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.

NOR HANANI WON THE BEST ISLAMIC RESEARCH PRIZE (AL-QUR'AN AND SUNNAH)

What else can a teacher feels when his student embark with an award, other than feeling so thankful to God?

This was exactly what I felt when Nor Hanani Ismail was announced as the winner of the Best Islamic Research Prize (Al-Qur'an and Sunnah) at the SAPLI 2014 during the conference dinner at Terendak Seni Restaurant, Seri Begawan, Negara Brunei Darussalam on the 20th of March.

I believed that she deserved the Prize not only for her excellent paper and presentation, but moreover because her successful encounter with a quite challenging tribulation. When she was about to leave for Brunei, her two children, both of them, suffered a high fever.

But for the sake of Allah SWT, she left her children to her husband with a confidence that Allah SWT will surely take care of them, as she was leaving to work for Allah SWT. This was a brave action indeed. Sure enough, her two children recovered quickly by the time she was in Brunei.

The Prize came from the organiser, but implicitly it actually came from Allah SWT. That should be the firm belief of a faithful servant. ISDEV holds to this belief.

WATCHING 4 ISDEV PHD STUDENTS PRESENTING RESEARCHES IN BRUNEI

Right now I am at Inter-University Postgraduate Seminar 2014 at Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Brunei Darussalam, witnessing one of ISDEV four PhD students presenting their researh papers. 

Nor Hanani Ismail at the moment is talking about Data Validity Indicators in Islamic Research Methodology. She will be followed by Razali Othman who will talk on The Use of Fiat Money in Cash Waqf, Shereeza Mohamed Saniff on the Development Actors in Constructing Contractual Documents in Islamic Finance, and Murni Yusoff on Islamic Relationship Marketing.

They are presenting their papers in one similar session, Alhamdulillah, giving a chance for audiences to listen to the trend of ISDEV thought at once.

We landed Brunei two days ago, on Tuesday 18th March and will here till Saturday 22nd March, InshaAllah.

We will move to Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan (KUPU SB) after the presentation for a meeting on research collaboration and come back to UNISSA at 2pm to participate in a Roundtable Meeting on Graduate Seminar. At 4pm we need to be at Rizqun International Hotel for an occasion organised by Pehin Dato' Abdul Rahman Haji Abdul Karim, a member of ISDEV's Advisory Panel who plays host to our visit, and at 7.30pm at Terendak Seni Restaurant for Conference Dinner.

WHERE IS MH370?

This morning, after having my breakfast, the lady owner of the nasi kandar stall asked me: "What do you think of the MH370? Can you guess where is it now?".

My spontaneous answer is simple: "Only Allah knows, I do not know. If I were to draw an analysis from various analyses, you and I will be more confused. But if you still insist on my opinion, I firstly need to know in which side you are. If you are on opposition, the analysis would be different from the analysis for a pro-establishment".

We ended our conversation with a laugh.

Indeed, it is unwise to guess and manipulate, moreover to analyse and disseminate uncertain news based on unconfirmed information. Yes, it may enhance our mental gymnastic exercises, but reflecting on and asking for Allah's forgiveness for everything that our country in general and MAS in particular have gone wrong is a better wiser endeavour.

In so doing, two that I can think of, of what MAS has gone wrong. Firstly, the providence of alcohol on board, and secondly, the unIslamic uniform of the stewardess. If Royal Brunei Airline and few Middle-Eastern airlines can survive without alcohol and sexy stewardess, why can't MAS?

Unfortunately, let alone eliminating the alcohol service and changing the unIslamic uniform of the stewardess, the stewardess of AirAsia and Malindo that followed are having even a sexier uniform, definitely with the approval of the Malaysian authorities. What have gone wrong seems to be intensified, not avoided at all.

And now we ask Allah for help without repenting? Allah has helped Prophet Yunus from the big fish (nun) and forgave him due to his repentance. We too, in praying for the safety of MH370 and its passengers, should have done the same, that is performing both the solatuh-taubah and solatul-hajat. 

Solatul-hajat alone without the solatuh-taubah is insufficient. Firstly we need to ask Allah for forgiveness for what MAS and the Malaysian authorities have done wrong thus the necessity to return to the right path; and secondly to ask Allah for help for Allah is our Sole Almighty Helper. As Captain Nuruddin was saying: "science is a creation, while Allah is the Creator". Seek the Creator's help in solving the problem of the creations, within a pure intimate Creator-creations relationship.