Omar Odeh al-Khatib
- Died
- 1424 AH
- Born in
- -
Omar Odeh al-Khatib (d. 1424 AH / 2003–2004 CE) was an Islamic scholar, educator, and academic who served as the chairman of the Department of Islamic Culture at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, best known for his treatise Lamahat fi al-Thaqafa al-Islamiyya (Glimpses into Islamic Culture).
Academic Career and Intellectual Activity
Al-Khatib contributed literary and historical essays dispatched from Damascus, Cairo, and Jableh to cultural periodicals, including Ahmad Hasan al-Zayyat's journal Majallat al-Risala. He later moved to Saudi Arabia, where he chaired the Department of Islamic Culture within the College of Usul al-Din at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. In addition to university teaching, he delivered public lectures on contemporary Muslim thought and cultural challenges, including his address Ummatuna wa-Afaq al-Mas'uliyya ("Our Ummah and Horizons of Responsibility") in 1401 AH (1981 CE).
His primary scholarly contribution, Lamahat fi al-Thaqafa al-Islamiyya, was completed in Riyadh in 1392 AH (1972 CE) as a foundational curriculum text outlining Islamic cultural theory, civilization, and contemporary intellectual challenges. Published in Beirut by Mu'assasat al-Risala, the work achieved widespread circulation across academic institutions and underwent numerous printings, reaching its fifteenth edition by 1425 AH (2004 CE).
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List of Works
Lamahat fi al-Thaqafa al-Islamiyya (Glimpses into Islamic Culture) is a foundational treatise on Islamic cultural theory, civilization, and contemporary intellectual challenges. Completed in Riyadh in 1392 AH / 1972 CE, the book is designed to provide students and researchers with a clear grounding in Islamic thought, society, and identity.