LESSONS FROM BAN NUA

Three days in Ban Nua were really an experience. I had a chance to discuss with and pray behind Dr Tobrani, the Head (Imam) of the Ban Nua community himself. He is a simple but knowledgable and determined young man. I was also honoured to be invited by him and to speak in a dialogue with his guests - community members of Gunung Condong, Bentong, Southern Thailand - who, like many other guests to Ban Nua, came to share Dr Tobrani's experience in developing community from below.

From the experience, four important lessons perhaps could be shared here. Firstly, in any organisation, knowledge is the fundamental pre-requisite. Dr Tobrani has gathered his knowledge from al-Azhar University for his Bachelor degree, International Islamic University Malaysia for his Master degree, and Thaksin University for his Phd degree.

Secondly is the management of knowledge. He disseminates the knowledge to his community to ensure that they understand what should be done in their community. Thirdly is the leadership. One with knowledge and endeavours in disseminating it would not be effective unless he has leadership skills, one of which is manifested through the trust of the people on him as well as his ability in mobilising the people. Dr Tobrani undoubtedly possesses such a skill. Fourthly is the sacrifice. Both leaders and people of Ban Nua could not have developed their Ban Nua village without the sacrifice in every sense. They have the real sense of sacrifice indeed.

Knowledge, management of knowledge, leadership and sacrifice definitely have to be in ISDEV fraternity if ISDEV were to realise its ambition.

VISIT TO BAN NUA, THAILAND

As scheduled, together with 36 other ISDEV fraternity (lecturers, graduate students, and Fellows of Academic Staff Training Scheme, I am now in Ban Nua, Province of Songkhla, Thailand. We arrived yesterday and had a visit to Hatyai Floating Market, heard a briefing from Ban Nua's Community Head Dr Tobrani, and held a dialogue with colleagues from Walailak University, Nakhorn si Thammarat.

At the moment, 3 community engagement programmes are in progress. They are cleanliness and health awareness, library management, and computer lessons for zakat and cooperative managers. ISDEV graduate students, in particular MISDEV12, are in charge of the programmes.

This evening would be a football match between Ban Nua community and ISDEV+Walailak University. This would be followed by an Islamic cultural show by ISDEV, Walalilak University and the children of Ban Nua community. We will be leaving for home tomorrow, InshaAllah.

PRESENTATIONS, BRIEF HOLIDAYS AND MUSLIM VICE-CHANCELLORS' FORUM

Last week was full of ISDEV graduate presentations. The first group was Master Mixed Mode batch 2011 (MISDEV11) and the second was Master Mixed Mode batch 2012 (MISDEV12) students. It started with a whole day dissertation presentation by MISDEV11 graduates on 26th, followed by proposal presentation by MISDEV12 on 27th and MISDEV11 again on 29th November.

As a whole, the quality of MISDEV11 graduates disssertations is significantly good, thanks to the close and dedicated supervision by their respective supervisors. The relatively shorter time taken by MISDEV12 graduates to find their research topics and prepare their proposals for presentations too is also commendable. They have proved to be able to adjust themselves with and fit into ISDEV academic culture.

After the presentation, I rushed to Kuala Lumpur to have a short weekend holidays with all my 4 children at Equatorial Bangi. We had dinner at Ana Ikan Bakar and breakfast with nasi belauk at a restaurant in Bangi,  tasted the popular durian creepe bought by Akif at Mid-Valley, lepak-lepak at the hotel swimming pool, and watched Malaysia-Thailand football match on tv in the hotel while having dinner with sup keting and asam pedas bought earlier at a restaurant. On Sunday we drove to Jengka to send Taariq to his Universiti Teknologi MARA, without Akif who has to fly back to his Universiti Sains Malaysia and Afirah who has to drive back to her Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.

Later in the week, I participated in a Muslim Vice-Chancellors' Forum at Royale Chulan KL. Organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia's Institute of Higher Education Research (IPPTN), and  Malaysia's Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT), the Forum witnessed the participation by various Vice-Chancellors and their representatives from around the globe, with an aim of formulating an injection of Islam into their respective universities.

ONE GOD, DIFFERENT EMPHASIS?

This is a story about a Chinese man who believes in One God with many emphases. I met him when `Akif had a minor accident in the USM campus with his daughters a few days ago. I went  to settle the case at the Pantai Hospital where his daughters were admitted. With me were Ustaz Khairul who became my insurance advisor, Ustaz Shahir who became my religious advisor to ensure that I would not oppress the Chinese man in the dealing, and Taariq, representing `Akif who was having a night lecture.

By profession the Chinese man is a counselor, but at the same time he is also a pastor. According to him, he preaches at churches of all Christian sects, except Roman Catholic churches. The difference between the sects, he says, just lies on the different emphasis. The Roman Catholic emphasises on Maryam (Jesus' Mother), while other sects emphasise on Jesus himself. So is Islam, he contended; it emphasises on Prophet Muhammad SAW. In actuality, all religions believe in One God, the same God, he believes. That was one of the reasons why he went to preach at all churches other than the Roman Catholic.

After listening to his long lecture, I asked a little question. If he believes in One God and goes around to Christian religion of all sects, why he is depriving himself by not studying and going to Islam? He was shocked but excited. The discussion suddenly changed from preaching at churches to how he could start to learn about Islam. Alhamdulillah.

In the car on our way back home, we recalled how privileged we were to deal with a talkative person like the Chinese man. While listening to his long lecture, we have an ample time to plan our thinking that could lead him to a more beneficial destination, even with only a sentence. For that I agreed to pay him RM 700 as he requested to settle the accident. Making a person to think, and hopefully to learn about and moreover to embrace Islam is much more precious than the RM 700, In sha Allah.

TWO SPONTANEOUS STATEMENTS

In my Director's Tazkirah entitled Tribulations delivered at the ISDEV Monthly Graduate Supervision last Friday (23 November 2012), two statements came out of my speech spontaneously, without me planning them. The first was a philosophical statement I quoted from an Hindustani film that our task is to forgive, but not to seek forgiveness. The second was a tawhidic statement that all ISDEV fraternity should fear Allah SWT, not to fear their superiors.

What I meant to stress in the first statement relates to the necessity to minimise the making of mistakes so as to allow an avoidance of paving a way for seeking forgiveness. This is not to deny the impossibility of not making mistake at all and ask for forgiveness whenever the mistake is made. It rather stresses on not having a habit of making consistent mistakes intentionally or unintentionally just because there is a room for seeking forgiveness. In a nutshell, one, especially ISDEV fraternity, should avoid making mistakes as far as possible so as to allow a maximum perfection to prevail in every deeds one is taken. And definitely, only whenever mistake is made after such a dedicated endeavour, seeking forgiveness is necessary.

In the second statement, I wanted to emphasise that all assignments and tasks of all ISDEV fraternity must be regarded as assignments and tasks from Allah SWT, for ISDEV is an institution that strives to uphold the words of Allah SWT. One therefore has to treat all assignments and tasks as serious, and maximise the efforts in carrying them out to attain a highly successful result so that a good image of Islam in the eyes of all - Muslims and non-Muslims - is created. The real driven force for this is Allah SWT, not the superiors such as  the Director, lecturers, et cetera. If ISDEV fraternity undertake the assignments and tasks just because they are afraid of  their superiors (read human beings), I am afraid they would be trapped into syirk (the sin of idolatry or polytheism). If this is the case, ISDEV will be broken into dust, for there would not be the help and  love of Allah SWT anymore. Instead, ISDEV would become the enemy of Allah SWT.

Oh Allah, please protect us.

3rd ISDEV RUT WORKSHOP

Alhamdulillah, the two-day 3rd ISDEV Research University Team (RUT) Workshop held at ISDEV ended successfully today. A total of 21 working papers were presented by ISDEV research members (from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Universitas Medan Area, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Institut Agama Islam Negeri Medan, and Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Aceh, apart from USM itself) and Academic Staff Training Scheme Fellows.

The papers yielded from the members' second 6 months research of 5 research clusters, namely The Mould and Index of Islamic-based development, The Politics of Islamic-based Development Strategies, The Ethics and Monitoring System in Human Development, Corporate Social Responsibility in Islamic Banking, and Istibdal for Awqaf Development. These research clusters are embedded in a bigger research team themed Islamic-based Development.

I was given the task to lead this 5 year-research team and also two of the clusters, ie The Mould and Index of Islamic-based development, and The Politics of Islamic-based Development Strategies. Within about a year, we have produced nearly 50 papers, some of which have been published in various journals, Alhamdulillah. Many thanks to all ISDEV RUT research team members in and outside USM.

ISDEV - A BRIGHT WAY FORWARD

I need to jot down this important note.

Yesterday, Tuesday 20 November 2012 at about 3.30 pm, was an historical moment for ISDEV. In a meeting with (and called by) our Vice-Chancellor, ISDEV sensed a bright light shining along the path to move forward, Alhamdulillah.

The endeavours in brightening that light and attaining the yields definitely necessitate sacrifices. ISDEV lecturers and Fellows of Academic Staff Training Scheme majority of whom were in the meeting, I am sure, understood the Vice-Chancellor's message and prepare to sacrifice in realising that bright future for the sake Allah SWT and Islam, In sha Allah.