Ahmad Shalabi
- Died
- 1421 AH
- Born in
- -
Ahmad Shalabi (d. 1421 AH / 2000 CE) was an Egyptian historian and academic who served on the faculty of Dar al-Ulum, best known for his comprehensive surveys of Islamic history and his academic methodology manuals .
Education and Academic Career
Shalabi pursued his higher academic studies and research training in the United Kingdom . At the University of London, he participated in the Department of Islamic History under the supervision of Dr. Rice, delivering research papers that were examined through structured academic debates . He then prepared his doctoral dissertation at the University of Cambridge, benefiting from its extensive library holdings and specialized academic seminars . Following his return to Egypt, he joined the Faculty of Dar al-Ulum, where he taught Islamic history and civilization .
Scholarly Contributions and Standing
Shalabi made significant contributions to the fields of academic research methodology, Islamic institutional history, and general historiography . In 1952 CE, he published Kayfa Taktub Bahthan aw Risala ("How to Write a Research Paper or Thesis"), which served as a systematic manual outlining the preparation of university dissertations from inception to final presentation and subsequently went through numerous editions .
In historiography, he authored Mawsu'at al-Tarikh al-Islami wa-l-Hadara al-Islamiyya ("Encyclopedia of Islamic History and Islamic Civilization"), a multi-volume synthesis addressing political, cultural, administrative, and social developments from the advent of Islam to modern times . He also examined early educational history in Tarikh al-Tarbiyya al-Islamiyya ("History of Islamic Education"), documenting the development of learning institutions, libraries, and their patrons across the Islamic realm . Later scholars identified him as one of the prominent contemporary authors who excelled in producing expansive general histories of the Islamic world .
Answer updated
List of Works
First published in 1952 CE, Kayfa Taktub Bahthan aw Risala is an academic research methodology manual that provides a systematic guide to preparing research papers, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations. It outlines the full trajectory of academic thesis preparation from its initial inception to final completion.