ANOTHER ISDEV PHD STUDENT PASSED WITH FLYING COLOURS

Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah SWT, another ISDEV PhD student passed his viva this morning with flying colours. This time is the turn of Heri Kusmanto, who writes on Islamic-Based Civil Society in Indonesia: Political Accommodation and Democratization of Muhammadiyah and Al-Wasliyah in North Sumatera. He is supervised by Dr Mohammad Zaini Abu Bakar and myself.

The Board of Examiners unanimously recommended his thesis to be nominated for Outstanding Thesis Award. He is the 10th ISDEV PhD students that have achieved such a flying colours, Alhamdulillah.

As the normal tradition of ISDEV, prior to the viva, Heri Kusmanto went through a thorough mock viva  at ISDEV yesterday. Then before the viva this morning, ISDEV lecturers and students gathered at USM Mosque to perform solat-ul-hajat for Heri Kusmanto, to seek the help of Allah SWT in positioning Heri Kusmanto in the benefit of himself and Islam. If his PhD is good for him and Islam, ISDEV appeals to Allah SWT to pass him. But if it is otherwise, ISDEV appeals to Allah SWT to fail him, so that he is safe from the punishments in the Day Hereafter. After a hard work in producing an excellent thesis, ISDEV leaves it to Allah SWT to decide for the best for Heri Kusmanto. Alhamdulillah, Allah SWT has answered ISDEV's appeal by passing him.

The viva was concluded with a thankful khenduri (feast), as usual.