The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, said the ills and misery in the world today were largely due to individuals who succumbed to their desires when entrusted with power.

The sultan said there had been many examples in history where such individuals got lost in their own power greed and ultimately fell in disgrace.

Speaking at the 4th convocation of Kolej Islam Darul Ridzuan (Kisdar) in Kuala Kangsar today, Sultan Azlan said the success achieved by every individual was a gift from God for his or her effort in acquiring knowledge to face the challenges ahead.

malaysian law conference 291007 sultan azlan shah 1 "The bigger test in a person's life is when one is given a high position, post or rank or power, but many fail at this stage.

"When they are 'intoxicated' by their own power, they feel they are always right and others, wrong.

"They think they are wiser and smarter than others, so they listen to no advice and accept no reproach, but view it negatively and even as an attempt to undermine their power.

"These people are too small to be pompous and arrogant. What they need is guidance from the teachers and elders and revelation from God."

The sultan also said that any area of knowledge mastered should fill one with the realisation that many more needed to be learned.

On the Kisdar graduands, Sultan Azlan said each of them must have attributes such as trustworthiness, truthfulness, wisdom and the willingness to pass on knowledge to mirror the spirit of Islam.

A total of 239 graduands received their diplomas in usuluddin (theology), Islamic banking and finance, and Arab literature at the convocation ceremony.

- Bernama