Posts in category: Service to Islam

The Saudi Arabian High Commission for Donations to Bosnia-Herzegovina, headed by Prince Salman bin Abd Al-Aziz, was formed in 1992, at the height of the Bosnian war, for the noble purpose of assisting Bosnian Muslims during that tragedy. Despite the intensity of the fighting, the Foundation succeeded, through its officers in Europe, in providing much needed supplies of food, medicine and other forms of direct humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged communities throughout Bosnia.

The Foundation explained the magnitude of the tragedy in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the nature of atrocities that Muslims were subjected to at the hands of Serbs, to the Saudi public, urging every Muslim to come to their rescue. Generous donations from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the late King Fahd, members of the Saudi Royal family, businessmen and ordinary citizens, enabled the Foundation to deliver considerable aid to the Bosnians.

The Foundation’s humanitarian assistance during and after the war ranged from building orphanages, medical facilities and refugee centers to the reconstruction of homes, schools, hospitals, railway lines, water supplies and electricity networks destroyed by the war. Such services were often rendered under extremely difficult conditions imposed by the conflict.

In the field of education and religious services, the Foundation built, re-built or refurbished schools, colleges, libraries and more than 600 mosques in different Bosnian cities, printed and distributed free educational books, as well as more than half a million copies of the Holy Quran, and offered numerous scholarships.

The Commission Was established in 1992 during the war in Bosnia. Even under difficult conflict conditions, the Commission has managed to provide much- needed supplies to war-ravaged communities and to assist in the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure.

Egypt’s renowned Islamic institution, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, has been serving the Islamic World for more than 1,000 years. Built in Cairo in 971 AD by Johar Al-Siqilli on the order of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu’iz, and named in the honor of Fatima Al-Zahraa, daughter of the Prophet Mohammad, Al-Azhar soon became the focus of Muslim scholars and students from around the world. Over the centuries, it played a key role in teaching Islam and preserving Islamic culture.

Originally a single minaret mosque composed of a courtyard and an oratory, Al-Azhar was extended through the years into a 5-minaret mosque and a vast teaching and research complex, incorporating schools of Islamic jurisprudence, theology, and Arabic language, as well as a modern university that teaches medicine, engineering, and agriculture, and an Islamic Women Faculty. The Academy for Islamic Research, Al-Azhar Library (consisting of about 600,000 volumes of Islamic manuscripts and rare books) and the Holy Qur’an Printing Service also form part of the complex.

Al-Azhar is not only the most important mosque in Egypt but also one of the oldest universities in the world. It started accepting students from all parts of the Islamic World in 976 AD. Both education and lodging were free of charge at that time. Countless numbers of renowned Muslim scholars and leaders graduated from it. Today, students from 85 countries are enrolled in the main campus in Cairo and many others are receiving education in its branches and institutes in other parts of the Islamic World. Among the objectives of Al-Azhar University, apart from formal education, is the propagation of the Islamic religion and culture, and Arabic language, preservation of Islamic heritage, training of preachers and judging on individual Islamic questions through its Committee of Scholars.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Juma Al-Majid studied Islamic Studies, the Holy Quran, and Arabic language, then shifted to business and was a successful businessman throughout the Gulf Countries.

One of Mr. Al-Majid’s most significant accomplishments is the inception of Juma Al-Majid Center for Culture and Heritage, which emphasizes Islamic culture and its role in history. The center publishes cultural and scientific books, organizes lectures, and embraces a library with more than half a million titles and thousands of original ancient manuscripts, microfiche, audiovisual material, periodicals, and other documents that reflect the richness of Islamic culture. The Center provides extensive, free resources to scholars of Islamic and Arabic studies and maintains active exchange programs with more than 300 international cultural and learning institutions.

Mr. Al-Majid also founded numerous schools that provide free education for nearly 9,000 Muslim students in the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the College of Islamic and Arabic Studies in Dubai, where more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students also receive free education. His other humanitarian endeavors include supporting research, adult education programs, and campaigns against illiteracy, as well as building schools, hospitals, and mosques around the world. He is a member of the Supreme Council of the UAE University and the Arabic Thought Foundation, a former member of the Advisory Committee of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, and the recipient of several national and international awards and medals.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Abdou Diouf completed his general education at the Lycee Faidherbe, studied Law at Dakar University, and Political Sciences and Law at the Sorbonne in Paris. He is a prominent African leader with an impressive record of achievements in terms of political and socio-economic development in Africa. He is also an ardent supporter of Islamic communities in Senegal and West Africa.

A protégé and close ally of Senegal’s Leopold Senghor, Mr. Diouf was entrusted with senior political positions after his return from Paris, including a governor’s position and three ministerial offices: Defense, Commerce, and Finance. He became Senegal’s Prime Minister from 1970-1980, and its first Muslim President between 1981-2000.

During his presidency, Mr. Abdou Diouf played a pivotal role in mending relations between Senegal and Mauritania following the 1989 hostilities between these two Muslim countries, and actively pursued cooperation between Senegal and the rest of the Islamic world. He encouraged the study of Arabic in Senegal with a view to enhancing the appreciation of Islamic writings.

Mr. Diouf received 11 honorary doctorates and several prestigious medals in recognition of his outstanding services to Senegal and other parts of Africa and the Muslim world.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mahathir Bin Mohammad studied medicine at King Edward VII College in Singapore. After two years as a medical officer in the Malayan government, he set up his own practice.

Dr. Mohammad joined the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) since its inception in 1946, and was elected to Parliament in 1964. He served as a Chairman of the first Higher Education Council, a Member of the University of Malays Council, and a Chairman of the National University Council. In 1973, he was appointed as a Senator, but relinquished the post in the following year to contest in general elections. After winning in the elections, he was appointed as a Minister of Education and a Deputy Prime Minister, then a Minister of Trade and Industry. He was elected as Vice-President in 1975 then President in 1980 of UMNO, and became the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1980 to 2003. Under his leadership, the country witnessed substantial socio-economic development and was transformed, within a few years, into one of the most prosperous and modern industrial nations in Southeast Asia.

He published several articles embodying his political and economic insights and his concept of Islam. He received numerous international awards. His biography has been the subject of several books and articles.

Dr. Mahatir bin Mohammed served as Malaysia’s Prime Minister for 13 years.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Abdulrahman Al-Sumait studied medicine in Baghdad University, obtained a Diploma of Tropical Medicine from Liverpool University (U.K.), and specialized in internal medicine and gastroenterology in Montreal General Hospital in Canada. He also conducted research on hepatic malignancies in King’s College, London. He worked as a Consultant Gastroenterologist in Al-Sabbah Hospital in Kuwait for three years, then committed himself, full-time, to humanitarian activities. He was an Honorary Health Attache for the Kuwait embassy in Kenya.

Dr. Al-Sumait had been involved in Islamic charity since he was a student. In 1981, he founded the African Muslim Agency, currently known as Direct Aid Society, and serves as its Secretary General. The society provides extensive humanitarian assistance to impoverished Muslims throughout Africa.

Dr. Al-Sumait was the author of several books and the recipient of several prestigious awards.

In addition to his immense activities, Dr. Al-Sumait founded associations for Muslim physicians and students in the United States and Canada. In 1984, he established the Kuwaiti Islamic Relief Commission, which helped save the lives of 320,000 Muslims during the drought and famine that struck many parts of Africa that year.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Gad Al-Haq was educated in Tanta and Cairo and received a degree in Sharia in 1944 and a judiciary license in 1946 from Al-Azhar.

He served for more than three decades in the Islamic judiciary in Egypt and became the country’s Mufti in 1978. In 1980, he became Egypt’s Minister of Endowment, and later in the same year, he was appointed to the prestigious position of Grand Imam (Rector) of Al-Azhar. He was also a Chairman of the International Council for Islamic Daawa and Relief and a member of the boards of several national and international academic and religious institutions. He authored several important books on fiqh, religious edicts, and other related topics.

Shaikh Gad Al-Haq received many other prestigious awards and medals, including the Egyptian Order of the Nile in 1983 and the Moroccan Order (First Class) of Academic Excellence in 1984.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mohammad bin Saleh Al-Uthaimin was born in Unaiza, in Quasim region (Saudi Arabia) in 1929. He memorized the Holy Quran during his childhood, pursued rigorous religious education in hadith, tafseer, fiqh, theology and Arabic language under the tutelage of renowned Saudi Ulema (Islamic scholars) and graduated from the College of Sharia in Riyadh.

Shaikh ibn Uthaimin, as he was commonly called, dedicated his entire life to the service of Islam and Muslims by sharing his vast knowledge of the Islamic creed with students and members of the public through regular classes, publications, radio programs, and preaching and counseling activities. These contributions, coupled with his exemplary Muslim qualities gained him the respect and admiration of Muslims around the world.

He was a member of the Saudi Commission of Senior Islamic Scholars, a professor at the College of Shari’a at Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Quasim and a member of its Academic Council and author of more than 90 books and treatises dealing with different aspects of the Islamic doctrine. Among his most important books are his 15-volume book on fiqh and 10-volume book on the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an. He also used to teach at the Holy mosque in Makkah during Ramadan (fasting month).

Shaikh Al-Uthaimin died in 2001 after a long and productive life in the service of the Islamic religion.

Sheikh Al-Uthaimin was a Professor of Islamic Studies at Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a member of the High Committee of Ulama’a. He has been awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam in recognition of his distinguished career as a Muslim scholar and his untiring efforts to foster the cause of Islam.

Sheikh Al-Uthaimin’s deep knowledge of Islam, disseminated through his many publications and teachings, as well as his outstanding qualities as a dedicated and profoundly faithful Muslim, have won him the respect and admiration of Muslims everywhere.

Alija Izetbegoviç moved during his childhood with his family to Sarajevo, where he grew up and received his formal education. After World War II, he graduated with degrees in economics and law from the University of Sarajevo. He was an urbane and a thoughtful politician who spoke English, French, and German, in addition to Serbocroatian. He served for 25 years as legal advisor in different establishments, including the University of Sarajevo, and became the first President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1990-1996 and a member of the Presidency.

Dr. Izetbegoviç’s political strife dates back to the 1940s, when he became an active member of the Muslim Youth Organization. He was jailed twice for his courageous opposition to communist oppression of Muslims in former Yugoslavia. In 1989, he formed an Islamic political party that led Bosnian Muslims to their independence. Izetbegoviç was also a distinguished scholar, author, and philosopher. His intellectual pursuits include the publication of several books including Islamic Manifesto (translated into English, Arabic, and Albanian), Problems of Islamic Awakening and Islam Between East and West; the latter book was translated into English, Spanish, Turkish, Malay, and Urdu, and was described by reviewers as one of the most important books published in Europe in the 1980s.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Hamid Al-Ghabid obtained a Doctorate degree from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1988. He occupied senior political positions in the Government of Niger, and was the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1979-1981, Minister of Commerce in 1981-1983 and Minister of Finance in 1983, then Prime Minister of Niger from 1983 to 1988. In 1989, he was appointed the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

During his tenure as a Secretary General of the OIC, Dr. Al-Ghabid addressed some of the most important challenges facing the Islamic world. His role in supporting social, educational, cultural, political, and economic cooperation between Islamic countries, and in mediating disputes within and between these countries is particularly noteworthy. He is also credited with successfully relocating some 250,000 Bulgarian Muslim refugees to Turkey, and with convincing richer Islamic countries to increase their support to the less previleged communities in the Islamic World. He has also been successful in restoring confidence in the Islamic Cooperation Fund which provides aid to Islamic countries during natural disasters. Dr. Al-Ghabid also founded the Islamic Establishment for Social Studies in Niami, which supports various philanthropic projects in Niger.

A respected African leader with long diplomatic experience, Dr. Al-Ghabid was chosen by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to represent it as mediator in the Darfur conflict in Sudan.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.