French Orientalist Count de Duboullainvilliers and his book History of the Arabs and the Life of Muhammad

Abstract

Abstract: There is no doubt that French Orientalist studies paid great attention to Arab-Islamic civilization, by recruiting an army of Orientalists for this task. They wrote on various topics like Arab history and the biography of the Prophet, to name a few. One of these orientalists is the French Duboullainvilliers, who wrote his book (History of the Arabs and the Life of Muhammad), in which he depicted many subjects; the history of the Arabs before Islam, the history of the north the south and the center of Arabia till reaching to the revelation descended on prophet Muhammad (God’s blessing and peace be upon him). Duboullainvilliers is considered one of the famous orientalists in France during the seventeenth century AD, so researching his personality along with his book is significant in the sense that both reflects the Western point of view. It is also obvious that most of the orientalists’ work is in accordance with the policy of their own countries. However, the indisputable truth of orientalism is religious motive which is the primary motive of orientalism.

The nation needs to establish academic institutions and schools that specialize in Orientalism and intellectual invasion, to demonstrate to the nation's children the danger it poses to their religion and faith, and to find ways to protect themselves from it. Furthermore, responding to Orientalists can be done by writing objective books and research on Islamic history and the Prophet's biography, based on a solid methodology that includes opinions and interpretations that go beyond their works. Defending the East can also be done through academic dialogue, by presenting scientific arguments and evidence.