Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Bishr

In the past, one would learn from the pages of books in order to obtain the material they sought. To achieve this, they had to read a number of related books to gather the required material. From that material, a good or bad idea would emerge, whether in the field of pure applied sciences or various human sciences. Therefore, it was necessary for a doctoral student, for example, to list in the introduction of their thesis the books from which they took their material and the references they consulted and read. Thus, they could not reach their goal without being familiar with the contents of those books, then relying on or citing what was in them, and excluding what was not related to their research.

Anyone who wanted to write a book on a specific topic would not leave any relevant detail, big or small, untouched. For example, when writing the book “Mabahij al-Andalus,” more than a hundred references were consulted, several manuscripts were read, and visits were made to libraries in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Spain, as well as private libraries and zawiyas, in search of additional material. It was necessary to rely on major works in this field, such as “Al-Dhakhira,” “Al-Iqd al-Farid,” “Nafh al-Tib,” “Azhar al-Riyad,” “Qala’id al-Uqban,” “Al-Mutrib,” “Matmah al-Anfus,” “Al-Muqtabis,” “Nathir Fara’id al-Juman” by Ibn al-Ahmar, “Jadhwat al-Muqtabis,” “Al-Mu’jib,” “Nufadat al-Jirab,” “Al-Rayhana,” “Al-Kutayba al-Kamina,” and others. Hardly any book about al-Andalus was left unread. Likewise, the diwans of Andalusian poets were read, such as Al-Ghazal, Ibn Shahid, Ibn Khafaja, the famous poet Ibn Zaydun, the poet and captive king Ibn Abbad, Al-Samir, Ibn Hazm, Al-Rusafi al-Andalusi, Abu al-Barakat, Wallada, and Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib, the eloquent poet of two lives and two graves, and Ibn Zamrak, who sought to kill Ibn al-Khatib and succeeded, but then fate turned against him and he was killed—God does not waste the rights of His servants.

I recently read a book by a scholar, may God have mercy on him, who needs no introduction. He had expertise in history, geography, and genealogy, and authored valuable books, research, and articles. His book was about Ibrahim ibn Arabi, who was governor of al-Yamama in central Najd under the Umayyads. The book was not limited to Ibrahim ibn Arabi but extended to others. In it, he referred to major works by authors such as Al-Tabari, Ibn Qutayba, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa’d, Al-Baladhuri, Ibn al-Kalbi, Ibn Abd Rabbih, and Khalifa Khayt, who died in 222 AH. Imam al-Bukhari, Ibn al-Athir, Ibn Kathir, and others studied under him.

Today, with technological advancement, one does not need to read all these books, move between libraries, or travel from one country to another. It is not necessary to read everything in these books to find the desired material. One only needs to place their finger or speak into their device, and it will write what they want, in the way they prefer. If they want it brief, it does so; if they want it lengthy, it elaborates. This is amazing. Even the Friday sermon preacher only needs his finger on his device, and the sermon is before him, in the format he wants. Will authors stop writing? Or will the way of reaching an idea be different? Because thinking and arriving at a new result is in human hands, not the device’s—so far. But in the future, the device may be made to think; this is something that might happen. Today may differ from tomorrow, just as it differs from yesterday. Humans remain humans, who are creative, set goals and purposes, and will remain beings with emotions and taste, by which they judge what they encounter, accepting what they like and find appealing, and rejecting what they find burdensome and disgraceful.