BRIEF ON THE RECENT TRIP BY ISDEV MEMBERS TO MEDAN, INDONESIA

The 31 strong ISDEV delegates that went to Medan recently touched down at the Penang International Airport (PIA) on Sunday 10 May, 2009. These delegates received a warm welcome from family members and well wishers who missed their presence after their 7 days/6 nights intellectual cum vacation sojourn.

In line with the spirit of travelling as envisaged by the Holy Quran and the sunnah of Rasulullah (saw) the trip started with a briefing at the Penang International Airport by ISDEV Director, Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh who reminded the members to specifically invocate (niat) to Allah that the change of status of members to be a mussafir receives Allah’s blessings. In addition to the above as the journey is intended to train the intellectual, emotional and physical strength of each delegate, members were at all times to be mindful of the privileges and accolades and tests provided to a mussafiruun.

Throughout the trip, the delegates moved as a Jemaah (Congregation) of ISDEV. In ensuring that this united spirit of brotherhood remained steadfast during the trip, delegates were given a wake-up call at 4:30am every morning by the Royal Perintis Hotel staff in Medan. Delegates were supported and encouraged to perform the Subh prayer as a Jemaah which was immediately thereafter followed with a short morning Tazkirah delivered by one post graduate students of ISDEV at each session. The Maghrib and Isya prayers (usually in Jama’ takdim or Jama’ ta’khir) which were also performed congregationally saw the delegates being very attentive to the evening Tazkirah delivered at each session. As in the morning Tazkirah sessions, the evening sessions were also delivered in turns by ISDEV postgraduate students.

PhD candidate Sukiman giving a tazkirah after Subh prayer

Listening to the tazkirah attentatively

A brief itinery on the activities throughout the 7 days 6 nights trip are as follows:

1st day: Arrival at Polonia International Airport, Medan, Indonesia

Upon arrival at the Polonia International Airport, Medan, Indonesia delegates were immediately whisked away to Warong Solo for dinner where most members for the very first time had a taste of “Juice Poligami”. After dinner the delegates then proceeded to the official opening of the “Seminar Antarabangsa Pembangunan Berteraskan Islam Ke-2: Wakaf dan Pemberdayaan Ummah” held at Aula Asrama Haji Medan.

In front of Hotel Royal Perintis

2nd day: Seminar Antarabangsa Pembangunan Berteraskan Islam Ke-2: Wakaf dan Pemberdayaan Ummah

Delegates attended a day long “Seminar Antarabangsa Pembangunan Berteraskan Islam Ke-2: Wakaf dan Pemberdayaan Ummah” which was divided into 3 consecutive sessions. Each session encompass presentations of three working papers and thereafter followed usually by lively questions and answers sessions. ISDEV Director, Professor Dr Muhammad Syukri Salleh presented his paper on “Transformasi dan Paduan Pemerkasaan Wakaf” in the third session and ISDEV Associate Fellow Razali Othman presented his paper on "Usaha Manipulasi dan Menghapus Institusi Wakaf Oleh Kuasa Penjajah Barat" in the second session.

ISDEV delegates at the Waqf Seminar

3rd day : Journey to Lake Toba enroute Parapat

After a day long seminar session the previous day, delegates took a breather from the intellectual arena during the 3rd day. Delegates had to experience the 5 hours drive to Lake Toba en route Parapat where an overnight stay had been arranged. After dinner, delegates were feasted to barbequed fresh fish, a joint effort made possible by lecturers and students of ISDEV. Those juicy and succulent fish were caught from the nearby legendary Lake Toba.

Barbequeing fresh fishes from Lake Toba

4th day : A day at Samosir Island and back to Medan city

Delegates were ferried, for a 45 minutes’ ride, to Samosir Island and were entertained with fun and games designed to be in a very friendly competitive manner. ISDEV postgraduate students won the quizzes (teka-teki) and portrayed aspiring nasyeed singers in the making. Delegates were given time for a shopping spree at the Island before being ferried back to Parapat and thereafter endure another 5 hours’ drive back to Medan.

On the boat from Samosir Island

Unboarding the boat from Samosir Island

5th day : Workshop Antarabangsa Pembangunan Berteraskan Islam Ke 2:Wakaf Dalam Berbagai Perspektif

ISDEV Director Prof Muhammad Syukri Salleh (right) delivering a Public Lecture on Teaching-Learning Method: Heart-to-Heart Way, chaired by the Rector, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (left)

Back to the intellectual realm, this time some delegates were seen to be cool, calm and collected admist their anxiety to present their working papers at the “Workshop Antarabangsa Pembangunan Berteraskan Islam Ke 2: Wakaf Dalam Berbagai Perspektif” held at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara. More than 20 papers on a wide range of topics centered on Wakaf (Islamic endowments) were presented by ISDEV members at the international workshop which was carried out in four concurrent sessions.

Prof Muhammad Syukri Salleh receiving a gift from the Rector

Some of the ISDEV participants of the Workshop

6th day : PhD Proposal Presentations

The morning session saw the delegates participating in the PhD Proposal Presentation of two postgraduate students of ISDEV at the Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utrara.

The afternoon session remained to be the most awaited time for the delegates – free and easy day. Nonetheless true to Malaysian style almost all delegates opted for a shopping spree at the heart of Medan’s infamous Pajak Ikan. A few others opted to head to the bookstores to scout for the latest publications in town.

7th day: Last minute shopping and home sweet home

Since the flight back to Malaysia was in the evening, delegates were given time in the morning to continue with their free and easy activities in the morning. Delegates were feasted to a farewell lunch at one of ISDEV postgraduate students’ house, Datuk Chairil Anwar, in the heart of Medan before leaving for the “Bandara”.

Alhamdulillah delegates ended their musafiruun status when the flight they boarded touched down at Penang International Airport just before 8:00pm.

A NAS A WEEK - 8 JAMADIL AKHIR 1430H

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that Luqman al-Hakim made his will and counselled his son, saying, "My son! Sit with the learned men and keep close to them. Allah gives life to the hearts with the light of wisdom as Allah gives life to the dead earth with the abundant rain of the sky." [Hadith from Malik's Muwatta', Book No. 59: Knowledge, Hadith No. 59.1.1].

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And those who strive in Our (Cause), We will certainly guide them to Our Paths: for verily Allah is with those who do right [al-'Ankabuut, 29:69].

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Narrated Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab: While the Apostle of Allah (salallahu 'alaihi wassalam) was sitting with some of his companions, a man reviled AbuBakr and insulted him. But AbuBakr remained silent. He insulted him twice, but AbuBakr controlled himself. He insulted him thrice and AbuBakr took revenge on him. Then the Apostle of Allah (salallahu 'alaihi wassalam) got up when AbuBakr took revenge. AbuBakr said: Were you angry with me, Apostle of Allah? The Apostle of Allah (salallahu 'alaihi wassalam) replied: An angel came down from Heaven and he was rejecting what the man had said to you. When you took revenge, a devil came down. I was not going to sit when the devil came down [Hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud, Book No. 298: Kitab al-Adab, Hadith No. 4878].

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Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? [al-Hajj, 22: 46]

ISDEV AND PUSAT URUS ZAKAT PENANG COLLABORATED IN THE PUBLICATION OF TRANSFORMATION OF ZAKAT

Some of the participants of the Workshop

On Thursday, 30 April 2009, a total of 15 participants attended a Workshop on Zakat Transformation organised by ISDEV and Pusat Urus Zakat (PUZ) Negeri Pulau Pinang. Held at the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, the Workshop was intended to stretch out ideas on the transformation of zakat, from subsistence zakat to productive zakat, to be compiled in an edited book by PUZ in conjunction with its 15th Anniversary.

The Workshop was chaired by ISDEV Director Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh and participated by General Managers of Pusat Pungutan Zakat (PPZ) Wilayah Persekutuan, Lembaga Zakat Selangor (LZS) and Baitulmal Sarawak, as well as academicians from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Kolej Universiti Islam Selangor (KUIS) and officer from Jabatan Wakaf, Zakat dan Haji (JAWHAR). All agreed to contribute a paper each for the book.

Presentation of these papers prior to publication will be held in another workshop scheduled on 21-22 July 2009. The title of the book was agreed to be Zakat Transformation: From Subsistence Zakat to Productive Zakat and will be edited by Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh, Mohd Salleh Abdullah and Dr Zahri Hamat.

ISDEV MEMBERS FLYING OFF TO MEDAN, INDONESIA

A total of 31 ISDEV members and associates, consisting of lecturers and postgraduate students, will be flying off to Polonia International Airport, Medan Indonesia on Monday 4th May, 2009. They will be part of the delegates attending the “Seminar Antarabangsa Pembangunan Berteraskan Islam Ke-2: Wakaf dan Pemberdayaan Ummah” scheduled on 5th May, 2009. A trip said to be filled with intellectual stimulation will also witness some of these delegates presenting their papers at the “Workshop Antarabangsa Pembangunan Berteraskan Islam Ke-2: Wakaf Dalam Berbagai Perspektif” on Friday 8th May, 2009.

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Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (salallahu 'alaihi wassalam) said: The most perfect believer in respect of faith is he who is best of them in manners [Hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud, Book No. 40: Kitab al-Sunnah, Hadith No. 4665].