Abd al-Shafi Muhammad Abd al-Latif
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Abd al-Shafi Muhammad Abd al-Latif (b. 1355 AH / 1936 CE) is an Egyptian historian and professor of Islamic history and civilization at Al-Azhar University in Cairo .
Education and Academic Career
Abd al-Latif was born on 10 July 1936 CE . He pursued his higher education at Al-Azhar University, earning his licentiate (al-ijaza al-aliya) in Islamic History and Civilization from the Faculty of Arabic Language in Cairo in 1966 . He was appointed as a teaching assistant in the same department on 16 October 1966 .
He obtained his master's degree in Islamic History and Civilization in 1968 and became an assistant lecturer on 10 February 1972 . Following the completion of his doctorate in the same field in 1974, he was appointed lecturer on 31 July 1974 . He advanced to assistant professor on 19 September 1979 and attained the rank of full professor of Islamic history on 10 October 1984 . On 11 July 2001, he transitioned to professor emeritus in the department .
Scholarly Focus
His research concentrated on early Islamic history, the prophetic biography (al-Sira al-Nabawiyya), and early administrative structures . In his study Awa'il al-Mu'allifin fi al-Sira al-Nabawiyya ("Early Authors of the Prophetic Biography"), published in 1426 AH / 2005 CE, he examined the earliest documentation of the Prophet's life and military expeditions (maghazi), categorizing the early biographers across three successive generations . His broader research, collected in al-Sira al-Nabawiyya wa-al-Tarikh al-Islami ("The Prophetic Biography and Islamic History"), engaged with themes such as early Islamic governance and foreign relations .
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List of Works
This historiographical study examines the origins of recording the biography and military expeditions (maghazi) of the Prophet Muhammad. It traces the earliest generations of authors who compiled narratives of his life, beginning with the initial motives and phase of writing down biographical accounts and classifying early biographers across three successive generations.
This collection of academic studies examines pivotal themes in early Islamic history, state administration, and civilizational encounters. Compiling thirteen research papers prepared over more than twenty-five years, it combines historical source analysis with critical engagement with contemporary historiography, addressing topics such as the prophetic era, early governance, military strategy, and cross-cultural relations.