Syahida Che Lah

When I was in high school, I grew up witnessing a huge project development on Jalan Langgar, Alor Setar Kedah. Whenever I travelled back and forth from my hostel to my home every weekend, my bus would pass by that area. There were not many major projects in Alor Setar during that period, and it made me wonder the kind of huge complex that they planned to build. The lingering question were, “When will it be accomplished?”, “What is the purpose of this project?” and “Why does it takes years to complete?”. Finally, when I was away from my hometown to further my studies, the first ever structure built in this complex known as Albukhary Mosque was officially open in 2001. The mosque not the only building built, there are other buildings inside this complex too. The complex is known as Syarifah Sofia Center of Excellence.

This complex is one of the most prestigious complexes that has ever been built in Alor Setar, Kedah. From my observation, numerous facilities provided in this complex can be utilised by the societies through beneficial activities conducted in the complex. Until now, whenever I return to my hometown, this complex has never failed to amaze me with its great architectural design. As a person who appreciates aesthetics in arts, architecture and heritage, I am honoured to have directly witnessed some parts of the development phase of the sacred project. It is an opportune moment for me to share about this hidden gem by inculcating awareness about the existence of this complex among the people from and outside Kedah.

The Background

Syarifah Sofiah Center of Excellence or also known as Albukhary complex is a waqf initiated by Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, which is intended for the poor and marginalised segment of the society. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary’s views can be understood based on the principle, “The day has twenty-four hours; eight for the night’s sleep, eight for the day’s education, and eight for helping others in need”. The complex is built on a family land and managed by the Foundation of Albukhary as an integrated complex of education, health and welfare, as well as community facilities. Built in phases, the following addition to the area after the completion of Albukhary mosque is its commercial complex, known as the Souq. The final addition to the complex, which marked its completion in 2015, is the centre for people with Special Needs. At the heart of the centre is Albukhary International University, which is a private waqf university. There are health and welfare facilities for the poor, disabled, sick, and the elderly nearby the university.

The Buildings

Sharifah Rokiah Centre of Excellence’s rich and diverse architecture is spread over a 75-acre site. This complex consists of beautiful and attractive designs of architecture that are inspired from various renowned Islamic buildings in the world of Islamic architecture.

Souq Albukhary

Souq Albukhary is known as Albukhary Mall. Souq Albukhary employs Islamic motifs in its design with elements borrowed from the Mughal and Moorish architectural styles. This includes chhatris and minarets in the design and filigree screens to the walls. Souq Albukhary also consists of a three-story air-conditioned mall with Giant Hypermarket as the anchor tenant, linked to a non-air-conditioned bazaar. This building captures the grandeur of the Citadel of Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Albukhary Mosque

Albukhary mosque is considered as one of the famous mosques in Malaysia. It is due to its unique features and beautiful architectural design. The Mihrab of this mosque (sanctuary) was inspired from the architecture of Sheikh Abdul Samad’s tomb as found in Natanz, Iran. Meanwhile, the minarets are designed after those of the Nabawi Mosque in Medina. The Mimbar is a replica of those in Medina’s Qiblatain Mosque and Cairo’s Qaitbay Mamluks. The seven domes in the mosque are adorned with Quranic verses. The Mosque’s square has plain ponds and waterways in specialised geometric structures, which are based on the architecture at the tomb of Imam Albukhary in Samarkhand, Uzbekistan.

Albukhari International University complex

The university campus is designed based on classical Islamic geometry and planning principles. It is intended to be a ‘living museum’ of classical Islamic Art and Architecture; showcasing the various styles, forms and elements found in many Islamic countries. Interestingly, the dome of Albukhary mosque act as a cue to generate the master plan for the university. The convocation hall reflects the serenity of the University of Qarawiyin, in Fes, Morocco. The most attractive building in this university is the lecture theatre that embraces the opulence of the Suleimaniya Mosque Complex, Istanbul while the library building’s dome mirrors the sparkling Dome of the Rock, in Al – Quds.

The Center for Community

Sharifah Rokiah Center of Excellence also functions as the complex for community through its facilities and services provided. The surrounding of the mosque is an old folks’ home, an orphanage, and a dialysis centre, to serve the needs of the disadvantaged in the local community. The dialysis centre has 18 dialysis machines, which provide medical service to the poor in Kedah, at no cost. Besides that, the landmarks of the Islamic World gathered in this complex not only beautify its surroundings and showcase replicas to students and members of the university, they also welcome the community who might otherwise not have the chance to visit these magnificent buildings.

In my view, Syarifah Rokiah Center of Excellence is a hidden gem because this complex is not only a common complex that only showcases the beautiful landscape and architecture but, it also serves the community especially for those in need. That makes this complex unique and I am so delighted to be able to share about this hidden gem with others! Lastly, please embrace this quote by the founder of this complex as a reflection.

“Saya gembira dapat membantu. Saya mahu orang lain merasai (kesenangan) apa yang saya pernah rasa. Saya tahu bagaimana perasaannya. Saya kata kepada diri saya, apa yang saya dapat saya mesti beri orang lain merasainya sama. Jangan beri kurang, lebih tak mengapa. Itu yang membuat hati saya seronok.”- Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary

Refference:

https://masjidalbukhary.weebly.com/

https://albukharyfoundation.my/sharifah-rokiah-centre-of-excellence/

Mumtaz Ali, Muhammad. 2014. Issues in Islamization of Human Knowledge: Civilization Building Discourse on Contemporary Muslim Thinkers. Kuala Lumpur: IIUM Press

Since late 20^th century, the catchphrase Islamization of knowledge has been used in contemporary Islamic philosophy in order to reconcile Islam and modernity. Starting from that, a lot of scholars and philosophers who did a research and provided the definitions and explanation on what the Islamization of knowledge is all about. One of the books that discuss on the issue of Islamization of knowledge is entitled, Issues in Islamization of Human Knowledge: Civilization Building Discourse of Contemporary Muslim Thinkers written by Muhammad Mumtaz Ali.

A little introduction of the author, Muhammad Mumtaz Ali is a professor in the Department of Usuluddin and Comparative Religion, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences in International Islamic University Malaysia. It is important to note that, this book has been awarded as the winner of Nation Book Award in 2014- category Contemporary Islamic Thinkers.

This book offered a sincere contribution by expounding on and organising central themes, inherent within the field of Islamization of Human Knowledge, that were so far scattered. The author presented Islamization of Human Knowledge as a universal and people-oriented perspective and asserted that it should not be perceived as a mere religious and parochial discourse. The central theme of this book is focusing on the methodology concept of Islamization of Human Knowledge, that were thoroughly discussed in an intellectual discourse with four contemporary thinkers (ideologist) in this field; Kamal Hassan, Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Islmail al-Faruqi and AbduHamid Abu Sulayman.

The view of the four thinkers above can be summarized below:

Kamal Hassan

He prefers to use the term of Islamicisation rather than Islamization. Despite the slight change in its spelling, Kamal Hassan feels it conveys a more relevant meaning. According to Kamal Hassan, the term Islamization is more suitable to use if we refer it to the act or effort or process of making or wanting to make any human’s knowledge, discipline, idea, system, theory or methodology that comply or be in conformity with the values and norms of Islam. However, the term ‘Islamicisation’ that was derived from the Islamic term, is felt appropriate in non-Muslim context such as non-Muslim sources, countries, societies, or culture where there is no contravention of Islamic Creed, Law or Ethics and is in harmony with Islamic standards. Moreover, according to Kamal Hassan, a proper education system that is both relevant for our time that is comprehensive and holistic in taking into consideration all aspect of society, offering a projected sustainable development that should be developed based on the Islamic worldview. This would bring unity to knowledge that is both revealed and acquired through intellect, religion and science and thus, forge the foundational principles of education. In this way, reform in the education system would strengthen the link between this world and the hereafter.

Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas.

Al-Attas did not use the phrase Islamization of Knowledge but he favoured the term of “Islamization of Present-day Knowledge”. He focused on the reformulation of present-day knowledge because he argued that the real problem lies with it. He suggested the De-westernization of knowledge as a prerequisite to Islamization of Knowledge. According to him, the rationale here is that knowledge means recognition and acknowledgement based on truth and certainty. For example, man recognize who is his creator. Al -Attas discussed about the secularism and secularization that happened in the Muslim world and he argued that to comprehend the real danger of secularism and secularization, one need to understand thoroughly both Islam and modern Western philosophical thought.

Ismail al-Faruqi

Al-Faruqi argued that all the discipline developed in the modern West had a specific methodology in truth and knowledge as compared to Islamic methodology, the view of truth and knowledge. Therefore, he argued that the need for Islamization of modern knowledge such as humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences must be reconceived and rebuilt in order to give a new Islamic base and assigned new purposes consistent with Islam.

AbdulHamid AbuSulaymen

He is one of the most important figures in history of the contemporary global Muslim scholarship. He debated about the real methodological issues in Islamization of Knowledge and he realized that the issues in Islamization of Knowledge should not be dealt in isolation from those relating to Islamic thought and its methodology. He also mentioned that Islamization of Knowledge belongs to Muslim Ummah and therefore it must be taken seriously by everybody, expert as well as non-expert.

Mumtaz Ali decided to discuss these eminent thinkers views about Islamization of Knowledge separately rather than making a comparison in order to identify main issues debated by each of them. As the result, the author found out that most of the scholars focused more on the ideological, conceptual and metaphysical framework of Islamic methodology rather than on a systematic, focus oriented, elaboration of the methodology. The author also discusses about the need for improvement in methodological thought by following the fundamentals of Islam as embodied in the Quran and Sunnah. In my opinion, the author used a very high academic language but still understandable. Overall, this book is very valuable in providing the views regarding issues of Islamization of knowledge. The way the author list down the chapters also make the readers easily understand the content of the book.

From the reading of this book, I can understand that most of the scholars and philosophers had agreed upon the significant of Muslims to practise Islamization of knowledge. All the information and explanation had clearly provided the importance of Islamization of knowledge in the perspective of Muslim itself. Therefore, as a Muslim, this reformation of knowledge in integration of the Islamic world view are easily can be accepted by Muslim. I believe that every Muslim, already have their own objective and their own purpose of life in this world.

Islamization of Knowledge is very important to guide human life and teach them to the right path. Islamization of knowledge can balance between Islam and modernity. The tremendous efforts are already given by Muslim scholars and philosophers to properly develop the Islamization of knowledge. However, without proper understanding, I believed that Muslims can tend to be in confusion and it may lead to misunderstanding. This is not only due to the modern knowledge but also the failure to appreciate the Islamic teachings as formulated in Al-Quran and Sunnah.

Besides that, we should set a good example as a Muslim to the other non-Muslim so that they can view Islamization of knowledge as something that worth to practise and learn about in various branch of knowledge and sciences.