Obituary of Prof. Dr. Najeeb Mahfouz Al-Hassadi

Abstract

These days, we bid farewell to the distinguished scholar Dr. Najeeb Mahjoub Al-Hassadi (may Allah have mercy on him). In appreciation of the unforgettable contributions he made to scientific research, authorship, and translation, the Libyan Authority for Scientific Research held a memorial ceremony for the late professor on 28/7/2025 at the hall of the Libyan Center for Research in Biotechnology. The deceased was one of the most prominent pioneers of authorship and translation. His works stand as testimony to this; he authored more than sixteen books and translated forty books into Arabic. He also contributed to the training and supervision of generations of researchers and students. “He grants wisdom to whom He wills among His servants.” This divine gift was manifested in the distinguished approach, thought, style, and intellectual capability of our esteemed professor. He applied this wisdom in all his books, which he used to teach in lecture halls. His intellectual style was characterized by three sensitivities: linguistic sensitivity logical sensitivity conceptual sensitivity in addition to aesthetic sensitivity. These qualities are evident to any reader of his book “Not by Reason Alone”, which stands out from his other works by taking an emotional and intuitive approach. His book “The Fallacies of Confusion” exemplifies his conceptual sensitivity, as he warned against confusing similar concepts and explained that the only way to avoid such confusion is by analyzing and precisely defining concepts. As for his logical sensitivity, it appears clearly in his works on logic, such as: Introduction to the Science of Logic The Criterion of the Criterion An Introduction to Rational Arguments The Sense of Critical Thinking In these works, he clarified the mechanisms of logical arguments, how to verify their validity, and how to evaluate them. In his book “Skepticism in the Citadel of Science”, he embodied a skeptical approach toward the humanities, affirming that sciences are not absolutely objective and that there are no final, conclusive truths in science—each truth refutes the one that came before it. He also stressed that those with strong linguistic sensitivity are best able to distinguish between sentences in terms of equivalence, a skill found only in those who master grammar and morphology, and who possess a keen linguistic sense when addressing issues. As for aesthetic sensitivity, it appears in his transition from rational inquiry to an emotional, intuitive realm that does not conform to the rigid rules of logic. Instead, it embraces the spiritual aesthetic dimension we experience in art and music. Through his refined sensitivity, he showed that certain human activities can only be grasped through intuitive knowledge—a blend of perception and contemplative insight capable of capturing beauty in meanings and details. For him, art was not merely an outward appearance but a living expression of harmony and existence