Awareness Foundation for Research and Development

Founder

Professor Muhammad Farid Al-Shayal

A life in scholarship. A legacy of knowledge.

Islamic history and civilization, manuscript editing and Arabic teaching: chapters in the scholarly life of Awareness's founder.

He passed away, may God have mercy on him, on December 10, 2019

Explore his journey
Professor Muhammad Farid El-Shayyal, founder of Awareness for Research and Development, pictured with the institution's logo
Scholarship leaves a lasting legacy.Awareness · Research and Development
A scholarly journeyA legacy of knowledge

Biography and founding

A life devoted to scholarship.
Knowledge that crosses borders.

History and civilizationAcademic researchManuscript editing

Professor Muhammad Farid Jamal al-Din al-Shayyal, founder of the “Wa’i” Foundation for Research and Development, and a part-time professor at the University of London, obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a bachelor’s degree. In history from the University of Alexandria, a Master’s in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from the University of Toronto, Canada, and a PhD in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. He participated in teaching and working in twelve universities in Egypt, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia. He also worked as Head of the Department of Islamic Studies at the Markfield Institute for Graduate Studies, University of Loughborough and University of Gloucester, United Kingdom from September 2002 until December 2009.

Academic qualifications

Milestones in a journey of learning.

From Alexandria to Toronto and Edinburgh
  1. 1967

    Bachelor’s degree (Chemical Engineering), Alexandria University,

  2. 1972

    BA (History), Alexandria University,

  3. 1973

    Diploma High (Islamic History and Civilization) Alexandria University

  4. 1976

    MA (Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies), University of Toronto

  5. 1986

    PhD (Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies), University of Edinburgh

Languages: Arabic, English, German, Russian and Persian

Experience and contributions

Across academia, translation and cultural work.

He worked as a visiting professor at the Center for Modern Languages at King's College, London, and a senior teaching assistant at the Center for Islamic Studies SOAS, London. He also served as Head of the Islamic Studies Program at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education at Loughbrough University, andAssociate Professor in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Al Maktoum Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies in Dundee, andAssociate Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies University of Westminster, andAssistant Professor in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh, a lecturer at Imam Muhammad bin Saud University in Riyadh, a visiting lecturer in the Arabic language at Central London Polytechnic, and a teaching assistant in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto. Lecturer in Islamic History at Alexandria University.

In addition to academic work, Dr. Al-Shayyal contributed to free and voluntary work. He served as news editor for a Saudi monthly in the United Kingdom, “The World of Business,” worked as a translator for Amnesty International in London, editor of the Arabic news bulletin in APTN - London, editorial advisor to The Islamic Quarterly, a periodical that specializes in reviewing Islamic culture and is published four times a year from its headquarters in London, United Kingdom, and director of the Center for Editing Islamic Texts and Manuscripts, Al Maktoum Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, and responsible for selecting Arabic books and libraries. And Islamic Studies, University Library Committee WestminsterHe writes periodic articles for a number of prominent Arab and international platforms.

Awards and recognition

Scholarly contributions
recognized and celebrated.

He won many awards, most notably "Garana" award For the best achievement in history at the University of Alexandria in 1972, and the Al-Abadi Award for the highest appreciation in Islamic history, Egyptian Historical Society1973, a British Council scholarship to study Fatimid documents in British libraries, 1975, a University of Toronto Open Scholarship to study a master’s degree in Islamic Studies, 1976, and a scholarship from the Islamic Institute. In London, for leading the team of researchers on the Road to the City Project, 1978, and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Literature, general 2010 By the Global Foundation for Peace and Unity.

Scholarly work

Research and publications.
Expertise passed through generations.

He has made multiple contributions to research and academic work in the fields of Islamic history and civilization, editing Arabic manuscripts, teaching the Arabic language to non-Arabs, Islamic movements, Sharia law, the reality of Muslims in the West, and specialized technical translation, as well as research papers and academic research supervision, the most notable of which are:

Scholarly lists reproduced from the biography in their original language.

Published research16 items
  1. Twenty articles in Al-Sharq al-Awsat (“The Middle East” an Arab daily newspaper published in London), on Islamic History and Civilisation, September 1979- April 1980.
  2. The New Color-Picture Dictionary for Children, English-Arabic, Consolidated Book Publishers, Chicago and N.Y., 1981.
  3. Two articles in the weekly bulletin of Muhammad ibn Sa’ud University, Mir’at al-Jāmi‘ah, February 1982.
  4. The Laureate of Arabia (Naguib Mahfouz), Impact International, London, 15 February 1989
  5. “The Axe of the Prophet, fresh look at the Institution of Zakah in Islam", The Muslim, London, May -June 1989.
  6. Hillenbrand,    State University of N.Y. Press, 1989 & 1990 respectively.
  7. “The Muslim Crises in Chechnya", Trends, London, March 1995.
  8. Tarikh al-Duwal wal-Muluk, by Ibn Al-Furat, Volume 2, edited with an introduction and extensive study of the work and the author.  Dar Al-Wafa’, Cairo, 1997.
  9. A glossary of the Arabic terms used in the field of human rights, Amnesty International Secretariat, London, 1998
  10. Abbas Al-‘Aqqad, and his Journey from Skepticism to Faith, IQ, 46:4, Dec.2002
  11. Ibn al-Furat, an Egyptian Historian from the 15th century, IQ, 47:2, June 2003
  12. Relations between Nur al-Din and Salah al- Din as portrayed in Ibn al Athir’s al Kamil fi al Tarikh, The Islamic Quarterly, 48: 3, Sep 2004.
  13. The Story of Islam, ( with R.L. Jones), Usborne Young Reading, Usborne Publishing Ltd., London, UK, 2007.
  14. Islam: State and Citizenship, Towards a Civic Democratic Islamic Discourse II (Editing and Translation into English), Al- Quds Center for Political Studies, Amman Jordan and Konrad- Adenauer- Stiftung, Berlin, 2010
  15. “ Min dakhil al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin” an Arabic translation of “ Inside the Muslim Brotherhood” by Youssef Nada and Douglas Thompson , Dar Al-Shorouk, Cairo, 2013
  16. Various review articles in: “The Islamic Quarterly”, “MW Book Review” and “Friends of Al-Aqsa” periodicals.
Academic research30 items
  1. ”The fall of the Ottoman Caliphate - the aftermath”, Muslim Student Society UK and Eire - Annual Conference, Dec. 1979
  2. “Hajj – its significance in Islam”, Dar Al-Islam Conference, University of York, April 1984
  3. “The Markets of Baghdad in the Third Century of Hijra”, School of Abbasid Studies Conference, St. Andrews University, August 1985.
  4. “The Institution of Hisba, its Development & Municipal Implementation”, Seminar Paper, Department of Islamic Studies, University of Edinburgh, February 1986.
  5. ”The Lawful and Unlawful in Islam”, Teachers Training Course, Islamic Cultural Centre, London, May 1988
  6. “ Islam and Fundamentalism - Egypt: A Case Study, 1928-48”, The Muslim College, London, October 1988
  7. ”The Islamic State in the thought of Hasan Al-Banna (1907-1949)”, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, University of Oxford, December 1990
  8. ”Recent attempts of Re-writing Islamic History in Modern Egypt”, The Muslim College, London, February 1991
  9. ”Muslim Spain, The Cradle of Modern Western Civilization”, Conference on "500 Years, The Fall of Granada, University of Essex, February 1992.
  10. ” Muslim Conquests, Were they necessary?”, A One-Day Seminar on the re-thinking of Islamic History, organised by the   Association of Muslim Researchers, London, October 1993
  11. ” Muslims in the West, Present Challenges and Future Aspirations”, the main lecture in a conference under the same theme, Muslim Students Society of UK and Eire (MSS), University of Leeds, December 1993.
  12. ” ‘Abbas Mahmud Al-’Aqqad-from Skepticism to Faith”, Egyptian Culture Centre Series of Lectures on Modern Arab Writers. March 1994.
  13. “Towards a Standard Course for teaching Arabic to the Arab (and Muslim) children in the UK”, in a two day seminar organized by ALESCO, Leicester, April 1995
  14. “How far is Shari’a applicable in our times? “, A one day conference on Islam, Department of Theology, Gloucester College of Higher Education, 12 November 1996
  15. “Elements of Flexibility in Islamic Shari’a”, Seminar paper, Centre for Islamic Studies, SOAS, March 1997
  16. ”The contribution of Muslims to the development of modern social sciences”, Symposium on Europe and the Islamic Civilization, the Islamic Cultural Centre, Gibraltar, August 1997.
  17. “Education and the Preservation of Muslim Identity”, Symposium on Muslim Minorities in the West, The Islamic Cultural Centre, Edinburgh, August 1998.
  18. ”Ijtihad in the second half of the 20th Century”, Muslim Welfare House, Jan. 1999.
  19. “The relation between Nūr al-Dīn Maĥmud and Şalāĥ al-Dīn”, PG seminar, Centre for study of Islamic-Christian relations, University of Birmingham, Nov. 1999
  20. “Terrorism Act 2000 and its impact on the Arab and Islamic communities in the UK”, Political Prospect Centre, Univ. of Westminster, April 2001
  21. “ Islam for World Peace and Justice”, University of Dundee, April 2002.
  22. “ The objectives of Islamic Shari‘a”, Centre for the Multifaith Studies, University of Derby, March 2003
  23. Towards the establishment of a reference authority for serving Arabic language teaching in the UK, Conference of Promoting the teaching of Arabic in UK, London, 2004
  24. “Extremism in Islamic History”, Home Office Institute, Imam Training Unit, Derby,  October 2005
  25. Muhammad (pbuh) the man, in one day on the Prophet, Gothenburg Sweden, March 2007
  26. Towards QA standards for Islamic Universities, a paper presented to a symposium under the same theme, organized by Umm al Qura University and ISESCO, Makkah al Mukarramah, 11-13 May 2008.
  27. Islam and ethics of war, Armed Forces Muslim Community Conference, MoD, AF Chaplaincy Centre, Andovar, April 2010
  28. The rise and fall of the Fatimid state in Egypt, a critical approach, post graduate seminar, Centre for Islamic Studies, SOAS, March, 2013
  29. British Orientalism, Characteristics and Updates, The Qatar Foundation, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Doha, Feb. 2016.
  30. Glimpses from the history of the Moghul Islamic Empire, The Forum for Arab and International Relations, Doha, April 2018
Academic supervision3 items
  1. 10 Ph.D, at the following universities: Edinburgh; Westminster; Portsmouth; Loughborough and Glocester University
  2. One M Phil. University of Salford.
  3. 70 MA theses: Universities of Westminster, Abertay Dundee and MIHE
Arbitration of scientific theses3 items
  1. 45 Ph.D. theses between 1993 and now, at the following universities:  Aberdeen, AUL, Bath, Birmingham, Durham, Glasgow, Glocester, London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Salford, Southampton, and Wales.
  2. 6 M.Phil. theses at Universities of Newcastle, Leeds and Wales.
  3. 16 MA theses Universities of Heriot-Watt and Hamad Bin Khalifa
Links with external agencies27 items
  1.  External validator, Polytechnic of Manchester for the course leading to the Polytechnic Certificate in Islamic Studies, October 1989. Acted in the same capacity for the validation of the upgrading of the same course to become a Diploma, July 1994
  2.  Design of teaching plans for the implementation of A-Level Arabic syllabus for The King Fahad Academy, London 1990.                                                                                                                                         30 talks (15 minutes each) on Islamic Civilization, Radio Spectrum International, London, March-April 1991.
  3.  External Examiner, Arabic Language and Literature, Centre for Islamic Studies, St David’s College, University of Wales, 1990-91.
  4.  Examiner, University of London, Examinations and Assessment Council, (A-Level Arabic), 1992 - 2008
  5.  5 seminars delivered on The Contribution of Orientalists to Islamic Studies, organised by SOAS for 15 Indonesian      PG students, pursuing PG studies in Western universities, Aug 1992
  6.  Consultant to Al-Furqan Foundation for Islamic Heritage, London, 1992 - 1998
  7.  Assessor for the Arabic courses taught at Islamiya Primary and Secondary Schools, April 1993.
  8.  Member of the Education committee of the Union of Muslim Organisations UK and Ireland (UMO), 1992- 2000
  9.  Examiner for Ministry of Defence School of Languages, Arabic Diploma, 1996 to 2000
  10.  8 talks (15 mins. Each) to Dubai TV (English channel) on Islam and Muslims in the West, 1997
  11.  Member of the Board of Trustees, Al-Qur’an Education Trust for the promotion of teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies among the Muslim Community in the UK. 1996 - 2003
  12.  External Examiner, Postgraduate programme, University of Heriot-Watt, October 1996- Oct.1999.
  13.  Examiner/ Assessor Institute of Linguists, London 1997 to date
  14.  Member of the Advisory Board for the Institute European Sciences Humanities, Chateau-Chinon, France, 1994 – 2008
  15.    Member of the Advisory Board for the Institute European Sciences Humanities, Wales, UK, 2008 - 2016
  16.  Member of the Advisory Board of the Centre of Islamic Studies, SOAS, University of London, January 1996-Dec 2000
  17.  Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Qur’anic Studies, SOAS
  18.  Referee for the Scottish Journal of Religious Studies, January 1996-8
  19.  President of the British-Egyptian Society, March 1996-Feb 1997.
  20.  Consultant for the "Faith Zone" at the Millennium Dome, 1999.
  21.  Member of the panel which appointed the first Muslim advisor to HM Prisons service, 2000
  22.  External examiner, Centre for Modern Languages, Univ. of London, King’s College, 2001-3
  23.  A founder member of the Centre of political and Media Studies, London, March 2001
  24.  Editor, “The Islamic Quarterly”, a review of Islamic Culture published by the Islamic Cultural Centre, London UK, January 2002- July 2005
  25.  Examiner FCO Language group, 2003 – 2005
  26.  External examiner, London School of Business, 2003- 2007
  27.  External examiner, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University 2017.