KUANTAN, June 15 — Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is confident that tahfiz education in the state can produce huffaz (Quran memorisers) who will become future experts and leaders in strategic fields.

His Royal Highness said huffaz have the potential to pursue careers in medicine, engineering, technology, artificial intelligence and economics, while emerging as future national leaders, in line with the demands of an increasingly challenging and technology-driven world.

“With a strong Quranic foundation, they can emerge as future leaders who not only excel professionally, but are also grounded in religious values, possess noble character and uphold high integrity,” he said at the 2026 Pahang State Maahad Tahfiz Excellence Award ceremony here today.

At the event, Al-Sultan Abdullah also presented awards to 48 tahfiz students who excelled in academics, Quran memorisation and co-curricular activities.

His Royal Highness said the inclusion of Pahang State Maahad Tahfiz and Pahang State Turath Maahad Tahfiz among the top three schools nationwide in the 2025 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination reflected the success of the state’s tahfiz education system.

“The achievement demonstrates our success in producing huffaz who excel in both religious understanding and academics. My aspiration to make the Tahfiz Institute a leading tahfiz education institution in Malaysia has become a reality,” he said.

Al-Sultan Abdullah also described the establishment of Universiti Al-Quran Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah Pahang (UNIQSAAS) as a significant and historic step towards strengthening the state’s Islamic education ecosystem.

He said the university would serve as a new landmark for Quran-based knowledge development and provide huffaz with a more comprehensive pathway to pursue higher education, while preserving the Quranic educational foundation built from an early age.

“I believe this effort will strengthen the Islamic education ecosystem in Pahang and position the state as a leader in tahfiz and Quranic studies in Malaysia,” he said.

The Sultan also reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to elevating Quranic studies at all levels of education to produce more scholars, professionals and leaders guided by Quranic values for the benefit of religion, the nation and the country. — Bernama