Speech by IIUM Rector Prof. Dr. Osman Bakar at the 41st IIUM Convocation Ceremony

To our economics and management graduates, you are the ethical stewards of our wealth systems. Your entry into the professional world The financial systems that govern our world are being fundamentally reshaped by digital currencies, sustainable finance, and shifting geopolitical power dynamics. Malaysia and the rest of ASEAN, indeed the whole world, stand at the crossroads of these transformations. Dear graduates, your education here has equipped you with more than technical competencies in accounting, finance, marketing, or management. You have been equipped with an understanding of economics as democracy-oriented, serving the higher objectives of Sharia, promoting social welfare, protecting human dignity, and ensuring equitable distribution of resources. This distinguishes you fundamentally from graduates who see economics as merely the sign of profit maximization with little, if any, moral constraint. The challenges ahead are many and diverse, that is for sure. The job market is fast changing, with immediate implications for you as job seekers. Globally, economic inequality has reached unprecedented levels, increasingly threatening social cohesion. Climate change compels us to re-imagine economic models that characterize susceptibility over generous affection. Financial technology promises inclusion, but also carries risks of exploitation and surveillance. In fact, IIUM has equipped its graduates with a formidable objective.

The ummah urgently needs economists who can articulate diverse alternatives, scholars who can design zakat systems that operate a scale, business leaders who reject corruption as a cause of doing business and managers who recognize that employees are not merely resources to be optimised, but human beings deserving of dignity.

Let me now turn to our guardians of heath dignity—our dentistry graduates. Some who say the most expensive graduates to produce, and indeed, you have chosen a profession that is that taken forgranted or under efficient —until the moment it is desperately needed. Dentistry plays a vital role in human dignity. Oral health is not a vanity; it is fundametal to nutrition to communication, to pain free living and the confidence that allows people to engag efully in social and economic life.

Its not only a fundamental component of our healthcare system but a core part of our wellbeing. . And don’t forget: your calling extends beyond clinical skill. As Muslim health professionals that human body is an Amanah from Allah that Caring for it is an act of worship and that enabling others to care for there’s is an act of service.

You will encounter patients from all walks of life—the worth and the marginalised, the elderly and the young, the grateful and the anxious. In each, my brothers dentists and sisters dentists, your call upon to see you the inherent worth that comes from Allah and to treat them accordingly. Dear graduands please always remember what distinguishes you as IIUM graduates is your education in Tawhidic epistemology, the integration of revealed knowledge and rational inquiry, the unity of special purpose and worldly competence. This is not just an abstract philosophy but an practical guide to your profession and your own personal advancement.

The key message to our soon to be economists is that the Tawhidic principle and epistemology means you cannot separate business prosperity and state of our strategy from ethics, profit and purpose are not competing objectives but integrated reality. Your faith informs your finals, your values and your values shape your ventures, your understanding of human accountability to Allah guides you and your understanding of cooperate accountability to stay. Our dentists for you Tawhidic epistemology means you practice holistic healthcare that recognises the interconnection of physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of well being. You see patience as whole persons not just as clinical cases. Your work is not merely a career but a form of ibadah, service rendered in consciousness of divine presence. This integrated worldview positions you to address the complex, interconnected challenges of our life with wisdom”

Islam teaches us that we are not isolated individuals but members of community. The Quran addresses believers, saying, “Ya ayyuhal la zeenaaamanu” meaning “O you who have believed”, your success is not complete if your neighbours remain in need. Your knowledge is a trust that must be shared, your prosperity carries the obligation of generosity, build networks of mutual support, mentor youth and never forget that your good fortune is meant to be a means of serving us.

Dear all, in economics, the so-called secular flow uses secularity to highlight steady progress. In dentistry, too, the biological, psychosocial loops rely on secularity to define sustainable well-being. Similarly, our relationship with our community is a secular relationship of getting from our recesses and giving to future generations. Just as today has become possible for us because our community has chosen to invest in our ability through mechanisms like the Perpadanan Tabung Pelikan Tiga Nasional PT-PTI. It is now our turn to repay our debt to society so that the upcoming generation will also benefit from the same chances that you and I were given. Dear graduates, as we conclude this ceremony, we must now move from celebration to servicing the society. Go forward with courage and humility, with competence, and with an unshakable commitment to be among the best of people, those who are most beneficial to people. May Allah guide your steps, bless your endeavors, and grant you success in this world and the next.***