, publishing centers, and websites, then
\ncomes the stage of arranging, browsing, examining, and reading what benefits
\nhim from them, then the stage of summarizing many of their ideas. So he
\ncontinues for more than two or three successive months, after which he works on
\nwriting the first draft in his own hand with a blue pen on reinforced paper,
\nthis takes several additional months, until he produces the first draft, which
\nmoves to transcribing on the computer, editing, linguistic and scientific
\nreview, by sending the copy to some specialists and academics. This review ends
\nwith an evaluation and amendments based on their notices, which are taken into
\nconsideration, and with the writing of an introduction to his book by one of
\nthe specialized thinkers. The book is transferred then to the publishing
\nhouses, which subject it to an accurate editorial review, and finally, Dr. Sallabi
\nadds his personal opinion to the book before it is printed, shipped, and
\ndistributed among people.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Thirdly<\/span><\/b>:
\nAmong the scientific experiences I had with Dr. Sallabi was my participating in
\nintensive work sessions to prepare a blueprint to begin writing our shared
\nproject, \u201cThe Encyclopedia of Abbasid History,\u201d which included research,
\ninvestigation, and studies in the most important historical, political,
\njurisprudential, military, and diplomatic sources and references about that
\nperiod. I launched discussions with him during several sessions that lasted for
\nmore than three months, and I saw him featured uniquely more than any other
\nwriter, historian, and scholar I knew before. He was an example of patience,
\npiety, humility, open-mindedness, appreciation for others, and good listening.
\nI never got tired of his long sessions, which he only interrupted during the primary
\nprayers, or a short break during which we could have oriental coffee and dates.
\nDuring that period, we explored the most important stages of Abbasid history,
\nand read about it in the most prominent historical sources (The Beginning and
\nthe End by Ibn Kathir), and (The Biographies of the Nobles and History of Islam
\nby Al-Dhahabi), in addition to reviewing various references, scientific
\nresearch, and old university theses from his huge scientific library in
\nIstanbul. My experience with him was both beneficial and enjoyable.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Fourth<\/span><\/b>:
\nI noticed that Dr. Salabi used to document the reference he relied on in his
\nwritings without attributing an undocumented paragraph or sentence to himself,
\nunless he wrote it himself, or it was his own idea, or he expressed his point
\nof view on a certain issue. This applies to blogs, articles, and posts that he
\npublishes on websites and digital newspapers. However, it is worth noting that
\nsome of these newspapers and websites delete the list of references at the end
\nof the article, as a  part of their
\npublishing policy, perhaps limited to a certain number of words for the article
\nor blog, as the case in: Al-Arab Blog, Al-Jazeera Blogs, Al-Arab Journal, Arabi
\n21, the Kuwaiti Society Magazine, and others; because the blog is a post that
\nreflects an idea and presents a specific message, and no need for references to
\nbe mentioned.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Fifth<\/span><\/b>:
\nDr. Salabi does not write his books in vain, just to increase his archive or to
\nshow off. The man publishes his books in line with the needs and issues of the
\nIslamic nation. For example, when he saw the state of frustration and
\ndisappointment spreading in the nation in the nineties of the last century and
\nthe beginning of the twenty-first century, which coincided with the invasion of
\nAfghanistan (2001), the occupation of Iraq (2003), and the Zionist attacks in
\nPalestine, he began publishing the Islamic history series; starting with the
\nbiography of the Prophet, and turning to the history of the Righteous Caliphs,
\nUmayyads, Seljuks, the Zengid, Salahuddin, and Ottomans. When also the false
\nprojects of the corrupt people in our Muslim societies increased, he published
\nseveral books, such as \u201cThe Jurisprudence of Victory and Empowerment\u201d, \u201cThe
\nJurisprudence of Coming to God\u201d, \u201cThe Struggle of the Algerian People\u201d, \u201cThe
\nSanusi Movement\u201d, and \u201cThe Course of God in Considering Causality\u201d. He did not ignore
\nthe struggle of the Libyan people to get rid of injustice, and reform the
\ninstitutions of the state and society after 2011, so he published his book
\n\u201cJustice and National Reconciliation; A Religious and Human Necessity\u201d, and his
\nbook \u201cThe National Project for Peace and Reconciliation\u201d. He also wrote books
\nto strengthen the relations among sects and reform Islamic movements, as in his
\nbook \u201cIbadism: An Islamic School Far from the Khawarij\u201d.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover,
\nHe found a deficiency gap in the Islamic library in the area of of prophets and
\nmessengers’ stories (in light of the Quranic approach), so he published his
\nhuge encyclopedia “The Origin of Human Civilization and Its Great
\nLeaders”; and narrated it in a systematic and interpretive style, which
\ntook him years to complete. In the battle of the Palestinian people, Muslims
\nand free humans against the “Zionist” aggressors, and in the opposite
\nof their reliance on historical lies and fabrications in their occupation of
\nPalestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque, he published his book “The King Prophets (peace
\nbe upon them) and the Story of the Alleged Temple”, undermining their
\nfalsehood by conclusive evidence. With the spread of manifestations of moral
\ndecadence and sexual perversion in the world (LGBT), he published his book
\n“LoT (PBUH), and his call in confronting corruption and sexual shifting
\nand the consequent punishment”.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Sixth<\/span><\/b>:
\nThe approach of many scholars, and ancient and contemporary historians relied
\non \u201chistorical documentation by transmission,\u201d or \u201cthe transmission methodology.\u201d
\nThis approach was known to a number of Muslim scholars and thinkers, who were accurate
\nin transmitting information from previous sources without changing or analyzing
\nit. One of the most brilliant interpreters and historians who followed this
\napproach was Imam al-Tabari (birth: 839- death: 923), who was famous for his
\nbook \u201cHistory of the Prophets and Kings,\u201d in which he transmitted stories, news
\nand tales as reported from various sources. Likewise, Abd al-Rahman ibn
\nal-Jawzi (1116-1201), who relied in his books – such as \u201cThe Organized Book in
\nHistory of Kings and Nations\u201d – on literal transmission from previous sources.
\nLikewise, Damascus scholar Ibn Kathir (1301-1373) in his historical encyclopedia
\n\u201cThe Beginning and the End\u201d transmitted many events as reported in previous
\nsources.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Add
\nto that what was written by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445-1505), one of the
\nmost prominent encyclopedic Muslim scholars of his time, who wrote many books
\non history, interpretation of the Qur\u2019an, hadith, and jurisprudence. In writing
\nhistory, al-Suyuti relied on the method of literal transmission from sources;
\nin his book (History of the Caliphs), for example, he was keen to collect
\ninformation from ancient sources keeping their texts as they were mentioned,
\nwithout adding his personal analysis except for a few points. al-Suyuti was
\ninterested in documenting information transmitted from predecessors, mentioning
\nthe names of historians and the sources he relied on, and this made his works a
\nreliable reference for those who search for the origin of information.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Among
\nthe contemporary Muslim historians and thinkers who relied on literal
\ntransmission in their writings is the Syrian political thinker and historian
\nDr. Mustafa al-Siba\u2019i (1915-1964), one of the thinkers who wrote in the field
\nof Islamic history, he depended in his writings on transmission from ancient
\nsources, and added some commentary and analysis sometimes.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Among
\nthe contemporary historians who followed this approach is the Egyptian Islamic
\nhistorian Dr. Mahmoud Shakir (1909-1997), who relied in his writings on
\ntraditional Islamic sources, and maintained the texts as they are, while presenting
\nthe historical context without much interference. Likewise, the Indian Islamic
\nhistorian and thinker Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah (1908-2002), from whose approach in
\nwriting Islamic history we note that he added his analyses while often relying
\non quoting texts from traditional sources. An example of this is his book \u201cA
\nCollection of Political Documents of the Prophetic Era and the Rightly-Guided
\nCaliphate,\u201d in which he collected the accessible letters and political
\ndocuments from that period.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The
\ndirect transmission approach in the Western world is sometimes called
\n“textual criticism” or “textual editing”, an approach that
\nfocuses on collecting ancient texts. However, this approach is usually
\naccompanied by some critical notes, so it is not considered completely a literal
\ntransmission. Benedict Anderson (1936-2015) is an example of a Western
\nhistorian. In his famous work “Imagined Communities”, he used a
\nvariety of historical sources, including literary and media texts, in a manner
\nclose to literal transmission, while providing deep analysis and criticism of
\nsome texts.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In
\nfact, Dr. Salabi\u2019s approach to sources and references, and to writing his
\nbooks, is similar to what mentioned above. The man is highly careful not to use
\nhis mind to change the transmitted texts. Moreover, he has no desire to use his
\nown mind to analyze and criticize the ideas in his books. Rather, he adopts
\nscientific approaches elected from a wide range of sources and references, and
\nquotes what he has read, or what he is convinced of from the opinions and
\nwritings of commentators and researchers. Moreover, he quotes the Quranic text
\nat every opportunity while writing, and he considers the Holy Quran to be the lord
\nof sources, and the absolutely truthful of all in narrating the stories and
\nhistory of humanity; its past, present, and future. Therefore, Dr. Salabi says:
\n\u201cWhoever writes Islamic history must have a background in the science of
\nSharia, in order to access the historical truth.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Seventh<\/span><\/b>:
\nDuring my research, I found some articles and publications attributed to Dr. Sallabi
\nwithout referring to him, some of which are fake and inaccurate. Sometimes we
\nfind published information and posts, or ideas quoted from Dr. Sallabi\u2019s
\nwritings and articles, or from his video recordings, but they are published on
\nsocial media in partial and incomplete forms, for personal or political
\npurposes and goals, often related to the Libyan crisis.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Eighth<\/span><\/b>:
\nMany scholars, school and university students in the Islamic world were educated
\non Dr. Salabi\u2019s writings and programs, and they took insights from them in
\ntheir research, university theses, and lectures, and they studied his
\nmethodology, interests, and views. There is no doubt that the doctor is one of
\nthe most who published and distributed books in our time, and his book \u201cThe
\nBiography of the Prophet\u201d is considered a highly famous book that researched
\nthe biography of our Great Prophet and his preaching to Islam. He also wrote
\nand translated his book \u201cThe Messiah, Jesus, Son of Mary\u201d into the main
\ninternational languages, most notably French, English, Spanish, Italian,
\nRussian, and German, and many Muslims and non-Muslims have benefited from it.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Ninth:
\nI did not find in Dr. Salabi\u2019s writings and works anything indicating that his
\ngoals are to pursuit fame or financial gain, so he produces a lot of them as a
\nconsequent. The man does not receive any financial compensation for his works
\nfrom any party or publishing center, although this has been offered to him
\nrepeatedly, but he refused. On the contrary, he grants the authority to print,
\npublish and translate his books to anyone who wants, which has led to thousands
\nof copies of his works being printed and translated into more than twenty
\nlanguages <\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>around the world. The obsession
\nwith seeking satisfaction, reward and acceptance from Allah is the motivation
\nthat always accompanies him. He has repeatedly stated that his goals are
\nsummarized in empowering the religion of Islam, confronting false and deviant
\nideas, and gathering the abilities of the nation in its battle with its
\nenemies, in addition to providing a comprehensive Islamic historical library
\nfor current and future generations.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Tenth<\/span><\/b>:
\nPerfection belongs to God alone, and to err is human. Every human work is apt
\nto contain shortcomings, and absolute perfection only God’s. Since human works
\nare not free from shortcomings, they remain subject to criticism and analysis.
\nTherefore, Dr. Sallabi\u2019s writings, which exceed eighty works in fields of
\nhistory, doctrine, Quranic interpretation, and Islamic political thought, are
\nnot immune to this error, and they must contain some shortcomings and defects.
\nIt is natural that we sometimes find in them digressions in the research,
\ndeviations from the main idea of <\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>the
\ntext, and quotations that may need to be marked, in addition to some linguistic
\nerrors or formulations that may appear weak in the first drafts before review
\nand editing. Nevertheless, Dr. Sallabi demonstrates a remarkable ability to
\ncombine the traditional Islamic approach with the modern academic style in
\ninterpreting the Quran and writing Islamic history. As a preacher and author,
\nhe works hard, consults experts, accepts positive criticism openly, and seeks
\nto correct any errors as soon as possible.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Eleventh<\/span><\/b>:
\nThis is a testimony devoted to God and let to history, based on a profound
\npersonal experience I went through during a long period I spent close to Dr.
\nAli Al-Sallabi, during which I learned a lot. I offer this testimony with a
\nsincere intention to God Almighty; in order to support and aid the believers, people
\nof Quran, men of thought, and knowledge seekers.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In
\nconclusion<\/span><\/b>, I believe that it is the duty of the scholars,
\nresearchers, academics, and students our nation to be just, fair, have good
\nfaith, and speak the truth, while feeling that Allah is watching them in their
\njudgments, words, actions and behaviors, as everyone is responsible before
\nAllah, and each one of them will come to Him single on the Day of Judgment.
\nAllah Almighty commands justice, benevolence, and sincerity in work, and to
\noffer advice with kindness and sincerity. There is no doubt that beneficial
\nknowledge is a great divine gift, Allah Almighty says: { They (angels) said, “Exalted are You; we have
\nno knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the
\nKnowing, the Wise.<\/span>} (Al-Baqarah: 32).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Questions and criticisms are repeatedly raised regarding Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi\u2019s methodology in writing his books and articles, whether in Quran interpretation, Quranic stories, or Islamic history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":52322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[684],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion-articles-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iumsonline.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}