With 320 books to his name, Sheikh Muhammad bin Nasser Al-Aboudi stands as a pioneer of travel literature and the foremost chronicler of cultural and geographical heritage.
Ahwal Al-Ma'rifa – Special
He was one of the most prominent pioneers of travel literature in the Kingdom. He traveled across the world from the far east to the far west, journeying through the jungles of Africa and Asia to explore and introduce the customs, traditions, rituals, and most notable cultural and heritage landmarks of different peoples. He authored around 320 books covering various fields of literary, linguistic, folkloric, historical, and geographical knowledge, making him one of the leading figures of Saudi culture and one of its great pioneers.
He was Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser Al-Aboudi (1345–1443 AH / 1926–2022 AD), a Saudi traveler, writer, preacher, author, and historian. He wrote about Sweden, Thailand, India, Mali, Kyrgyzstan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Suriname, Kashmir, Cape Verde, Russia, Paraguay, Albania, China, Yugoslavia, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Poland, the Maldives, Ceylon, Central America, Dagestan, Australia, and many other countries and continents. He thus earned the title of the “modern Ibn Battuta,” having traveled across the world from one end to the other.
Early Life and Birth
He was born in 1345 AH, on the last day of the month of Rabi' al-Thani, corresponding to November 5, 1926 AD. He studied in the city of Buraydah at a traditional Quranic school, then at a government school, and later under numerous scholars. Among those from whom he benefited were his first teacher, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Humaid; Sheikh Omar bin Mohammed bin Salim; Sheikh Saleh bin Ahmed Al-Khuraissi; Sheikh Saleh bin Abdulrahman Al-Sukaiti; and many others.
He worked as a teacher, then became director of the Scientific Institute in Buraydah. He later became Secretary-General of the Islamic University of Madinah for thirteen years. Subsequently, he served as the university's deputy and then as its director. He later held the position of Assistant Secretary-General of the Muslim World League. His work at the League, and previously at the Islamic University of Madinah as its Secretary-General, enabled him to visit most parts of the world.
Travel Literature
Most of Sheikh Al-Aboudi's writings focused on travel literature. Although his education was religious, particularly in the field of Islamic jurisprudence, most of his works were literary, while another portion focused on the Arabic language. Among his most notable works of travel literature are: “To the South of the North: Sweden,” “Pattani or Southern Thailand,” “Rajasthan: The Land of Kings” (from the Indian Travel Series), “Lines from the Seen and the Narrated about the Land of Takrur: A Journey through Mali and an Account of Its Glorious Past and New Present,” “Kyrgyzstan: A Study of Its Past and Field Observations,” “Days in Vietnam,” “Guyana and Suriname,” “Muslims in Laos and Cambodia: A Journey and Field Observations,” “Touring Kashmir,” “From Angola to Cape Verde,” “The Russian Journey,” “Between Uruguay and Paraguay,” “I Was in Albania,” “In Southern China,” “Days in Niger,” “I Was in Bulgaria,” and “Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic,” among many other books on travel literature.
Genealogy and Language
In the field of genealogy, he authored a large collection of books, including “Dictionary of the Families of Al-Qassim,” a substantial work comprising a collection of books, and “Dictionary of the Families of Unaizah.” He also authored “Dictionary of the Families of Buraydah” in twenty-three volumes.
In the Arabic language, he authored “Words That Perished,” “Foreign Words in Our Colloquial Language,” “Dictionary of the Classical Origins of Colloquial Words” (in 13 volumes), and “Dictionary of Hunting and Game in Popular Usage.” Al-Aboudi was also interested in colloquial expressions and popular proverbs, seeking to connect them to Classical Arabic by tracing words back to their origins through comparison. Among his works in this field is “Popular Proverbs in Najd” (5 volumes).
Al-Aboudi received recognition from numerous institutions and was awarded several prizes, medals, and certificates in appreciation of his scholarly and literary contributions. He was awarded the Order of King Abdulaziz, First Class, in 1424 AH / 2003 AD. His book “Dictionary of the Classical Origins of Colloquial Words” also won the Book of the Year Award presented by the Riyadh Literary and Cultural Club in its third edition in 1431 AH (2010 AD). His book “Dictionary of Clothing in Popular Tradition” won the Ministry of Culture and Information's Book Award for 1435 AH (2014 AD). His book “Dictionary of the Face of the Earth and Its Associated Mountains, Wells, Open Spaces, and Similar Features in Popular Traditions” also won the King Abdulaziz Book Award in its second edition in 1436 AH (2015 AD), in the category for books related to the geography of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
On 7 Ramadan 1442 AH, corresponding to April 19, 2021 AD, he was honored with the Cultural Personality of the Year Award as part of the National Cultural Awards initiative of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Perhaps one of the most striking aspects of Al-Aboudi's character is that he did not graduate from specialized or prestigious universities. He began his education in the traditional “kuttab” system, which was the prevailing form of education before the establishment of formal education in the Kingdom decades ago. However, his self-reliance, intelligence, enthusiasm for learning, perseverance, patience, and diverse talents enabled him to shape himself into a unique personality. This made him the dean of Arab travelers in the modern era and enabled him to compile numerous encyclopedic works on genealogy, popular culture, the Arabic language, and its sciences.
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