Najib al-Aqiqi
- Died
- 1402 AH
- Born in
- -
Najib al-Aqiqi (1335–1402 AH / 1916–1982 CE) was a Lebanese researcher, writer, and diplomat best known for his encyclopedic biographical work al-Mustashriqun (The Orientalists) .
Life and Career
Najib al-Aqiqi was born in Kfardebian, Lebanon, and received his early education in its national schools . He began his career in Lebanon working in journalism for the periodicals al-Ahwal, al-Sharq, and al-Masa', and taught Arabic literature at the Patriarchal College between 1936 and 1938 .
He subsequently moved to Cairo, where he attended the Egyptian University as an auditing student in the departments of political economy and philosophy between 1939 and 1942 . Beginning in 1945, he taught Arabic literature, translation, and Islamic philosophy for the French Baccalaureate section at the Jesuit Fathers' school, as well as teaching at the Franciscan Nuns' school . Nominated by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, al-Aqiqi served at the League of Arab States from 1952 to 1974, advancing from attaché to counselor . Alongside his diplomatic and academic positions, he delivered lectures at cultural clubs and on radio broadcasts, and published essays, studies, and translations in journals such as al-Makshuf, al-Uruba, al-Kitab, al-Katib al-Misri, and al-Majalla . He died in Cairo in 1402 AH (1982 CE) .
Standing and Reception
Al-Aqiqi's primary scholarly contribution was his biographical encyclopedia al-Mustashriqun (The Orientalists), which documented Western scholars of Arab and Islamic studies, their institutions, and their academic output across ten centuries . Contemporary reviewers in periodicals such as Majallat al-Risala praised the work for assembling and evaluating the dispersed biographical records, motives, and scholarly contributions of Orientalists in the Arabic language . Later specialists on Orientalism, including Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Namla, noted that the book became a foundational reference relied upon broadly by researchers writing on Western Islamic studies due to the scale and detail of its entries .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Mustashriqun (The Orientalists) is an Arabic biographical encyclopedia surveying Western scholars of Arab and Islamic studies, their institutions, and their academic contributions over the course of a millennium.