With ink pulsating with love and gratitude, far removed from subjectivity and bias, and following the path of objectivity in biography and journey, the writer Tariq bin Muhammad bin Nasser Al-Aboudi wrote a distinguished book, telling the life story of his father, Sheikh Muhammad bin Nasser Al-Aboudi (1345-1443 AH), entitled (I tell you about my father... something of his life... something of his works); which is an indispensable reference for all researchers about his father (1354-1443 AH), who is considered one of the most prominent of the Saudi pioneer generation and one of the most prolific in production and diverse in the arts.

The book sheds light on the human dimension of Al-Aboudi's personality, portraying him as a son, father, husband, and government employee. It provides important details about his personal life, his approach to his family, his charitable work, and his published works, including dictionaries, biographies, travelogues, and other literary genres. The author also offers his perspective on these works, as well as on dozens of Al-Aboudi's unpublished books and dictionaries, and their future prospects. The 359-page book begins with the author explaining his initial idea, stating that he showed it to his father, who approved a preliminary draft after making some handwritten revisions and asked him to complete it. The author notes that his father lived during a golden age, which, having lived through a pivotal period bridging two distinct eras, enabled him to utilize contemporary tools while drawing upon the background of a different time. This allowed him to ultimately write, record, and secure a prominent place for himself in his country's cultural history. The author explained that his father occupied himself with what he loved and dedicated himself to it, and chose to stay away from the limelight and abstained from being in the spotlight and famous, yet he enjoyed high esteem among many people.

Loyalty and an increase in knowledge and information

The author explained that his father was born in Buraidah on the 1st of Rabi’ al-Thani 1345 AH, corresponding to October 7, 1926, and joined the Kuttab (traditional Islamic school), then moved to the Muhammad bin Saleh Al-Wahibi School in 1356 AH, then obtained the primary certificate. He mentioned that his father was in a constant race to increase his knowledge and information, and his attempts to learn the English language, and he sought to spread its learning, in addition to learning a little of the Portuguese and French languages.

The author mentioned his father’s loyalty to his sheikh, Abdullah bin Muhammad Hamid, and that his writing of the book (Sheikh Al-Allamah Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Hamid as I knew him) clarifies the extent of the sheikh’s influence on his father’s journey, and this is evident from his saying: “He is the greatest sheikh I have studied under, and the greatest person who has influenced my life, benefiting and helping me, and I still say and declare this because it is the truth, rather he is for me a sheikh, a father, and an educator.”.

Under the heading "The Husband," his only wife and the mother of all his children, Noura bint Abdullah bin Musa Al-Ghasib (1355 AH - 22/7/1442 AH), spoke. Perhaps his father's acknowledgment of his wife's role in raising the children, in a verse of poetry he composed on the occasion of his seventieth birthday and which was published in his biography in "The Dictionary of Buraydah Families," confirms this

And my husband, I will never forget the kindness of Umm Nasser *** and the upbringing of the children when I am away from my family

I am absent, yet my soul is at peace around them, *** And in the house, she remains everything to me

A thirst for knowledge on a global scale

Under the heading "The Employee," the author indicated that his father's professional biography is the most obvious chapter of his life for readers, as in his book (Seventy Years in Government Service) he leaves little room for anyone to say more about him.

He pointed out that his father moved between jobs from teacher to principal of Al-Mansouriya School, principal of the Scientific Institute, then the General Secretariat of the Islamic Call, the Islamic University, the Muslim World League, and other positions.

He explained that his father wrote on page 375 of the second part of his book (Seventy Years in Government Service) his sincere feeling about working at the Islamic University, saying: “I found in working at the Islamic University what satisfied my curiosity and my love for helping Muslims and quenched my thirst for knowledge on a global level. The students that we brought in as scholarship students were from different countries and their people had multiple colors and different clothes, and they are the truest example of the noble verse (And the diversity of your languages ​​and colors). Then, most importantly, getting to know the people who came to know them through knowing the students, from heads of Islamic associations around the world, from ambassadors who visited their students or checked on them, and from letters that poured into the university from around the world.”.

Passion for the arts and 216 books

Under the heading (The Author), the writer mentioned that his father was passionate about several arts, and he was so organized that it was forbidden for the entire family to move a piece of paper in his office, or to be lazy in returning a book to its proper place.

He explained that the books printed during his father’s lifetime amounted to 216 books or titles, more accurately, ranging from a book consisting of 23 volumes to a booklet with 27 pages; among them are: Popular proverbs in Najd, In Green Africa: Observations, Impressions and Talks about Islam and Muslims, My Memories in Africa, Breezes of Quranic Tranquility, News of Abu al-Ayna al-Yamami, The Geographical Dictionary of the Qassim Region, Madagascar, the Land of the Lost Muslims, and other various and numerous titles.

Under the heading "Travel Books," the author explained that the travel books written by his father are characterized by their elegance and easy style. They are easy to digest, do not exhaust the reader's mind, but rather take him on a smooth journey, listening to a skilled speaker who tells his story without burdening him, as he describes his observations without neglecting the small details that pass before his eyes.

People's biographies and the ability to organize

In the section titled “Biographies,” the author of the book noted that his father wrote several books about the biographies of people whom he believed should be recorded, perhaps the most prominent of which were what he wrote about his sheikhs and companions on his journey; namely Sheikh Abdullah bin Humaid, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Saleh, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Harkan, and other books of biographies.

In the title of his poetry, the author pointed out that his father did not consider himself a poet despite his ability to compose poetry, so he named his poetry collection (Diwan of a Non-Poet). However, the author does not understand why his father was keen to establish the idea that he was not a poet, even though his poetry scattered throughout his books, especially travel books, contains a lot of aesthetics, as his father wrote in his biography of himself in the Dictionary of Buraidah Families, “I do not consider myself a poet, but I compose metrical words that are called poetry on some occasions.”.

Awards and recognition at various events

In the section titled “Honoring and Awards,” the author noted that his father was honored at several events and won a number of awards. He also mentioned that he missed recording some awards and occasions of honoring him. The most prominent of these was his honoring at the 19th Janadriyah Festival as the Cultural Personality of the Year, where the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, awarded him the King Abdulaziz Medal of the First Class on 10/23/1424 AH. He also won the Sultan Qaboos Medal for Culture, Science and Arts of the Second Class, on the occasion of Muscat being chosen as the Capital of Arab Culture in 2006. The Ministry of Education honored him in 1394 AH with the Medal of Merit in Literature at a conference entitled “The First Saudi Writers Conference.” The Sheikh Hamad Al-Jasser Cultural Foundation honored him as a cultural figure with a certificate of appreciation, which he received from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz. He won the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Appreciation Award for Pioneers in the History of the Arabian Peninsula. He also won the King Abdulaziz Book Award in its second session and won the “Cultural Personality of the Year” award within the “National Cultural Awards” initiative. Organized by the Ministry of Culture under the patronage of the Crown Prince, in recognition of his rich literary career, in addition to various honors from different entities.