Kota Kinabalu: Head of State Tun Musa Aman has expressed his delight at the increasing interest among young people and students in studying the al-Quran.
He noted that the positive growth in privately managed and individually run tahfiz centres is promising, fostering a generation deeply connected to the al-Quran.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“This generation will also serve as a catalyst for reviving the golden age of Islam as a comprehensive way of life,” he said.
Aligning with this aspiration, Tun Musa encouraged huffaz in the state to go beyond memorisation and deepen their understanding of the holy Quran.
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“The wisdom in this is to enable huffaz to be at the forefront of safeguarding, upholding, and honouring the sanctity of the al-Quran,” he said while delivering his address at the State-level Tilawah and Hafazan al-Quran Ceremony at Dewan Sa’adah, Wisma Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (Muis) on Sunday.
AdvertisementMusa also urged the Muslim community, particularly in Sabah, to strive for a brighter and more distinguished civilisation.
“More importantly, in these challenging times, it is crucial to fully implement and translate the teachings of the al-Quran into our daily lives,” he added.
AdvertisementMusa, accompanied by his wife, Toh Puan Faridah Tussin, presented awards to the champions at the ceremony. Qari Nashraf Ideen Nahar from Putatan and qariah winner Nadirah Syazwani Sapari from Keningau were crowned in the main categories.
For the youth category, Muhammad Iqmal Hidayat Tarib emerged as the champion qari, while Ain Fatihah Farid secured the title in the qariah category.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to making education the core pillar of human capital development in the State, in line with government policies as outlined in the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Development Plan.
“To support this effort, the Government has increased the Sabah Government Scholarship (BKNS) fund from RM51 million to RM128 million in 2025.
“With this significant increase, along with several other educational incentives, we hope that more Sabahan students will have access to educational assistance, especially those pursuing higher education, whether locally or abroad.
“This also includes studies in religious or Islamic education,” he said.
Hajiji said the State Government remains committed to enhancing Al-Quran studies in Sabah. Among the initiatives being pursued is increasing the intake capacity of the State Tahfiz Institute to 300 students in the future.
“This initiative is not only aimed at producing more huffaz (memorisers of the Quran) but also at fostering a generation of Quran lovers — individuals who are expected to be champions of civilisational progress based on the principles of the Quran.
“To achieve this goal, the State Government, through the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains), will focus on improving educational infrastructure to create a more conducive teaching and learning environment.
“This includes refurbishing dilapidated schools and exploring the possibility of constructing new schools in strategic locations to meet current demands, in line with the increasing number of students each year,” he said.
Also present were Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya, State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Mohd Yahya, State-Level Tilawah and Hafazan al-Quran Organising Chairman and State Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif, and State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong.