By, Iiyliya Qaisara
GOMBAK, 13 December 2024: “Today as graduates, we’re not only celebrating our academic achievements but also embracing the responsibility to carry forward IIUM’s missions which are to serve society with integrity, uphold ethical values, and champion sustainability,” said Muhammad Ehsan bin Mohd Hamzah in his valedictory speech.
He received the Best Student (Academic) Award from the Kulliyyah of Sciences (KOS) upon completing his Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Honours). His conferment occurred in the ninth session of the 40th IIUM Convocation on 20 November at IIUM Gombak.
He then focused on the connotation of sustainability when he said, “The goals of sustainable development are not new. For over 1400 years, Islam has taught us to live a balanced life-take from the earth and give back to it, but these teachings have been overshadowed by modernism materialism.” He called out to all IIUM graduates to champion a sustainable, peaceful, and ethical way of life.
“No doubt that any man-made system of living will not last to eternity,” he emphasised.
As our beloved Prophet (pbuh) said, “I have left you with two matters which will never lead you astray, as long as you hold onto them: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of his Prophet,” where the way of life has grounded in it.
He also focused on the misconception about science which, “Some even call it sihir.” He argued that this misconception happened because we lack human touch, “The usefulness of new inventions and technologies has not always aligned with morality.” He then related to the invention of advanced weapons to humiliate innocent people in Palestine.
“We, all of us in this hall, need to be the ones exemplifying peaceful and ethical living in our work, changing the way we live on this planet and with each other. Together we must bridge the gap between progress and the principles that sustain peaceful and meaningful lives. Focus on making a difference within our reach because every small act of goodness plants a seed for a better tomorrow,” he remarked.
During his speech, he also included a heartfelt tribute thanking his parents who would keep buying new maths exercise books each time he had finished the entire book in a few days. Even words cannot express how grateful he is for all the sacrifices his parents had made to raise all five siblings. He wished that one day he and his siblings could lighten the burdens of their parents and that they should no longer work hard. As nothing can be done to repay their favours, he then prayed that all parents in the hall be granted the highest rank of paradise.
Then, he thanked all faculty members and staff at the Kulliyyah of Sciences and Kulliyyah of Education for opening the students’ eyes to the wonders of the world, inspiring them to be thinkers and teaching what it truly means to be a Khalifah. Not to forget his batchmates, instead of saying thank you repeatedly, he wished that they could have been on stage together because of them he enjoyed his university life thus where he found a sense of belonging.
He concluded his speech with one last message, “These past few years here at IIUM are only the beginning. Whatever field you enter, people are going to expect big things from you. So, give everything you do your fullest effort,” as he conveyed that all IIUM graduates have a strong foundation to make changes towards a more sustainable, peaceful and ethical world.
The Best Student (Academic) was conferred by Honourable Prof. Emeritus Datuk Osman Bakar, Rector of IIUM.***
