AWARDS ARE GOOD, BUT INADEQUATE FOR A REAL EXCELLENT ACCOMPLISHMENT

The certificates of the Excellent Teaching Awards

Thanks God that all ISDEV lecturers have won Excellent Teaching Awards for the 2010/11 Academic Session. For each course they were teaching, students gave them a thumb up hence a high mark that became the basis for the Awards. I myself got three Excellent Teaching Awards for three courses I was teaching. So was Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad and Dr Zahri Hamat, followed by two Awards for Dr Zakaria Bahari and one Award for Dr Mohamad Zaini Abu Bakar for two and one courses they were teaching respectively.

The Awards, presented by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dato' Omar Osman at the School of Social Sciences Workshop on Saturday 15 October 2011 at Batu Feringghi Park Royal Hotel, were definitely well-deserved. All of us at ISDEV were working so hard to ensure the quality of our teaching through an approach we called 'Heart-to-Heart Approach', so as to create a caring and loving teaching-learning atmosphere that is conducive for the production of excellent and well-behaved students. The results are self-explained; so far eight graduate students of ours have won various awards, from at the level of ISDEV to the levels of USM and Malaysia.

While thanking God so much for the accomplishments, I think that it is still not sufficient for a real excellent accomplishment. Although all of us were bestowed with the Excellent Teaching Awards, none of us received an Award for Top 10 KPI Contributors that were also given away at the occasion.

I realised then that we were thus far busying concentrating on teaching and ensuring the high quality of students, but forgetting to somehow working for our own other KPI. Of course it is a sacrifice on our part, but definitely it is much better if all ISDEV lecturers could accomplish both, the high quality of teaching and the high KPI.

Our ISDEV next move therefore is to increase our research, publications and networking, as well as to speed up the completion of study of our graduate students. These are achievable, InshaAllah, as all are already in ISDEV pipelines at the moment. We would be likely to be granted with a nearly RM 1 million grant in the form of Research University Team, publishing articles in various journals and a total of at least 20 books with the cooperation of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), signing MoU with DBP, Walailak University of Thailand, and Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Universiti Sultan Sharif Ali of Brunei Darussalam (as an addition to the existing MoU with two universities in Norway, four universities in Indonesia, and one with IBS Books Sdn Bhd, as well as to continue strengthening the networking with institutions affiliated to ASEAN Muslim Research Organisation Network (AMRON) of which ISDEV is the co-founder institution), and graduating 13 Master students and at least five PhD students in the coming few months.

May Allah SWT guides and helps ISDEV in realising such a plan by easing us at ISDEV in accomplishing them accordingly, InshaAllah.

L-R: Myself, Associate Professor Dr Abdul Fatah Che Hamat and Dr Zahri Hamat at the Social Sciences Workshop

All spouses were allowed to come to the Social Sciences Workshop. With my wife during a dinner at Batu Feringghi

A PLEASANT DEVELOPMENT OF ISDEV

Islamic Development Management Programme Chairman Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad (centre) chairing the PhD Proposal Presentation by Mohd Shahruddin Shakrani (left)

I was back in office yesterday to find out a very pleasant development for ISDEV. A total of 22 new Master of Islamic Development Management (MISDEV) students, choosen from out of more than 30 applicants, have registered for this 2011-2012 Academic Session.

They were together with present MISDEV and other ISDEV PhD students at a special Welcoming Session held for them yesterday, which began immediately after a PhD Proposal presentation by Mohd Shahruddin Shakrani and ended with a lunch ceremony of Eid-ul-Fitr. The Conference Room of the School of Social Sciences where the occasions were held was fully packed. With a total of about 100 ISDEV fraternity now, I need to think of a larger suitable meeting rooms for ISDEV regular activities such as the Weekly Tuesday Study Session and the Monthly Graduate Supervision. May Allah SWT provides us with such a necessity.

HEART-TO-HEART EDUCATION

Another topic that seems to be liked by Indonesian colleagues in Medan was what I called Heart-to-Heart Education, or before this, Heart-to-Heart Method in Learning-Teaching Process. During the July trip, two universities requested me to talk on this topic. The first was Universitas Pembinaan Masyarakat Indonesia (UPMI) and the second was Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU).

Prior to this, in May 2009, I have actually delivered this topic for the first time in Medan as a keynote address at an International Conference at UMSU. Subsequently in August the same year, Universitas Asahan Sumatera Utara invited me to deliver the same at the university. Altogether, to date, it is already four times that I was asked to talk on this topic in Medan. And the colleagues in Medan seem to still like it.

Actually, the idea on this topic is not new. I first threw the idea in October 1984 at One-Day Forum on Integrated Education, organised by Education Centre, National University of Malaysia (UKM). In my solicited paper entitled "Some Integrated Aspects of Knowledge in Islam: The Case of Islamic Development Knowledge" (in Malay), I pointed out that Allah SWT has bestowed human beings with two tools of learning and teaching, viz. `aql (literally, the mental) and qalb (literally, the heart).

However, I said, more popular tool used is the `aql, and seldom the qalb, whereas from the story of Prophet Khidr and Prophet Musa, as well as the story of Syeikh Abdul Qadir Jailani, teaching-learning process via qalb was more effective than the `aql.

Unexpectedly, my idea attracted a hot discussion, some in favour of me and some others against me. As those who were speaking were too many, and I myself was actually still not having an in-depth knowledge on the idea then, I changed to become an interested observer rather than a defender. Moreover, another panel who was against my idea was the one I respected, the former Rector of International Islamic University Malaysia, Professor Muhammad Kamal Hassan himself. He was a lecturer of Islamic Studies at the National University of Malaysia then.

I reiterated my idea in public only 17 years later, in 2001, in my Professorial Lecture which was then subsequently published by USM Publisher in 2003. In this lecture, I talked specifically, inter alia, on the Teaching-Learning Method of Islamic Development Management. This time was no more based on merely theoretical and preliminary idea. It was rather based on my practical experiments of the usage of the heart-to-heart education method in my own teaching process. Subsequently, beginning from 2005, I used it in the teaching of the ISDEV graduate courses. The result was fantastic as is reflected by the interest of the Medan colleagues who have the intention in implementing it in their respective universities. Alhamdulillah!

NEWSPAPERS' COVERAGE ON MY MEDAN ACTIVITIES

My activities in Medan Alhamdulillah have entailed with a wide coverage in Medan newspapers. Below are some of them.

A one-page coverage in Sumut Pos on activity at Universitas Pembinaan Masyarakat Indonesia 



Another one-page coverage in Sumut Pos on activity at Universitas Medan Area

AS A VISITING PROFESSOR AT UNISZA

On 6th till 9th June 2011, I was at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) in Kuala Terengganu, fulfilling my first trip as a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Business Management and Accounting of the university.

My four-day presence was filled with academic discourses and consultancies, viz. Teaching-Learning Discourse: Heart-to-Heart Method in Teaching-Learning Process on the first day; Graduate Discourse: Proposal Presentation on the second day; Writing Discourse: Integrity in Academic Writing - Free Riderism? on the third day; and Research Discourse: Islamic Research Methodology - Why and What on the fourth day. Academic consultancies with lecturers and graduate students were held in between the discourses.

Some of the participants of my last programme at UniSZA

The huge accommodation provided for me and family in UniSZA campus

I was appointed as a Visiting Professor of UniSZA since 1st May 2011 till 30th April 2012. I am expected to be at UniSZA two times more during the remaining duration.

Currently, I am also in my second term of my appointment as a Visiting Professor at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia ending on 30th November 2011. Recently, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Universitas Medan Area (UMA) and Universitas Pembinaan Masyarakat Indonesia (UPMI) also appointed me as a Visiting Professor for a duration of between 6 to 12 months. My next trip to the four universities in Medan, Indonesia will take place between 24-29 July, InshaAllah.

During the last two years, in 2010 and 2011, I was also a Visiting Professor at Institut Islam Hadhari of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Islamic Finance and Wealth Management Institute (IFWMI) of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Visiting Fellow of Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in Oxford UK, and Visiting Scholar of Islamic Research and Training Insitute (IRTI) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The appointments were really a bless from Allah SWT. Knowledge has been exchanged, networking has been built and academic activities were carried out for the sake of Allah SWT and Islam.

The smooth running of ISDEV under the management of ISDEV's younger echelon during my visit to these universities too, was a proof of the ability of these younger echelon to continue ISDEV's struggle even without me around.

The banner pertaining to my visit to and programmes at UniSZA

My name at the door of my office room at UniSZA

Acting Dean of the Faculty of Business Management and Accounting, Dr Ahmad Azrin Adnan chairing my talk

Lunch with some of the participants of my programme

3 IMPORTANT TASKS ACCOMPLISHED LAST WEEK

Last week, three main tasks were aacomplished, Alhamdulillah.

They were firstly the restructuring of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin Best Thesis Award held at a meeting at the office of the President of the Malaysian Senate Tan Sri Abu Zahar Nika Ujang; secondly a talk on the Reassessment of Islamic Economics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) organised by its School of Economics; and thirdly, the preparation of research proposals for Research University Team Grants.

L-R: Myself, President of Senate Malaysia Tan Sri Abu Zahar Nika Ujang, UKM Syeikh Abdullah Fahim Chair Dato' Dr Ismail Ibrahim and Yayasan Nurul Yaqeen's Director Nor Zanah Jamari

On the first task, decided on Tuesday 12  April 2011 at the meeting, the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin Best Thesis Award is now fully handled by Yayasan Nurul Yaqeen. ISDEV is not involved anymore in order to give way to the prevalence of objectivity and avoidance of conflict of interest. As students of ISDEV participated in the nomination of the Award and won it every year ever since the Award was introduced, I have requested to pull ISDEV out of the management of the Award. In so doing, ISDEV students could be independent contestants in the same manner as other contestants. The Central Committee members of the Award were also agreed to be appointed among prominent Professors of five established universities, viz. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and International Islamic University Malaysia. The name of the Award too would be likely changed to National Best Thesis Award, pending on the approval of related authority.

On the second task, I have expressed concerns on the seven deficiencies of the present mainstream Islamic economics. They are the untransformed structure of the Islamic economics, an absence of the redefinition of operating concepts, the remaining of conventional economic assumptions, inaccurate ultimate aim, pseudo-Islamic operational mechanisms, erroneous research methodology, and knowledge-practice dichotomy of the Islamic economists. Held at a lecture theatre of the School of Economics, the solicited talk was attended by lecturers and graduate students of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia with a lot of interesting Q&As that inspired me to write an abstract for an International Islamic Economics and Finance Conference to be held in Doha, Qatar in December this year, and hopefully would eventually lead to a writing of a book, InshaAllah.

On the final task, two research proposals of mine have been completed; firstly on Research Methodology in Malaysian Universities, and secondly on The Strategies of Islamic-Based Development in the Reality of Contemporary Politics. These proposals are two of eight proposals that ISDEV are submitting to USM Social Transformation Platform for Research University Team Grants. The other six are on the Moulding of Islamic Development Index, Human Factors in the Development of Ethics and Inspection System in Islamic Development Institutions, Zakat Accounting of Commercialised Agricultural, Shari`ah Principles of Contract in Construction Industries, Corporate Social Responsibility of Islamic Banks, and the Application Waqf Istibdal. The eight proposals are divided into two research teams, firstly Islamic Development Management Team which I will lead, and secondly the Management of Islamic Assets Development which will be led by Dr Zakaria Bahari.

TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN MOHD YASSIN BEST THESIS AWARD 2010 CONCLUDED

L-R: Tan Sri Abu Zahar Dato' Nika Ujang, myself, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin and wife at the ceremony

Happy that the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin Best Thesis Award for 2010 is now over. The Award for the year has been concluded by an awarding ceremony held at Prince Hotel and Residence in KL, on 21 February 2011. The Deputy Prime Minister himself was present to deliver the Award.

At the ceremony, Dr Munif Zairuddin Fikri Nordin of Universiti Utara Malaysia was announced as the winner of the PhD Best Thesis Award while Radieah Mohd Nor of Universiti Sains Malaysia as the winner of the Master Best Thesis Award. The former brought home a total of RM15,000 with his PhD thesis entitled Bahasa Kepimpinan Rasulullah SAW: Analisis Wacana Khutbah Ghazawat al-Rasul, submitted to the University of Malaya; while the latter, RM10,000 with her thesis The Principles of Islamic-Based Development in Ibn Khaldun's Mukadimah submitted to the Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Dr Munif Zairuddin Fikri Nordin receives his Award from the Deputy Prime Minister

As the Chairman of the Assessment Panels, I am thankful that the 2010 exercise has sailed smoothly. More happier is the fact that this Award has been able to highlight high qulality theses on Islam. The details of my assessment report on the 2010 exercise, as was presented during the awarding ceremony, will follow suit, InshaAllah.

The winner of the Best PhD Thesis Award

The winner of the Best Master Thesis Award

RADIEAH WON PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

With Radieah (centre) and husband (right)

Alhamdulillah, another happy urgent news from me.

My Master Mixed Mode 2008 student has won a national prestigious award. Radieah binti Mohd Noor was announced as the winner of the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin Best Master Thesis Award for 2010 at an awarding ceremony held at Prince Hotel & Residence in Kuala Lumpur on 21 February 2011. The Award was handed to Radieah by the Deputy Prime Minister YAB Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin Haji Mohd Yassin himself .

Radieah delivering her speech at the Award ceremony

The assessment was based on her thesis entitled The Principles of Islamic-Based Development in Ibn Khaldun's Mukadimah, which she submitted to ISDEV as a partial fulfillment of her Master degree. She brought home prizes amounting to RM10,000.00, together with a Certificate.

Radieah interviewed by media

Apart from Radieah, another Master Mixed-Mode student of ISDEV, Zaleha binti Embong, has also won an Excellent Master Thesis Prize 2010 at the same ceremony. Her thesis was on the analysis of Nik Abdul Aziz's Thought on Spiritual Development.

Congratulation Radieah and Zaleha.

Zaleha Embong (2nd left) at the Awarding ceremony

URGENT HAPPY NEWS

Muhammad Tahir (sitting 2nd left) with his Board of Examiners

Before embarking on the photographic records of my activities since my time at USIM in November-December 2010, here is an urgent happy news I need to record.

Muhammad Tahir, another PhD student of mine, like his predecessor Dr Ahmad Azrin Adnan, has also passed his PhD with flying colours. His Board of Examiners at a viva voce held on 10th February 2011 has unanimously agreed to nominate him for USM's Best Thesis Award (Persada Kencana Award). The title of his thesis is The Methods and Practice of Tazkiyyah An-Nafs in Islamic-Based Development: A Case Study of Koperasi Pesanteren (KOPENTREN) Darul Tauhiid, Bandung, Indodnesia.

Alhamduilllah and congratulation Muhammad Tahir.

ISDEV brothers wishing good luck to Muhammad Tahir after a special solatul-hajat held shortly before his viva

ISDEV brothers and sisters offering thankful prayer immediately after knowing the excellent success of Muhammad Tahir

Thankful feast hosted by ISDEV at the end of the occasion