Hamzah Jaafar, Fourth Generation Founder Of Religious School, Receives Penang Tokoh Maulidur Rasul Award

BUTTERWORTH, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- Hamzah Jaafar, the fourth-generation founder of Madrasah Al-Ahmadiah Al-Ijtimaiah Padang Lallang, Bukit Mertajam, has been named this year's Penang Tokoh Maulidur Rasul.

Hamzah, 65, said he was proud to be able to continue the legacy of running a religious school and described the award as an encouragement to further empower the institution so that it remains relevant and capable of facing current challenges.

He said the recognition also reflects appreciation for the role of religious schools in spreading the teachings of Islam and producing a generation of knowledgeable and virtuous individuals.

"This school was originally founded by my great-grandfather as a pondok school in 1826, and in 2000 it was converted into a Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR), but it still maintains pondok studies," he told reporters at the state-level Maulidur Rasul Celebration at Dewan al Ansar Masjid al Muhajirin, Seberang Jaya here today.

He said the school was then absorbed under the Government-Aided Religious School (SABK) and named Sekolah Menengah Agama Al-Ahmadiah Al-Ijtimaiah under the official supervision of the Islamic Education Division (BPI), with him as the first principal.

The father of six children is determined to continue making the institution a place to spread religious knowledge to the younger generation so that they can be shaped into Muslims who are not only educated but also of high moral character.

Earlier, Penang Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Ramli Ngah Talib presented Hamzah with a trophy, a certificate, and RM7,000 in cash.

Besides Hamzah, three other individuals also received awards at the ceremony in their respective categories, namely contractor Rohaimie Ali (Qudwatur Rasul Usahawan category); Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Computer Sciences senior lecturer Dr. Nasuha Lee Abdullah (Qudwatur Radul Saudara Kita category); and Penang Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia (WADAH) chairman Mahamad Aziz Abdullah (Special Qudwatur Rasul Award).

-- BERNAMA