Educated in Paris and Algiers in engineering, he later based himself in Cairo, where he spent much of his time working extensively in the fields of history, philosophy and sociology.

This development has not been strongly felt in many underdeveloped countries, for their inferiority complex created a warped infatuation with the criteria of power that was based on material things.

Therefore, the Arabs and other Muslim countries, especially those that did not possess a great deal of material power, should give more weight to the issue of ideas.

In this, Bennabi again pointed out, "after Egypt's humiliation in the Six-days war in June 1967, it is the ummah's (global Muslim community) understanding and worldview, its stock of ideas rather than of arms and ammunition's, that needs to be renewed.

Although looking back to what had been achieved in the Golden Age of Islam is still relevant, what is more important is to be able to appreciate the political values and culture of models and systems implemented by past prophets, re-interpret and apply these to our contemporary society.

[5] In the light of his theory, he explained how many social movements failed by missing the importance of moral reformation while focusing mainly and for most on the practical means.

[5] An example he gave is the Algerian revolution in that thinkers and religious leaders switched their attention to the ballot boxes which they wrongly thought as if it works as a magic wand that heals all their ethical and thinking problems.

His wife, Paulette Bennabi, was also accused by the French secret services (DST) of acting for the account of the Gestapo of Dreux (France), under the alias "Madame Mille ".

[6] In a book announced by the Parisian publisher Erick Bonnier in October 2019, Dr. Zidane Meriboute (a former researcher-teacher at the University of London, SOAS) " has conducted his own investigation to establish the truth about the activities of Bennabi's 'spouses' during the Second World War ";[7] his book is based essentially on the archives of the DST and the French Court of Justice (Chartres and Paris Archives), hitherto kept in absolute secrecy.

Extensive extracts from DST files and recitals of the Court of Justice of Chartres are included for the first time in this book, which was published in March 2020 .

The recitals of the Chartres Court of Justice's ruling of 6 April 1946 cleared Mr and Mrs Bennabi of all suspicion, the judge having concluded that "the accused were detained for many months on fanciful charges - nothing of which could be retained".