How does Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi compose his books and
articles!?
Inspired
by experience
By: Dr. Taleb Abdul-Jabbar Al-Dughim
Questions
and criticisms are repeatedly raised regarding Dr.
Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi’s methodology in writing his books and articles,
whether in Quran interpretation, Quranic stories, or Islamic history.
Sometimes, accusations are directed at him directly via social media networks
without verification or objectivity, which renews controversy and debate, and
stirs up gossip. These criticisms often target the credibility and academic
integrity of Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi. One asks: How can Dr. Sallabi doctor
publish this large number of books and articles? Another responds: He writes
books on Islamic history like if he is gathering firewood at night, unable to
distinguish between what is beneficial and what is harmful. Others reject the
lack of accurate documentation in his articles and publications, questioning
the extent of his commitment to academic integrity. Others criticize his
quotations and inaccurate reasoning without asking permission from contemporary
authors and references!
Although
Dr. Sallabi has repeatedly answered these questions and explained in his
publications and press interviews with some researchers and interested parties
the nature of his work, his interests, and his methodology in research and
writing, I think it is fair to share my opinion about his writings, given that
I worked with him for more than six years, during which I reviewed, examined,
edited, and added to his works, which counted more than fifteen works. Based on
this experience, the questions raised motivate me to present my point of view
as follows:
Firstly:
Dr. Salabi’s methodology in writing has not changed over the past three
decades, whether in the way he collects or documents scientific material, or his
frequency of citing original sources or modern (scientifically approved)
writings. He works to gather information, arguments and evidence to support his
ideas. Sometimes, he relies in a single book on more than 150 sources and
references, as in his book “The Modern Muslim State” (200 sources and
references), his famous book “The Prophet Biography” (359 ones), his book “The
King Prophets (peace be upon them) and the Alleged Temple of Solomon” (228),
his book “Lot (PBUH)” (188), his book “Hud (PBUH)” (177), and his book “Salah
al-Din al-Ayyubi” (215). These are not all his works, rather just a few examples.
There
are many examples in Dr. Sallabi's books about the intensive use of references,
as we find in a single chapter or section of a book that does not exceed 50
pages, about 50 documented sources and references. Sometimes, in a single
scientific paper or article (5 - 15 pages), he relies on 20 sources and
references, and inserts a clear reference to the author of the source or
reference, with accurate documentation of the year, publishing institution,
edition number, etc. He does not rely on one reference only, but rather derives
the scientific content of his books from a wide range of sources, where he
cannot consult all of their authors about what to take from their books, or how
to take, or how they'd like to take! In this case he is typical, like any
researcher and author who takes insights from the works and ideas of previous
authors, researchers, and specialists, so he sometimes quotes or paraphrase,
and sometimes adds from his own ideas to what he took, and this is thus the
majority of authors and writers do at all times and places, and Dr. Sallabi is
not an exception!
Secondly:
I spent a long time editing and reviewing the doctor’s methodology during
writing books. Through my constant communication with him, my direct access to
the original drafts and blueprints of his books, and having supervised the
review and editing of many of his books, I clearly observed that he follows a
well-organized timetable in his work - despite being busy with the issues of
the International Union of Muslim Scholars and his reform efforts for political
and social affairs in Libya.
The
doctor divided his writing plan into a sequence of stages; starting with the
stage of buying books from exhibitions, publishing centers, and websites, then
comes the stage of arranging, browsing, examining, and reading what benefits
him from them, then the stage of summarizing many of their ideas. So he
continues for more than two or three successive months, after which he works on
writing the first draft in his own hand with a blue pen on reinforced paper,
this takes several additional months, until he produces the first draft, which
moves to transcribing on the computer, editing, linguistic and scientific
review, by sending the copy to some specialists and academics. This review ends
with an evaluation and amendments based on their notices, which are taken into
consideration, and with the writing of an introduction to his book by one of
the specialized thinkers. The book is transferred then to the publishing
houses, which subject it to an accurate editorial review, and finally, Dr. Sallabi
adds his personal opinion to the book before it is printed, shipped, and
distributed among people.
Thirdly:
Among the scientific experiences I had with Dr. Sallabi was my participating in
intensive work sessions to prepare a blueprint to begin writing our shared
project, “The Encyclopedia of Abbasid History,” which included research,
investigation, and studies in the most important historical, political,
jurisprudential, military, and diplomatic sources and references about that
period. I launched discussions with him during several sessions that lasted for
more than three months, and I saw him featured uniquely more than any other
writer, historian, and scholar I knew before. He was an example of patience,
piety, humility, open-mindedness, appreciation for others, and good listening.
I never got tired of his long sessions, which he only interrupted during the primary
prayers, or a short break during which we could have oriental coffee and dates.
During that period, we explored the most important stages of Abbasid history,
and read about it in the most prominent historical sources (The Beginning and
the End by Ibn Kathir), and (The Biographies of the Nobles and History of Islam
by Al-Dhahabi), in addition to reviewing various references, scientific
research, and old university theses from his huge scientific library in
Istanbul. My experience with him was both beneficial and enjoyable.
Fourth:
I noticed that Dr. Salabi used to document the reference he relied on in his
writings without attributing an undocumented paragraph or sentence to himself,
unless he wrote it himself, or it was his own idea, or he expressed his point
of view on a certain issue. This applies to blogs, articles, and posts that he
publishes on websites and digital newspapers. However, it is worth noting that
some of these newspapers and websites delete the list of references at the end
of the article, as a part of their
publishing policy, perhaps limited to a certain number of words for the article
or blog, as the case in: Al-Arab Blog, Al-Jazeera Blogs, Al-Arab Journal, Arabi
21, the Kuwaiti Society Magazine, and others; because the blog is a post that
reflects an idea and presents a specific message, and no need for references to
be mentioned.
Fifth:
Dr. Salabi does not write his books in vain, just to increase his archive or to
show off. The man publishes his books in line with the needs and issues of the
Islamic nation. For example, when he saw the state of frustration and
disappointment spreading in the nation in the nineties of the last century and
the beginning of the twenty-first century, which coincided with the invasion of
Afghanistan (2001), the occupation of Iraq (2003), and the Zionist attacks in
Palestine, he began publishing the Islamic history series; starting with the
biography of the Prophet, and turning to the history of the Righteous Caliphs,
Umayyads, Seljuks, the Zengid, Salahuddin, and Ottomans. When also the false
projects of the corrupt people in our Muslim societies increased, he published
several books, such as “The Jurisprudence of Victory and Empowerment”, “The
Jurisprudence of Coming to God”, “The Struggle of the Algerian People”, “The
Sanusi Movement”, and “The Course of God in Considering Causality”. He did not ignore
the struggle of the Libyan people to get rid of injustice, and reform the
institutions of the state and society after 2011, so he published his book
“Justice and National Reconciliation; A Religious and Human Necessity”, and his
book “The National Project for Peace and Reconciliation”. He also wrote books
to strengthen the relations among sects and reform Islamic movements, as in his
book “Ibadism: An Islamic School Far from the Khawarij”.
Moreover,
He found a deficiency gap in the Islamic library in the area of of prophets and
messengers' stories (in light of the Quranic approach), so he published his
huge encyclopedia "The Origin of Human Civilization and Its Great
Leaders"; and narrated it in a systematic and interpretive style, which
took him years to complete. In the battle of the Palestinian people, Muslims
and free humans against the "Zionist" aggressors, and in the opposite
of their reliance on historical lies and fabrications in their occupation of
Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque, he published his book "The King Prophets (peace
be upon them) and the Story of the Alleged Temple", undermining their
falsehood by conclusive evidence. With the spread of manifestations of moral
decadence and sexual perversion in the world (LGBT), he published his book
"LoT (PBUH), and his call in confronting corruption and sexual shifting
and the consequent punishment".
Sixth:
The approach of many scholars, and ancient and contemporary historians relied
on “historical documentation by transmission,” or “the transmission methodology.”
This approach was known to a number of Muslim scholars and thinkers, who were accurate
in transmitting information from previous sources without changing or analyzing
it. One of the most brilliant interpreters and historians who followed this
approach was Imam al-Tabari (birth: 839- death: 923), who was famous for his
book “History of the Prophets and Kings,” in which he transmitted stories, news
and tales as reported from various sources. Likewise, Abd al-Rahman ibn
al-Jawzi (1116-1201), who relied in his books - such as “The Organized Book in
History of Kings and Nations” - on literal transmission from previous sources.
Likewise, Damascus scholar Ibn Kathir (1301-1373) in his historical encyclopedia
“The Beginning and the End” transmitted many events as reported in previous
sources.
Add
to that what was written by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445-1505), one of the
most prominent encyclopedic Muslim scholars of his time, who wrote many books
on history, interpretation of the Qur’an, hadith, and jurisprudence. In writing
history, al-Suyuti relied on the method of literal transmission from sources;
in his book (History of the Caliphs), for example, he was keen to collect
information from ancient sources keeping their texts as they were mentioned,
without adding his personal analysis except for a few points. al-Suyuti was
interested in documenting information transmitted from predecessors, mentioning
the names of historians and the sources he relied on, and this made his works a
reliable reference for those who search for the origin of information.
Among
the contemporary Muslim historians and thinkers who relied on literal
transmission in their writings is the Syrian political thinker and historian
Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i (1915-1964), one of the thinkers who wrote in the field
of Islamic history, he depended in his writings on transmission from ancient
sources, and added some commentary and analysis sometimes.
Among
the contemporary historians who followed this approach is the Egyptian Islamic
historian Dr. Mahmoud Shakir (1909-1997), who relied in his writings on
traditional Islamic sources, and maintained the texts as they are, while presenting
the historical context without much interference. Likewise, the Indian Islamic
historian and thinker Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah (1908-2002), from whose approach in
writing Islamic history we note that he added his analyses while often relying
on quoting texts from traditional sources. An example of this is his book “A
Collection of Political Documents of the Prophetic Era and the Rightly-Guided
Caliphate,” in which he collected the accessible letters and political
documents from that period.
The
direct transmission approach in the Western world is sometimes called
"textual criticism" or "textual editing", an approach that
focuses on collecting ancient texts. However, this approach is usually
accompanied by some critical notes, so it is not considered completely a literal
transmission. Benedict Anderson (1936-2015) is an example of a Western
historian. In his famous work "Imagined Communities", he used a
variety of historical sources, including literary and media texts, in a manner
close to literal transmission, while providing deep analysis and criticism of
some texts.
In
fact, Dr. Salabi’s approach to sources and references, and to writing his
books, is similar to what mentioned above. The man is highly careful not to use
his mind to change the transmitted texts. Moreover, he has no desire to use his
own mind to analyze and criticize the ideas in his books. Rather, he adopts
scientific approaches elected from a wide range of sources and references, and
quotes what he has read, or what he is convinced of from the opinions and
writings of commentators and researchers. Moreover, he quotes the Quranic text
at every opportunity while writing, and he considers the Holy Quran to be the lord
of sources, and the absolutely truthful of all in narrating the stories and
history of humanity; its past, present, and future. Therefore, Dr. Salabi says:
“Whoever writes Islamic history must have a background in the science of
Sharia, in order to access the historical truth.”
Seventh:
During my research, I found some articles and publications attributed to Dr. Sallabi
without referring to him, some of which are fake and inaccurate. Sometimes we
find published information and posts, or ideas quoted from Dr. Sallabi’s
writings and articles, or from his video recordings, but they are published on
social media in partial and incomplete forms, for personal or political
purposes and goals, often related to the Libyan crisis.
Eighth:
Many scholars, school and university students in the Islamic world were educated
on Dr. Salabi’s writings and programs, and they took insights from them in
their research, university theses, and lectures, and they studied his
methodology, interests, and views. There is no doubt that the doctor is one of
the most who published and distributed books in our time, and his book “The
Biography of the Prophet” is considered a highly famous book that researched
the biography of our Great Prophet and his preaching to Islam. He also wrote
and translated his book “The Messiah, Jesus, Son of Mary” into the main
international languages, most notably French, English, Spanish, Italian,
Russian, and German, and many Muslims and non-Muslims have benefited from it.
Ninth:
I did not find in Dr. Salabi’s writings and works anything indicating that his
goals are to pursuit fame or financial gain, so he produces a lot of them as a
consequent. The man does not receive any financial compensation for his works
from any party or publishing center, although this has been offered to him
repeatedly, but he refused. On the contrary, he grants the authority to print,
publish and translate his books to anyone who wants, which has led to thousands
of copies of his works being printed and translated into more than twenty
languages around the world. The obsession
with seeking satisfaction, reward and acceptance from Allah is the motivation
that always accompanies him. He has repeatedly stated that his goals are
summarized in empowering the religion of Islam, confronting false and deviant
ideas, and gathering the abilities of the nation in its battle with its
enemies, in addition to providing a comprehensive Islamic historical library
for current and future generations.
Tenth:
Perfection belongs to God alone, and to err is human. Every human work is apt
to contain shortcomings, and absolute perfection only God's. Since human works
are not free from shortcomings, they remain subject to criticism and analysis.
Therefore, Dr. Sallabi’s writings, which exceed eighty works in fields of
history, doctrine, Quranic interpretation, and Islamic political thought, are
not immune to this error, and they must contain some shortcomings and defects.
It is natural that we sometimes find in them digressions in the research,
deviations from the main idea of the
text, and quotations that may need to be marked, in addition to some linguistic
errors or formulations that may appear weak in the first drafts before review
and editing. Nevertheless, Dr. Sallabi demonstrates a remarkable ability to
combine the traditional Islamic approach with the modern academic style in
interpreting the Quran and writing Islamic history. As a preacher and author,
he works hard, consults experts, accepts positive criticism openly, and seeks
to correct any errors as soon as possible.
Eleventh:
This is a testimony devoted to God and let to history, based on a profound
personal experience I went through during a long period I spent close to Dr.
Ali Al-Sallabi, during which I learned a lot. I offer this testimony with a
sincere intention to God Almighty; in order to support and aid the believers, people
of Quran, men of thought, and knowledge seekers.
In
conclusion, I believe that it is the duty of the scholars,
researchers, academics, and students our nation to be just, fair, have good
faith, and speak the truth, while feeling that Allah is watching them in their
judgments, words, actions and behaviors, as everyone is responsible before
Allah, and each one of them will come to Him single on the Day of Judgment.
Allah Almighty commands justice, benevolence, and sincerity in work, and to
offer advice with kindness and sincerity. There is no doubt that beneficial
knowledge is a great divine gift, Allah Almighty says: { They (angels) said, "Exalted are You; we have
no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the
Knowing, the Wise.} (Al-Baqarah: 32).