Octogenarian Rises Above Adversity To Complete 11-Year Doctorate Journey

By Hasnah Jusid and Nur Syuhada Yusof

BANGI, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- A former lecturer at Universiti Islam Selangor (UIS), Dr Siti Zaharah Hamid, 82, has risen above adversity to complete her doctorate journey that she started in 2013.

The Bukit Mertajam, Penang native, was forced to use magnifying glasses of various sizes to conduct her research due to cataracts and glaucoma.

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She also had to navigate her studies between two cataract surgeries, in addition to undergoing treatment for heart and thyroid issues.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Siti Zaharah, affectionately known as Ummi or Tok Njang among family, friends, and students, completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Islamiyyat degree at UIS on July 29, a month before her birthday.  

Siti Zaharah began her career as a lecturer at the Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah Department in UIS in 1995 after spending more than a decade in Egypt.

“Learning is not just obtaining a degree…is not just for a certificate but for knowledge that benefits us in the hereafter,” he told Bernama in an interview at her residence here recently.

The third child of 12 siblings said she was sent to study at Taman Pendidikan Islam (TAPIS) in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, when she was 11, adding that it was instilled in her that one must seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.

In 1976, she continued her studies at Nilam Puri, now known as the Academy of Islamic Studies at the University of Malaya, before pursuing her Master’s degree at Al-Azhar University in Egypt in 1981.

Siti Zaharah said she intended to start her PhD studies on the Egyptian Muslim activist, Zaynab Al-Ghazali Al Jubayi, while in Egypt but could not do so when her lecturer and supervisor passed away.

Speaking about her PhD research topic, Pendekatan Tarbiyah Zaynab Al-Ghazali Al-Jubayi Dalam Tafsir Nazarat Fi Kitab Allah, Siti Zaharah said that she greatly admires the personality and struggle of the activist, also a mufassir (Quran interpreter).

She said Nazarat fi Kitab Allah is the first complete tafsir (explanation of the Quran) written by a female mufassir highlighting women’s rights and helping them firmly adhere to Islamic law principles.

“(Completing) this PhD is my struggle to eliminate misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the rights granted to women by Allah SWT in the Quran, as advocated by Zaynab Al-Ghazali,” she said, also expressing her intention to translate Nazarat fi Kitab Allah into Malay.

Siti Zaharah, who is scheduled to attend the UIS convocation ceremony to receive her scroll in November, stated that her success in finishing the doctorate is not the end of her struggle, adding that she intends to explore more knowledge related to Islam.

Asked to share the secret to her strong memory and vitality, Siti Zaharah said: “I always recite and contemplate the Quran and go to the surau nearby every night to participate in religious activities.”

Siti Zaharah expressed her gratitude for the support from her colleagues and supervisor who would drive her to and from the campus and library throughout her studies.

-- BERNAMA