Penang Honours Islamic Astronomy Expert As Maal Hijrah Personality

GEORGE TOWN, June 27 (Bernama) -- An astronomy expert and renowned scholar in Islamic astronomy (falak), Datuk Dr Abdul Halim Abdul Aziz, has been named Penang’s Maal Hijrah Personality in conjunction with the state-level Maal Hijrah 1447H celebrations today.

Abdul Halim, 67, a Penang native and former Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) lecturer in astronomy and x-ray crystallography (a technique to determine the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal), received the award from the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Penang, Tun Ramli Ngah Talib.

The scholar received a certificate of appreciation, a trophy, complimentary prizes and RM10,000 cash.

“I’m truly touched and didn’t expect to receive this award today, as I wasn’t informed beforehand. Alhamdulillah, I’m grateful to Allah for this honour,” he told reporters after the ceremony.

Abdul Halim said he will continue to contribute his expertise in the field. The scholar, who is also a member of the Falak Experts Panel under the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and the Penang State Falak Committee, has introduced a more accurate and inclusive multi-point method for calculating prayer times.

He noted that previously, a single coordinate point was used to calculate prayer times for the state, adding that the new method takes into account multiple points within a zone and selects the latest time as the reference.

“Penang was among the first states to implement the method 10 years ago, and it was later adopted by several other states, including Perak and Negeri Sembilan,” he said.

After retiring in 2018, Abdul Halim set up the Lisafa Centre (centre for literacy, science, religion and philosophy), a lifelong learning educational institution specifically for adults who wish to remain active and contribute to the world of knowledge.

“The Lisafa Centre has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University in Indonesia to offer formal Islamic studies at the master’s and doctoral levels to students from various backgrounds, including engineers and economists,” he added.

With an outstanding academic background from abroad, Abdul Halim began his A-Level studies at Hastings College of Further Education, St Leonards-on-Sea, United Kingdom, before pursuing his Bachelor’s degree at Lanchester Polytechnic.

At the ceremony, Datuk Dr Mohamed Amir Shah Abdul Aziz, 47, the medical director and senior oncologist at ICON Cancer Centre Malaysia, Island Hospital, was honoured with the Da’wah Icon Award, while Prof Dr Noor Inayah Yaakub, the chief executive officer and vice-chancellor of the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) International University College, received the Special Award.

-- BERNAMA