Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid
Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid (1935 - 2011), was a Saudi poet, researcher, author, and historian. He studied under shaykhs and scholars, and obtained an ijazah that qualified him for teaching, authorship, and writing. In his works he covered several fields, including: Arabic language and literature, composing poetry, Islamic sciences and geography, history, and journalism.
Scholarly life of Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid
Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid was born in the city of Jubail in the Eastern Province. He studied the primary and intermediate stages, and part of secondary school, then relied on his personal efforts in acquiring knowledge. He studied religious and Arabic sciences under shaykhs and scholars before the opening of universities and obtained an academic ijazah that authorized him to teach, author, and write.
In 2014, his sons donated his library, which includes around one thousand books, to the University of Dammam (now Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University), in a section dedicated to private libraries.
Career of Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid
Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid worked as a government employee in the Ports Administration in the Eastern Province, then moved to the Ministry of Knowledge (now the Ministry of Education). He then practiced freelance work for a time, after which he devoted himself to research and authorship. He contributed to the launch of Al-Khaleej Al-Arabi magazine in 1956and worked as managing editor of the newspaper "Akhbar Al-Dhahran" from 1961 until 1964, the year in which the Press Institutions Law was issued. He chaired the Eastern Province Literary Club from its establishment in 1989 until 2006, which was the last position he held. He also worked for a period as editor-in-chief of Dareen Cultural Magazine.
Memberships of Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid
Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid obtained several memberships, including: membership of the Eastern Province Council; membership of the editorial board of the "Geographical Encyclopaedia of Saudi Arabia’s Countries" within the Saudi Geographical Society at King Saud University in Riyadh; as well as membership of the International League of Islamic Literature; and membership of the Cultural Advisory Committee at the National Festival for Heritage and Culture "Al-Janadriyah".
Works of Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid
Works by Abdulrahman Abdulkarim Al-Obaid were published in the fields of culture, Arabic language and literature, composing poetry, the sciences of Sharia and geography, and journalism.These include: the book "Literature in the Arabian Gulf", published in 1957; "The Al-Awazim Tribe: A Study of its Origins, Society, and Settlements" (1971); in addition to "Jubail: Its Past and Present" (1984); and in the same year, "The Foundations of the Islamic Methodology"; and "The Return of the Seagulls" (1996).
Al-Obaid wrote poetry from an early age, and collected his poems in two diwans: "O Nation of Truth" (1993) and "In the Procession of Dawn" (1984).These two diwans included poems he wrote for specific occasions. His poems also addressed nature, description, fraternal themes, patriotism, and social and educational guidance. Some of them were published in a number of magazines and newspapers, such as: Al-Ishaa’, Al-Jazirah, Al-Muhtajiba, Al-Sharq magazine, Al-Yamamah magazine, and Al-Khaleej Al-Arabi magazine.