Face of Truth: Between the Books and the Wooden Benches..!

Ibrahim Shaglawi

In our days at Cairo University in Khartoum, the libraries and wooden benches were more than tools for reading and sitting, and “al-khalt”—that special term perhaps understood only by that generation—the university life was arenas for refining thought and shaping the tools of criticism and political analysis. Every book was a gateway to exploring the world, and every corner discussion an opportunity to sharpen awareness.

The experience was not individual; rather, it expressed the spirit of an entire generation of enthusiastic youth. A generation that saw politics as an open arena for the dialogue of ideas and a vast field for testing intellectual acquisition, while consciously examining the national programs that filled the scene at the time.

All this took place away from the dominance of the individual or the pitfalls of political opportunism, under a mindful focus on building the state and consolidating its institutions and platforms. It was a generation devoted to the state-building project, determined to combine knowledge with awareness, theory with practice.

In my estimation, this generation was carefully prepared through competition over knowledge, the exchange of arguments, and confronting ideas with an open mind, far from imitation and conflict. The intellectual rivalry among colleagues—whose sharp engagements and approaches I still recall: Adel Al-Aqab, Hisham Al-Quni, Afraa Hassan Ahmed, and Shams Al-Absar Al-Sharif—was more than an exchange of knowledge; it was training in critical analysis and refining the tools of realistic understanding of politics, society, and life. Principles and programs remained the compass, far from personal gains or momentary maneuvering.

At the heart of this intellectual formation, Professor Atef Al-Iraqi played a pivotal role by presenting Arab philosophy and critical thought in a way that captivated our minds and influenced our thinking, especially when focusing on Ibn Tufayl and the novel Hayy ibn Yaqzan, which represents the pinnacle of the synthesis between philosophy, literature, religion, and education.

As I recall, the story tells of a human who grew up alone on an island and, inspired by nature and the universe, arrived at the realization of the necessity of a Creator’s existence, while addressing the relationship between God, humanity, and nature. The narrative underwent an important intellectual evolution: it was first written by Ibn Sina during his imprisonment, then revisited by Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi, further developed by Ibn Tufayl, and later reformulated by Ibn al-Nafis to align with his philosophical vision.

This synthesis stirred within us deeper awareness of the nature of knowledge and critical thought, linking moral contemplation with the capacity for political and social analysis.

Alongside Arab philosophy, Dr. Amira Helmy Matar formed a gateway to modern Western political philosophy through her study of thinkers such as Hobbes and Hegel, who examined the conditions of legitimacy, the relationship between the individual and the state, and authority and freedom. This provided us with advanced tools to understand political structures and to evaluate political projects according to clear standards, far from leaping over reality or blind conformity.

This precise cumulative approach between Arab and Western heritage granted—let us say—our generation a critical mode of thinking and the ability to see politics as a tool for change and transformation, not merely a struggle of ideas or a contest for individual gains.

When this intellectual formation is projected onto today’s Sudanese reality, the gap between the university experience and the behavior of current political parties becomes evident. Many parties tend toward short-term, situational alliances, pursuing personal and individual gains, exploiting the public’s disillusionment and disappointment after their failure to manage the transition and safeguard the state since the fall of Omar al-Bashir’s regime in 2019.

This failure and the accompanying opportunism have rendered politics short-term, weak in framework, and devoid of an integrated national project—as if the collective intellectual experience shaped by that university generation, which perhaps formed part of these structures, had no direct impact and its ideas found no real echo on the political ground.

Today’s attempts by parties to leap over history and reality by prioritizing self-interest over enlightened thought confirm that the absence of commitment to principles and critical knowledge leads to political fragility and the loss of the capacity for change.

The university experience taught us that free thought, constructive criticism, and adherence to principles are tools capable of reshaping societies, preserving the state, and reorganizing the relationship between power and legitimacy, and between security and civil entitlement. What is needed are attentive new actors and an aware, ambitious leadership.

Between the wooden benches and open books, and the fleeting alliances and political opportunism, the difference appears clearly: a generation that seeks knowledge and principles, that sees politics as a struggle of ideas and national projects, capable of transforming thought into practice and intellectual energy into a sustainable national project—versus political forces searching for momentary gains, ignoring the social and intellectual dimension that shapes the state, constrained by transient alliances and self-interests, unable to build legitimacy or a stable national project that unites Sudanese people.

I conclude by saying—according to #Face_of_Truth: the university experience was not merely a personal phase but a mirror of the spirit of an entire generation striving to rebuild politics on the foundations of free thought, wisdom, and devotion to the nation, far from the constraints of corrupt rule or external dependency. From here, the central lesson emerges: the re-establishment of the state and society in Sudan cannot be achieved except through commitment to critical thought, national principles, and the ability to link theory with practical reality—away from opportunism and transient alliances that prioritize self-interest over the national project and turn politics into a momentary game incapable of real reconstruction that guarantees the people security, stability, and prosperity.

Wishing you continued health and well-being.

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Shglawi55@gmail.com