Sulayman bin Hamad al-Awda
- Died
- -
- Born in
- Riyadh
Sulayman bin Hamad al-Awda (b. 1374 AH / 1954 CE) is a Saudi historian, academic, and preacher specializing in early Islamic history and the prophetic biography.
Early Life and Education
Sulayman bin Hamad bin Abd Allah bin Awda was born in Riyadh in 1374 AH (1954/1955 CE). He completed his primary schooling in Buraidah at al-Faysaliyya School before transferring in his sixth year to Tariq bin Ziyad School, subsequently entering the Scientific Institute in Buraidah. He pursued undergraduate studies at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, graduating from the Department of History within the College of Arabic and Social Sciences in 1396 AH.
Continuing his postgraduate work in the same department, he earned his master's degree in 1402 AH with a thesis examining the figure of Abdullah ibn Saba and early Islamic civil strife (Abdullah bin Saba wa-Atharuhu fi Ahdath al-Fitna fi Sadr al-Islam). In 1407 AH, he completed his doctorate with a comparative dissertation analyzing the Meccan period of the prophetic biography in the two Sahih compilations and the narrative of Ibn Ishaq.
Academic Career and Public Activities
Al-Awda began his administrative career at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, where he was appointed vice dean of student affairs in Riyadh in 1404 AH. He subsequently served as vice dean of the College of Arabic and Social Sciences in al-Qassim from 1405 to 1408 AH, and served as dean of the college between 1409 and 1414 AH. He later became a professor of Islamic history—specializing in the prophetic biography and the caliphs—at Qassim University, where he served as a member of its scientific council from 1426 AH and headed the university appointments committee.
Beyond his university appointments, al-Awda joined the Union of Arab Historians in Cairo, the Holy Quran Memorization Society in Buraidah, and the Qassim Literary Club, which published his analytical study Haykal fi Manzil al-Wahy (Haykal in the House of Revelation). He took part in various forums and academic conferences, including the World Assembly of Muslim Youth forum in Riyadh in 1422 AH, the First National Dialogue Forum in Riyadh in 1423 AH, and a conference on Islamic action held in Sudan in 1425 AH.
In religious life, al-Awda began delivering sermons across various mosques in 1400 AH, and became the regular Friday preacher (khatib) at the Abdullah bin Hamad al-Awda Mosque in western Sultanah in Buraidah in 1412 AH. His pulpit sermons were compiled and published in a multi-volume collection titled Shu'a' min al-Mihrab (A Ray from the Prayer Niche).
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List of Works
Kayfa Dakhala al-Tatar Bilad al-Muslimin (How the Tatars Entered the Lands of the Muslims) is a historical study examining the origins, catalysts, and underlying factors behind the Mongol invasions of the Islamic world, culminating in the fall of Baghdad and the end of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Shu'a' min al-Mihrab (A Ray from the Prayer Niche) is a multi-volume collection of Islamic sermons compiling addresses delivered over various periods at the Sultanah Mosque in Buraidah.