SHAH ALAM, June 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has commended the Selangor government for organising an Islamic heritage festival to revive the masterpieces of Islam, and at the same time nourish the culture of love of knowledge in the country.
This is in reference to the hosting of the week-long Selangor Turath Islami Festival from May 26 to June 2.
“What is being done in Selangor is interesting, and it maintains a tradition of (obtaining) knowledge in the old ways, such as from pondok and sheikhs (teachers) coming to read the books and discuss contents.
“In the age of social media now, knowledge (can be obtained) in one to three minutes. Whereas in Islam, the tradition of seeking knowledge requires one to read, study and appreciate,” he said.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said Selangor is committed to mainstreaming ‘turath’ (Islamic scholarly heritage) through the establishment of the Turath Academy, under the management of the state’s Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque.
He said the state government had also compiled a syllabus in the form of talaqqi, which is face-to-face learning, with teachers or religious scholars in mosques.
For a start, he said it would be implemented in nine districts in Selangor.
“We are aware that in modernity and due to the limitations of time, especially when faced with political, economic, social and globalisation crises, many are nearly drowned while searching for a branch to cling to, and some fall into extremism, fanaticism and racism.
“So, the time has come for us to present something better than a fragile branch, and in this context, we present turath as a pillar to the people,” he said.
At the event, Anwar also launched the translation of Kitab Ihya' Ulumuddin (five volumes) and 40 Hadith into Malay, which are recommended to be taught in surau and mosques, as part of efforts to educate and provide understanding to the younger generation about the treasures of turath.
The second edition of the Selangor Turath Islami Festival aims to revive turath in the daily life of Muslims in the archipelago.
The festival features the world's leading scholars, including former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Professor Dr Ali Jum'ah, who picked the ‘Riyadhu as-Salihin’ and ‘40 Hadith’ by Al-Imam Yahya Sharaf al-Nawawi to be studied and appreciated.
— Bernama
