ISDEV DIRECTOR IS BACK

Prof Syukri chairing the first ISDEV Management Committee meeting on Friday 23 July 2010

Alhamdulillah. The moment that awaits the entire ISDEV fraternity has finally come true. ISDEV Director Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh is finally back at ISDEV. On 19 July, 2010 Professor Muhammad Syukri came to his office at C05 and was immediately seen immersed into his workload.

With his new zest and inspirations received from his experience abroad, as a Visiting Scholar at the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) in Jeddah and as a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) in England, United Kingdom, he has already committed his one Tuesday afternoon of a month as a “Tarbiyah Pengarah ISDEV”. This programme is intended for ISDEV fraternity to hear and have a special session with ISDEV Director at least once a month where Professor Muhammad Syukri plans to share and implement some of these new found ideas whilst he was abroad at ISDEV.

Some of ISDEV fraternity listening to Prof Syukri's first "Tarbiyah Pengarah" on Tuesday 20 July 2010

THE ORIENTATION AND WELCOMING SESSION OF MISDEV’10

Welcoming and Orientation Session

ISDEV welcomed its third batch of Master students recently on 5 July, 2010. 14 students attended the said orientation programme. The welcoming session started at eight in the morning of the Meeting Room of C05 with a Ta’aruf Session and Welcoming Speech by the Chairperson of the Islamic Development Management Section, Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad. This was followed by a briefing on the MISDEV programme by Brother Khairul Faizi.

Although ISDEV Director, Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh, was away as a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, MISDEV ’10 still had a chance to listen to his welcoming remarks and general advice on being a student of Islam to them. The programme ended with the “Sahabat Programme” where each student of MISDEV ’10 was allocated a senior sister/brother from MISDEV ’09.

Some of the students

THE ISDEV IN-HOUSE SEMINARS SERIES IN JUNE

ISDEV recently conducted two in-house seminars in June 2010. The first of the ISDEV In-House Seminar was held on Friday 25 June, 2010 at 9:30am. ISDEV Post Graduate Fellow, Dr. Miftahur Rahim presented his paper entitled “Ahlus Sunnah Dalam Dunia Global” (The Ahlus Sunnah in the Globalised World).

Dr. Miftahur Rahim

The second ISDEV In-House Seminar was delivered by a guest speaker who is the Director of the Palestine Centre of Excellence (PACE), based in Kuala Lumpur. Assoc. Professor Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor presented his talk regarding “Keberkatan Baitul Maqdis” (Baitul Maqdis’ Blessings) on Tuesday 29 June, 2010 at 2:30pm.

Both of these ISDEV In-House Seminar Series were held at the Meeting Room (C05) and were chaired by Ustaz Mohd Shukri Hanapi.

Assoc. Professor Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor

AHMAD AZRIN ADNAN SUBMITTED HIS PhD THESIS

ISDEV PhD Candidate Brother Ahmad Azrin Adnan has submitted his PhD thesis. The title is “Choice Determinants of the Islamic Banking Institutions Among the Muslims in Terengganu” (Penentu Pemilihan Institusi Perbankan Islam Dalam Kalangan Muslim Di Terengganu).

Brother Azrin presenting his thesis at ISDEV before he is allowed to submit it

He has been working with ISDEV Director Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh and ISDEV Management Committee Member Dr Zakaria Bahari.

Viva voce for the thesis is expected to be held sometime in August 2010. When the exact date is confirmed, a mock viva will be held at ISDEV to train him to face the real viva voce.

Whilst waiting for his viva, Brother Ahmad Azrin has resumed his duties as a lecturer at the Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) in Terengganu.

The participants at the presentation

A NAS A WEEK - 14 SHA'BAN 1431H

Narrated 'Aisha, The Prophet never fasted in any month more than in the month of Sha'ban. He used to say, "Do those deeds which you can do easily, as Allah will not get tired (of giving rewards) till you get bored and tired (of performing religious deeds). "The most beloved prayer to the Prophet was the one that was done regularly (throughout the life) even if it were little. And whenever the Prophet offered a prayer he used to offer it regularly [Hadith from Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31: Fasting, Hadith Number 191].

ISDEV DIRECTOR MOVES TO OXFORD, UK

Professor Syukri working at his Clevedon House in Oxford

After being in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for about three and a half months, ISDEV Director Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh has now, since 18 July 2010, moved to Oxford, United Kingdom.

Professor Syukri has been in Jeddah from 1 March to 17 July 2010, attaching to Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) as a Visiting Scholar. Here he undertook a research on "Islamic Management of Poverty".

In Oxford, Professor Syukri is attached to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) as a Visiting Fellow, undertaking a research on the "Conceptualisation of Islamic Project Management". He will be in Oxford until 16 July 2010, afterwhich he will be back in Universiti Sains Malaysia to resume his normal duties.

A NAS A WEEK - 29 RAJAB 1431H

It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that ye say that which ye do not [al-Saff, 61: 3].

ISDEV GRADUATE DISCOURSE IN JUNE: BROTHER AHMAD AZRIN PRESENTS HIS THESIS

True to ISDEV’s culture, Brother Ahmad Azrin Adnan, ISDEV PhD candidate presented his his PhD thesis to ISDEV fraternity at the ISDEV Graduate Discourse recently. The intellectual discourse was held on Monday 21 June, 2010 at 2:30pm and chaired by ISDEV Acting Director, Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad. Brother Azrin who presented his PhD thesis entitled “Penentu Pemilihan Institusi Perbankan Islam Dalam Kalangan Muslim Di Terengganu” (Choice Determinants of the Islamic Banking Institutions Among the Muslims in Terengganu) was given the green light by the appointed evaluators, Dr Zaini bin Abu Bakar and Dr Nailul Murad Mohd Nor to proceed with the next stage - the submission of his thesis to the IPS office. The intellectual discourse was held at the Meeting Room of C05.

Congratulations to Brother Ahmad Azrin as he is a step closer towards his PhD conferment.

A NAS A WEEK - 22 RAJAB 1431

Narrated Abbas bin Malik: Malik bin Sasaa said that Allah's Apostle described to them his Night Journey saying, "... Al-Bait-ul-Ma'mur (i.e. the Sacred House) was shown to me and a container full of wine and another full of milk and a third full of honey were brought to me. I took the milk. Gabriel remarked, 'This is the Islamic religion which you and your followers are following.' Then the prayers were enjoined on me: They were fifty prayers a day. When I returned, I passed by Moses who asked (me), 'What have you been ordered to do?' I replied, 'I have been ordered to offer fifty prayers a day.' Moses said, 'Your followers cannot bear fifty prayers a day, and by Allah, I have tested people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel (in vain). Go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your followers' burden.' So I went back, and Allah reduced ten prayers for me. Then again I came to Moses, but he repeated the same as he had said before. Then again I went back to Allah and He reduced ten more prayers. When I came back to Moses he said the same, I went back to Allah and He ordered me to observe ten prayers a day. When I came back to Moses, he repeated the same advice, so I went back to Allah and was ordered to observe five prayers a day. When I came back to Moses, he said, 'What have you been ordered?' I replied, 'I have been ordered to observe five prayers a day.' He said, 'Your followers cannot bear five prayers a day, and no doubt, I have got an experience of the people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel, so go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your follower's burden.' I said, 'I have requested so much of my Lord that I feel ashamed, but I am satisfied now and surrender to Allah's Order.' When I left, I heard a voice saying, 'I have passed My Order and have lessened the burden of My Worshipers." [Hadith from Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58: Merits of the Helpers in Medina (Ansaar), Hadith Number 227].