GRADUATION NIGHT, DR JUANDA, CONVOCATION BOYS, UNCLE DINO AND INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

Too many things happened since my last posting. The five most prominent happenings are manifested in the photos below.

25 April 2014: With families of ISDEV PhD Master Mixed Mode students (2012) during ISDEV Graduation Night. The Night was held, as in previous years, to appreciate the completion of study of the students (a PhD and 17 Master students), in conjunction with their convocation the next day. In my speech here, I stressed ISDEV's intention of not only providing the students with degree, but also with akhlak dan spirit to uphold and strive for Islam. Excellent students were awarded with Outstanding Thesis/Dissertation Award

26 April 2014: With Mufti of Perlis, Dato' Dr Juanda at Convocation Lunch, who I first met at Oxford when he was a Chauvening Scholar at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. In spite of a short span of time, many issues were discussed, including his school of thought.

26 April 2014: With some of ISDEV Mixed Mode Students (2014) at their Convocation Ceremony. Other students were already in the Convocation Hall.

28 April 2014: With investor-cum-developer Uncle Dino, his wife Madam Tan, his nephew Kevin Joe and lawyer Rozilawati at Nilai. Uncle Dino is an active investor in Nilai Spring Villas, near Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM).

28 April 2014: With Pehin Dato' Abdul Rahman Abdul Karim of Negara Brunei Darussalam at International Book Fair at PWTC, buying books for ISDEV's Resource Centre. Pehin is ISDEV's Advisory Panel and has been contributing to ISDEV development, including in developing ISDEV's Resource Centre through books contribution, designing ISDEV's new building to be built beside Harapan Lake in Universiti Sains Malaysia, and hosting ISDEV members at his Rizqun International Hotel whenever the members were in Negara Brunei Darussalam.

ISDEV INTO GAMES

So thankful to Allah SWT that in spite of last minutes training in the case of ISDEV Netball Team and no-training-at-all in the case of ISDEV Futsal Team, they came up Runner-Up and Third Winner respectively in the Netball and Futsal Matches today, organised by USM Friends of the Mosque.

Males: ISDEV Futsal Team (IFT) and Females: ISDEV Netball Team (INT)

Now I realised that apart from confining them to merely academic activities (lectures, researches, thesis writing, conferences, discourses, etc), social activities (social transformation laboratory, human development camps, graduation night, knowledge blessing night, etc), and entertainment activities (nasyid and qashidah), I need to release ISDEV members' energy through sports as well, such as through the netball and futsal, also perhaps through badminton, table tennis, squash and others.

When seeing their potentials in the games today, I offer them the provision of balls by ISDEV, and perhaps other necessities, if necessary, so as to allow them to be excellent in the sports, after proving that they have already been excellent in their academic accomplishment. Alhamdulillah.

A TOUCHING BIRTHDAY LETTER

Today is Ummu's 15th birthday. I was surprised to find out early in the morning a letter and a present near my praying mat when I entered my prayer room for fajr prayer. Both were from Ummu.

Ummu's birthday and I receive the gifts from her? It should have been the reverse usually.

The gifts were a touching letter and a photograph frame containing 3 photographs featuring Ummu and me during various occasions along the year. Her letter led me to realise that Ummu is already a matured youngest daughter with all wisdom, some of which were accumulated when she accompanied me abroad, from Indonesia and Thailand to Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom.

I purposely posted her letter below as an important memory in my life.

ANOTHER TWO PASSED WITH FLYING COLOURS

Alhamdulillah, another two ISDEV Phd students passed their viva voce with flying colours today.

Radieah Mohd Nor who was working on the Management of Poverty in the Era of Umar Abdul Aziz sat for the viva in the morning while Mohamad Helmi Hidthiir who worked on The Financial and Liquidity Risks of Islamic Banks had his viva in the afternoon. Both were announced by their respective Chairmen of the Board of Examiners as not only passed with excellent, but also nominated for University awards.

Radieah and Helmi are the third and fourth ISDEV students respectively to have been announced this year with such an excellent result. Prior to them were Suraya Ismail and Wan Anisah Endut, following majority of their seniors in the previous years, Alhamdulillah.