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).
