By Auni Zarifah
GOMBAK, 15 August 2022: “The beauty of the Arabic language caught my heart as I devote my life to understand the language of the Holy Qur’an,” the award winner of AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kuliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS) shared.
Graduated in Arabic Language and Literature, the award recipient of the third session of the 37th Convocation, Wan Muhammad Shaker bin Wan Adnan, has been dreaming to become an academician in the Arabic language field that drove him to do his best in his education.
When he took Arabic linguistics as the field of choice during his tertiary education, Shaker’s connection with Al-Qur’an significantly became stronger.
The current content creator and digital marketer who hails from Johor also mentioned that by using Arabic language on social media and sharing of educational information through entertainment, he felt more connected to the world, particularly the Muslim audience.
Shaker aspires to be one of the content creators who can spread beneficial knowledge to people and become a role model in education. In explicating this, he shared his journey in the world of “infotainment”, which began since his school days.
“I have had a passion for creating content on social media since my school days. The content I produced never fails to fall under one category, “infotainment”. During my secondary school years, I created Islamic-themed sketch comedy videos and then taught Arabic language later through YouTube during my university years.
On TikTok, I have created short videos where I answered questions related to Fiqh. Sometimes, I also shared recipes and cooking videos through Instagram,” Shaker added.
Shaker who is currently working as a Marketing Strategist in Gombak shared his passion in the business field with the hope that his digital marketing and marketing strategy skills can help more Muslim entrepreneurs to achieve success, thus, benefitting the Muslim community.
Responding to IIUMToday, Shaker also shared his tip that by having a group of friends to study with was helpful to excel in the varsity years as they could exchange ideas and learn from each other.
“For me personally, I preferred to study in groups whether in a group of three or more people. Trust me, the more you share (knowledge) with other people, the more knowledgeable you will become,” he highlighted during the interview.
Besides, he also stressed on the need to be disciplined as the most essential element in achieving success.
In sharing his tips in managing his thesis writing, Shaker reminded that students should prevent themselves from proscratinating.
“Don’t be a procrastinator. Set a deadline for each task and make sure you finish it on time. For example, if you want to finish a chapter in a month, then do it! The first step is always the hardest but it makes you closer to the destination.”
Shaker also pointed out that IIUM reminisced his experience during his time in Egypt where people in every corner of the world came together for the love of knowledge, making IIUM as his choice of alma mater for him to complete his master’s degree.
With regards to the most indelible memory for him, Shaker shared the story from his lecturer about the Malaysian student who was friendly despite being shy. The lecturer understood the culture of Malaysian students, capturing his heart on the beauty of diversity.
“Malaysians are not arrogant, they are just shy. If you start communicating with them, they will be happier to respond to you.”
The journey of success is far from reach without the endless support from the people around him which formed as a backbone and catalyst for his determination.
“I am grateful to my parents for never doubting me to further my studies, and always supporting me no matter what I do, and also to my supervisor, Dr Ikhwan Abdullah, who wholeheartedly gave me his all in order for me to pass my thesis. I have no other words besides conveying my gratitude and would like to thank my supporters for their continuous support.” ***