Awn Al-Sharif Qasim () (June 16, 1933 – January 19, 2006) was a prolific
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
ese writer,
encyclopedist
An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...
, scholar, community leader, and one of Sudan's leading experts on
Arabic language
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and
literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
.
He was a strong advocate of
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
/
Islamic
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
culture and its interweaving with
Sudanese culture. Qasim authored more than 70 books in the area of
Islamic history
The history of Islam is believed, by most historians, to have originated with Muhammad's mission in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century CE, although Muslims regard this time as a return to the original faith passed down by the Abra ...
and civilization, Arabic literature, studies in the Sudanese dialect languages.
Along with Professor
Abdalla Eltayeb and Professor Abu Saleem, Qasim was considered one of the scholars who shaped the Sudanese academic scene during the last three decades of the 20th century.
Early life and education
Qasim was born in
Sudan's ancient city
Halfayat Almilook in 1933. His father immigrated to Sudan from
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
in 1925 and settled in the city of Halfayat Almilook in
Khartoum North
Khartoum North, or Khartoum Bahri or simply Bahri (), is a city in Khartoum State, lying to the north of Khartoum city, the capital of Sudan. It has a population of 1,012,211 people, making it the third-largest city proper in Sudan, behind the ...
and became a known religious figure in the area teaching and educating on
Islamic sciences
The Islamic sciences () are a set of traditionally defined religious sciences practiced by Islamic scholars ( ), aimed at the construction and interpretation of Islamic religious knowledge.
Different sciences
These sciences include:
* : Islami ...
. Due to this background, Qasim was exposed to a heritage of Islamic and
Arabic culture
Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, in a region of the Middle East and North Africa known as the Arab world. The various religions the Arabs have adopted throughout their ...
education since his early childhood that later on shaped his life.
He graduated from the College of Liberal Arts at the
University of Khartoum
The University of Khartoum (U of K) () is a public university located in Khartoum, Sudan. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. UofK was founded as Gordon Memorial College in 1902 and established in 1956 when Sudan gained independen ...
in 1957. He earned his
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in 1960, majoring in Arabic and
Islamic studies
Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam, which is analogous to related fields such as Jewish studies and Quranic studies. Islamic studies seeks to understand the past and the potential future of the Islamic world. In this multidiscipli ...
from the
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
,
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
. In 1967, he earned his
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
from the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Career
Qasim served as a minister of religious affairs for 10 years (1971-1981) the longest period served by a minister in all Sudanese governments. During this period he demonstrated exceptional qualities as a leader and political religious figure and soon became one of the most popular and beloved ministers in Sudan's 1970s government for his strong work ethics, humbleness and honesty. He was able to connect with different religious groups and to promote ideas of peace and harmony among these groups. Qasim continued to write during this period and published dozens of books for the public. After the military coup by
Omer Al Bashir, he was arrested along with other ministers from
Nimeiri's government.
Writings
In the mid-1990s, he authored the ''
Sudanese Encyclopedia of Tribes and Genealogies'', a pioneer, state of the art series of books for the different Sudanese tribes, their roots and origins. This project has entitled him to earn
, the highest prestigious prize awarded by Sudanese government. He was also awarded the Egyptian prestigious First Class Golden Award for scientific achievements in 1992 by
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
ian
President Muhammad Husni Mubarak.
Qasim also authored the ''Dictionary of the Sudanese dialect'', another valuable source of information on Sudanese culture. His dictionary is used worldwide by scholars as a valuable reference on Sudanese dialects.
Professions and affiliations
* 1960 - 1961 University Lecturer, University of London
UK
* 1961 - 1971 University Lecturer, University of Khartoum Sudan
* 1971 - 1981 Minister of Religious Affairs, Sudan
* 1975 Founded Institute of Islamic studies, Khartoum Sudan
* 1981 President Award for Scientific achievements
* 1982 - 1984 Professor, University of Khartoum, Sudan
* 1984 - 1995 Lecturer, Khartoum International Institute for Arabic Language, 1988 Head of Institute.
* 1990 - 1994 President, University of Khartoum, Sudan
* 1993 First Honor Golden Science Award for Excellence in Writing, Egypt awarded by President Mohammad Husni Mubarak.
* 1996 President,
Omdurman Ahlia University
Omdurman Ahlia University (OAU) is a community non-profit university in Omdurman, Sudan.
It was opened on 1 November 1986 as Omdurman Ahlia College, and was upgraded to University status on 7 May 1995.
As of September 2011, the university was a ...
, Sudan
* 2000
at the Scientist Level
Special notes
* Prof. Qasim first intended to study medicine, however the Halfayat Almilook's bus was late that day, so he was late for the medical school physical exam. He then shifted his dreams and career to studies of Arabic language and literature.
Books
* ''Qamus al-lahjah al-‘ammiyah fi al-Sudan (قاموس اللهجة العامية في السودان )'' Dictionary of the local dialect in Sudan ..
* ''Al-Din fi Hayatina (الدين في حياتنا)'' Religion in our life
* ''Fi ma‘rakat al-turath (في معركة التراث )'' In War of Culture
* ''Mawsu‘at Al-qaba’il wa-al-ansab fi al-Sudan wa-ashhar asma’ al-a‘lam wa-al-amakin (موسوعة القبائل والأنساب في السودان وأشهر اسماء الاعلام والأماكن )'' ''
Sudanese Encyclopedia of Tribes and Genealogies''
* ''Al-Risalah Al-khatimah (الرسالة الخاتمة )'' The Final Message
* ''Diblumasiya Mohammed (دبلوماسية محمد )'' Diplomacy of Mohammed
* ''Fi Tariq al Islam (في طريق الاسلام)'' In the Direction of Islam
* ''Shi'r al Basra fil 'asr al Ummawi: dirasah fil siyasah wal ijtima' (شعر البصرة في العصر الاموي: دراسة في السياسة والاجتماع)'' Poetry in
Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
during the time of the
Umayyads: A study in politics and society
References
External links
Personal Website of Professor Qasim''in Arabic''
''in Arabic''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qasim, Awn Alsharif
1933 births
2006 deaths
People from Khartoum
Sudanese educators
Linguists from Sudan
Sudanese non-fiction writers
Encyclopedists
Sudanese people of Yemeni descent
University of Khartoum alumni
Alumni of SOAS University of London
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Academic staff of the University of Khartoum
20th-century Sudanese writers
21st-century Sudanese writers
Sudanese male writers
Male non-fiction writers
Recipients of Az-Zubair Prize for Innovation and Scientific Excellence
Religion Affairs ministers of Sudan