KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — The passing of Royal Professor Tan Sri Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas this evening has been mourned as a tremendous loss to Islamic scholarship and intellectual thought in the country.

Known for his influential work in philosophy, theology, and Islamic civilisation, Syed Muhammad Naquib was bestowed the title of Royal Professor of Islamic Education on October 23, 2024, honouring his exceptional contributions to the development of Islamic scholarship and education.

Born on September 5, 1931, in Bogor, Indonesia, he was married to Latifah Abdullah and blessed with four children, Sharifah Faizah Al-Attas, Datuk Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas, Sharifah Shifa Al-Attas, and Syed Haidar Al-Attas.

The founder and director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) was appointed Honorary Visiting Professor at the Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation (CASIS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in 2012.

Starting his career as a cadet officer in the Malay Army Regiment, he later made his mark in academia as Head of the Literature Division, Department of Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM), in 1965.

Between 1968 and 1970, Syed Muhammad Naquib served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts at UM before taking on the leadership of the Department of Malay Language and Literature at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

He was later appointed Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) before founding the Institute of Malay Language, Literature and Culture (IBKKM) at UKM in 1973.

Syed Muhammad Naquib was also an Advisory Board Member for prominent international institutions, including the Al-Hikma Islamic Translation Series at the  Institute of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University, Brigham Young University, and the Royal Academy for the Research of Islamic Civilisation, Encyclopaedia of Arab Islamic Civilisation in Amman, Jordan.

His leadership extended to international forums, where he chaired the Panel on Islam in Southeast Asia at the 29th International Congress of Orientalists in Paris and took part in the Unesco meeting in Aleppo, Syria.

Syed Muhammad Naquib’s lifelong contributions earned him numerous accolades, including the Iqbal Centenary Commemorative Medal from Pakistan’s President General Muhammad Zia Ul-Haq, the 2011 Tokoh Melayu Terbilang in conjunction with Umno’s 65th anniversary and the 2012 Merdeka Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement.

His passing was deeply felt nationwide, with an outpouring of condolences from social media users and government agencies extending their sympathies to the bereaved family.

Dakwah activist Syed Abdul Kadir Aljoofre, in a Facebook post, expressed his deep sorrow over the death of Syed Muhammad Naquib and prayed that Allah would grant him forgiveness and accept his deeds and contributions to the ummah.

In a Facebook post, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department extended its condolences to the family of Syed Muhammad Naquib following his passing.

The department described the late scholar as a prominent thinker of Islamic civilisation in the modern era, whose expertise spanned theology, philosophy, history, and literature.

“Among Allahyarham’s contributions was the establishment of ISTAC. May Allah place him among the believers,” the post said. — Bernama