By, Nureen Aleeya Azlan and Nur Aina Sofea Mohd Hafiedz
GOMBAK, 21 May 2026: A roundtable discussion titled “Mohd Kamal Hassan and the Quest for Comprehensive Excellence” was held at the Ibn Taymiyyah Conference Room, Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences (KENMS) on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring a moderator and four panelists who discussed and highlighted the late scholar’s lasting vision of holistic education.
The event was organised by the Department of Usuluddin and Comparative Religion and Philosophy of AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kuliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS). It aimed to discuss the ideas and legacy of the late Mohd Kamal Hassan, especially his idea of integrated and holistic education.
The discussion was moderated by Prof. Dr. Thameem Ushama from the Department of Usuluddin and Comparative Religion AHAS KIRKHS. The panelists were Prof. Dr. Hazizan Md. Noon from ISTAC IIUM, Prof. Dr. Shukran Abd. Rahman from Office of Strategic Institution Transformation (OSIT IIUM), Prof. Emerita Dr. Rosnani Hashim from Kuliyyah of Education (KOED) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Rushdan Mohd Jailani from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM).
One of the key takeaways is from the second panelist, Prof. Emerita Dr. Rosnani Hashim. She highlights the continued relevance of Mohd Kamal Hassan’s integrated educational philosophy and stresses the need for IIUM to strengthen its Islamic foundation in facing today’s challenges in higher education.
Prof. Emerita Dr. Rosnani Hashim explains that Mohd Kamal Hassan viewed education as a way to develop balanced individuals who have both knowledge and good character. His integrated Islamic approach focused on combining the mind and heart, knowledge and faith, as well as professional skills and moral responsibility.
She then continued, “He had ceaseless efforts to enlighten both scholars and government officials about Islamic education,especially its tawhidic philosophy and its epistemology of the revealed and acquired sciences.”
Overall, the roundtable was part of efforts to reflect on Mohd Kamal Hassan’s contributions and his lasting impact on Islamic higher education.***
