Kamal Hassan and the Birth of IIUM: A Retrospective Survey of His Ideas

Abstract

Documented evidence states that IIUM which came to exist in 1983, was the brainchild of Kamal Hassan (1942-2023). As one of the great minds of the Malay world, the task of conceptualizing an Islamic university unlike any other in the Muslim world, was personally an intellectual and educational challenge for Kamal Hassan. As a visionary scholar in a class of his own, he was successful in transforming Malaysia’s dream of establishing an Islamic university, into a reality. The present study which comes under the qualitative paradigm mainly focused on biographical and historical events of the past. In interpreting the relevant data of the study, the researchers have employed the content and textual analysis methods. The research findings indicate that Kamal Hassan’s laborious effort in the establishment of IIUM has yielded positive results. Forty years after its birth, IIUM has shone through the decades as one of the best universities in the Muslim world.