SHAH ALAM, Sept 5 — Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah's former Imam Besar Syeikhul Maqari’ Othman Hamzah was selected as the Selangor Tokoh Maulidur Rasul in conjunction with the state-level Maulidur Rasul 1447H celebration today.
The selection of the 60-year-old was announced during a ceremony at the mosque's Lecture and Discussion Hall.
The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj presented the award to Othman, who also took home RM20,000 in cash, a certificate of appreciation, and a trophy.
Earlier, the arrival of His Royal Highness at 11am was received by Selangor Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari, Selangor State Secretary Dato' Ahmad Fadzli Ahmad Tajuddin, and Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) chairman Dato' Salehuddin Saidin.
Othman was among the individuals who had made great contributions to the progress and development of Islam in Selangor since he began serving as a contract teacher in 1994.
When announcing the matter, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's Ceremonies and Entertainments Corporate Unit assistant director Muhamad Ashriq Masri said that Othman has been appointed as an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam at the Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies on September 15 last year.
“A total of 80 scholarly works in the fields of Quran, Qiraat, Hadith, Fiqh, and Maqasid Syariah have been successfully published, including the titles Risalah Ulum al-Quran, Panduan Himpunan Qiraat Sepuluh, Hadith dan Kepentingan Sanad, Panduan Hajj dan Umrah, and Maqasid Syar‘iyyah.
“He is among the three individuals recognised by Mais as ‘Syeikhul Maqari’ in 1992, and he also received the same award by the Selangor government through an appointment letter dated July 28," he said.
Ashriq added Othman’s expertise in various fields and his experience in managing Islamic affairs have successfully attracted the interest of the private sector, and he is now appointed as Religious Advisor at Puncak Niaga Holdings Sdn Bhd.
Meanwhile, speaking to the press after the ceremony, Othman said he did not expect his work to be valued and appreciated and expressed his gratitude to Allah SWT for the award he received.
The father of seven children also advised the young people to continue to seek knowledge until the grave because that is the principle of his life, which is never a day to stop seeking knowledge and conveying it to the community.
