Article by Ayman Alheraki on January 11 2026 10:36 AM
In the history of Arab technology, there are names that will never be forgotten. At the forefront stands Mr. Mohammad Abdulrahman Al-Sharekh (Abu Fahad) — the late Kuwaiti entrepreneur and founder of Sakhr International, the company that transformed the face of computing in the Arab world since the early 1980s.
He was not just a businessman; he was a man with a mission, firmly believing in the value of the Arabic language. He succeeded in embedding our Arabic script into digital devices at a time when the idea itself seemed far-fetched—if not impossible.
At a time when major global companies showed little interest in Arabic computing, Mr. Al-Sharekh launched the first fully Arabic computer, produced by Sakhr. But he didn't stop at just localizing user interfaces — he led advanced technological efforts that included:
Arabizing operating systems (such as MSX)
Creating educational software for children and students in Arabic
Launching the famous Sakhr Interactive Dictionary
Introducing early AI-based Arabic language tools
All of this happened in an era when screens didn’t even support Arabic letters, and having an Arabic interface on a computer felt like science fiction.
Among his greatest contributions was developing digital versions of the Holy Qur’an and authenticated Hadith collections, enabling thousands of students and scholars to search texts accurately and instantly—long before the internet or digital databases became mainstream.
Mr. Al-Sharekh believed that technology should not erase identity, but rather strengthen and evolve it.
In 1990, during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Sakhr suffered devastating losses. Equipment was looted, infrastructure was destroyed, and many projects came to a halt.
Yet Mr. Al-Sharekh never gave up on his dream. He continued his mission from abroad, establishing new ventures like Al-Knowledge Center, which focused on developing Arabic language processing tools and preserving the integrity of the Arabic language in the digital age.
Until the end of his life, Mr. Al-Sharekh remained an advocate for the global standing of the Arabic language in tech. He supported conferences, funded research, and mentored specialists — convinced that the future of Arabic depends on science and action, not just sentiment.
To him, Arabic was an investment worth making, and he believed that the dignity of a nation begins with honoring its language.
In times when we desperately need authentic role models, Mr. Mohammad Al-Sharekh departs, leaving behind a legacy in every Arab project that respects its own language, in every child who first learned about computers through a Sakhr device, and in every researcher who used Arabic digital resources built on his foundation.
To him we say:
Thank you from the heart, Abu Fahad. May God have mercy on your soul and reward you for all you've done for the Arab world.
May we see new entrepreneurs who follow in his footsteps, and understand that investing in our language is not a luxury — it’s power.