King bestows 'royal professor' title on eminent scholar, philosopher

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar bestowed the rank and title of “royal professor” on eminent Islamic scholar and philosopher Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas in a ceremony at Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

Syed Naquib, 93, received the prestigious award for his service and contribution to the country, especially in Islamic education.

Also present at the ceremony were Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir.

Syed Naquib is the founder of the Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation and is a contemporary Islamic civilisation thinker who is highly respected both nationally and globally.

He pioneered the concept of Islamisation of knowledge which is applied in various branches of knowledge including religious education, history, philosophy, theology, metaphysics, philology, semantics, literature and art.

Catalyst, inspiration

Zambry said this award will serve as a catalyst and inspiration for the entire nation, particularly the academic community.

He hoped this honour would stimulate the development of scholarship and intellectuality in the country, thus contributing to the elevation of the culture of knowledge in Malaysia.

The government also awarded a grant of RM500,000 to Syed Naquib in recognition of his contributions to education.

“His legacy is invaluable to the field of Malay literature and civilisation studies,” he said at the conferment of the rank and title ceremony at Istana Negara today.

In this introduction speech, Zambry said Syed Naquib received his early education at the English College Johor Bahru, now known as Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar, in 1946.

He later earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Universiti Malaya in Singapore in 1957 before pursuing postgraduate studies in 1960 at McGill University, Canada, and subsequently at the University of London, United Kingdom, in 1963.

Zambry also expressed his gratitude to Sultan Ibrahim and the Conference of Rulers for consenting to the bestowal of the title to Syed Naquib.

He also thanked Anwar and the coalition government for initiating the proposal for the bestowal of the title.

The royal professor is the highest and most esteemed professorship in Malaysia, bestowed by the king, and only distinguished professors who made valuable contributions to the people and the country are eligible to hold this title.

The first and only person awarded the title before was the late Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid in 1978.

- Bernama

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