Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantawi

Dhikrayat (Memories) is an autobiographical work in eight volumes by the Syrian Islamic scholar, judge, and writer Ali al-Tantawi (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE), documenting his personal life, education, travels, career in the judiciary and education, and the intellectual and political history of the Arab and Islamic world over much of the twentieth century Nur wa Hidaya+1.

Background and Composition

The writing and publication of his memoirs had been an ambition al-Tantawi harbored for many years; he noted in his book Taʿrif ʿAmm bi-Din al-Islam (A General Introduction to Islam) that he would willingly give up all his other writings if God granted him the completion of that introductory book and his memoirs Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…. The project was repeatedly postponed until 1981, when Zuhayr al-Ayyubi persuaded him to begin serializing them in the newly launched magazine al-Muslimun Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw….

In the beginning, al-Tantawi merely dictated his recollections while others recorded them, and the first two installments were produced in this manner Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…. However, his enthusiasm soon grew, prompting him to take over the writing himself Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…. The serialized articles expanded steadily until they reached 245 episodes, concluded by an epilogue Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…+1.

Structure and Scope

In the opening episode, titled "Memories, Not Memoirs" (Dhikrayat la Mudhakkirat), al-Tantawi structured his recollections into thematic and autobiographical narratives rather than an exhaustive daily chronicle Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…. Across its 245 episodes, the work encompasses several broad phases and subjects:

• Early life and education: His upbringing in Damascus, childhood schooling, study at Maktab 'Anbar and the Sultanic School, and his traditional study under Damascene scholars outside the formal school system Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…+1.
• Political and social struggles: The Syrian resistance against the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, student protests, and early reformist journalism through publications such as Fata al-'Arab and Rasa'il al-Islah Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…+1.
• Judicial and educational career: His work in teaching across various regions, his appointment and service in the Islamic courts of Douma and Damascus, judicial reform efforts, and reflections on legal administration Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…+2.
• Travels and later life: His teaching tenures and stays in Baghdad, trips across the Arab world and abroad—including Egypt, Jerusalem, Pakistan, and Indonesia—and his eventual relocation to Saudi Arabia, residing in Riyadh and Mecca and teaching at higher colleges and institutes Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…+2.
• Literary and intellectual portraits: Accounts of major twentieth-century scholarly and literary figures, such as Muhibb al-Din al-Khatib and Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Nadwi, as well as coverage of literary journals like al-Risalah Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…+2.

Publication

The eight volumes of Dhikrayat were first published in book form between 1985 and 1989 Nur wa Hidaya+1. The work was published by Dar al-Manara in Jeddah and has since gone through several editions, with later printings reviewed, corrected, and annotated by the author's grandson, Mujahid Mamun Dayraniyah Dhikrayat - Ali al-Tantaw…+1.