HIS Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office said various approaches and effective methods could be explored to bring the community closer and increase passion towards Islamic literature. Among others, the country could use the mass media platform and the new or latest media that is easily accessible with a wider reach as the main alternative approach.

In a sabda at the conferment of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB) Islamic Literature Award yesterday at the ICC in Berakas, His Royal Highness also urged every agency and stakeholder to intensify and double their efforts to encourage more writers who are inclined towards creative writing in line with the current demand.

His Royal Highness also said, “In my opinion, we should produce writers comprising younger generation that inherit the struggle for the nation and religion that will support our efforts in upholding Islamic literature as one of the characteristics of Bruneian civilisation based on ‘Ahli Sunnah Wal Jama’ah.

“Insya Allah, through this, we could continously uphold Islamic syiar in the country and assist in tackling social challenges and beliefs in the Muslim community as pure Islamic literature would act as inspiration to strengthen faith and piety.”

HRH added that at the same time, it is also timely for local Islamic literature works to be translated to the main languages of the world and other world renowned Islamic literature works into Malay. “Such countervailing effort is capable to strengthen the propagation of Islamic teachings for the solidarity of the Ummah. It could also become a source of inspiration for writers and source of reference for every level of the community.”

The award ceremony jointly organised by Yayasan and Language and Literature Bureau is a manifestation of the determination to uplift Islamic literature in the Sultanate based on the Malay, Islamic Monarchy (MIB) concept and the aspiration to make the Sultanate a Zikir Nation.

HRH added, in general, literature is a platform fir the continuance of cultural norms that will always be remembered in history. Through it we could manifest the livelihood of the nation. The intricate literature work is also able to reveal the glory of past history and revive the beauty of civilisation and development of a nation.

“In the context of Islamic literature, to produce a genuine work, a writer should base his work on the holy Quran which is Mukjizat given to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Allah the Almighty outlined the basis and decent norms to bring people closer to Him. This is the strength of Islamic literature. Originating and based on Islamic teachings and thoughts that contain beneficial messages both for present and in the days of hereafter. Directly, it has made Islamic literature thoughtful enough, perfect and effective in its delivery.

“At this juncture, I wish to draw your attention to the work of my late grandfather, Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, characterised by its valuable contribution to Islamic literature. It expressed his thoughts and valuable advice that have remained fresh and relevant until today and become a benchmark of literature achievement globally.

Also present was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik, the Chair of Yayasan Commitee of Governors.

The recipient of the second Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Literature Award was State Mufti, Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Hj Awg Abdul Aziz bin Juned (pen name Adi Rumi) for his work entitled ‘Dari Jendela Dunia’ which is a collection of poems published by the Language and Literature Bureau in 2008. He received $15,000 cash prize, a certificate and souvenir.

The second award to local writer is Yayasan’s contribution in implementing one of the aims of its establishment to nurture and instil the spirit of excellence in socio-cultural field among the subjects of His Majesty by organising competitions and award prizes in literature and culture.

The ceremony also saw a special talk on Islamic literature by Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Awg Yahya bin Hj Ibrahim, the first recipient of the award in 2008.

There were also stage performances by teachers and students of Yayasan Primary School, GERAK group of Language and Literature Bureau and Putera Seni group.

HRH the Crown Prince later viewed an exhibition displaying Islamic literature works that have been selected to be assessed for the award.

‘Dari Jendela Dunia’ is a travel poem written by Adi Rumi on his official travel or occasional visits. The chosen theme is more of universal characteristics or imagery inspiration of a city. The assessment is on Islam that covers various aspects such as faith and piety, physical and spiritual development, attitude of Muslims, civilisation, knowledge, education, politics, economy, justice, history, culture and the universe.

These aspects were described based on experiences and observations when visiting these places.

Through this experience, he could make a comparison on human characteristics in several countries and observe the development and progress made by these countries as a lesson learnt for this nation.

Poems written while travelling were dominated by questions relating to Islam. There were also questions on history and civilisation, politics, power, culture and identity. The poems also touch on unity and ties among the Ummah. By producing these poems, unity among Muslims is enhanced in many fields for Ummah to be strong and respected. - Borneo Bulletin (26 November 2013)