In memory of the author
Dr. Hamdy Abdel Aal
1934 – 1990
A small library preserving the books of Dr. Hamdy Abdel Aal, who was a professor at the Faculty of Sharia, Kuwait University, and making them readable and searchable.
People are driven by their beliefs more than by their ideas. Hence religions will keep holding the reins of human history and human conflict.
Arabic original
الناس تسيرهم معتقداتهم أكثر مما تسيرهم أفكارهم. من هنا فستظل الأديان بيدها زمام حركة التاريخ الإنساني والصراع البشريQuotations
From the book
Unofficial translation
People are driven by their beliefs more than by their ideas. Hence religions will keep holding the reins of human history and human conflict.
Arabic original
الناس تسيرهم معتقداتهم أكثر مما تسيرهم أفكارهم. من هنا فستظل الأديان بيدها زمام حركة التاريخ الإنساني والصراع البشري…to tell truth from illusion and right from wrong in what people believe and think. For a person's salvation and success depend on their detachment from whim and their sincerity in guiding people to truth and goodness.
Arabic original
… بيان الحقيقة من الوهم والصواب من الخطأ فيما يدين به البشر من معتقدات وآراء. فنجاة الإنسان وفوزه منوط بتجردهم من الهوى وإخلاص نياتهم في هداية الإنسان إلى الحق والخير.I pray to God, sincerely, that my motive and aim in what I have written be to contribute to the goal that is the goal of every true religion.
Arabic original
وأدعو الله مخلصاً أن يكون باعثى وقصدى فيما كتبت، الإسهام في تحقيق هذه الغاية التى هى غاية كل دين صحيح.Milal is the plural of milla, and milla means religion. Nihal is the plural of nihla, and nihla means a claim.
Arabic original
الملل: جمع ملة: والملة بكسر الميم معناها الدين. والنحل: جمع نحلة، والنحلة بكسر النون معناها الدعوى…between the milla, religion from God, and the nihla, a claim made by human beings.
Arabic original
… بين الملة كدين من الله والنحلة كدعوى من البشر.Revelation, then, is what named the true religion “Islam”: the religion with which all the prophets were charged, and which they were commanded to convey to people.
Arabic original
الوحي إذن هو الذي سمى الدين الصحيح بالإسلام، وهو الدين الذي كلف به كل الأنبياء وأمروا بتبليغه إلى الناس.Our righteous predecessors believed in its perfection and directed all their effort to realising that perfection in word and deed.
Arabic original
فكان سلفنا الصالح يؤمنون بكماله ويوجهون كل نشاطهم لتحقيق هذا الكمال في قولهم وعملهمThey subjected the Word to reason, and brought the Word down from its height and perfection to the level of their imperfect minds.
Arabic original
فأخضعوا الكلمة للعقل، وأنزلوا الكلمة من عليائها وكمالها إلى مستوى عقولهم الناقصة.About the book
Al-Milla wa al-Nihla: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
The author distinguishes the milla, religion as God revealed it, from the nihla, what people claim for themselves: opinions, schools and personal readings of the texts. He then follows that distinction through the three religions using a historical, comparative method.
We are searching
Do you have a copy of one of his books?
We know of four books, and only Al-Milla wa al-Nihla is readable here. We are looking for copies of the other three to scan and publish, and for anything else he wrote. Any lead helps: a copy, a photo of a cover, a library catalogue number, a publisher’s name.
- A paper or scanned copy of any of his books
- Details of an edition, publisher or library that holds one
- Memories, photographs or articles about him