Address by Mufti Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir at the Syed Isa Semait & MUIS Scholarships Award Ceremony 2026

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Mr Zaqy Mohamad 

President of MUIS, Mr Sa’at Abdul Rahman 

Chief Executive of MUIS, Mr Kadir Maideen 

Chairman of the of Religious Leadership & Talent Development Committee (RLTDC), Mr Alawi Musa 

Leaders, teachers, students, parents 

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen 

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh 

1. At last year's Syed Isa Semait Scholarship (SISS) award ceremony, I reflected on the legacy of Sheikh Syed Isa as a religious leader who had a bold vision for asatizah, and an enduring compassion and passion for the community. Some of this is worth repeating, especially for the benefit of this year's scholarship recipients.

2. Sheikh Syed Isa's mind wandered to the furthest horizons of achievements and progress, but his heart always remained at home – to benefit those around him, his community and country. If you read the classical texts and books on how to be a Mufti, or how a Mufti should behave, there is something you won't find like you would in the life of Syed Isa – and to me, this is arguably his most important quality. He wanted to elevate the community and truly help people through his fatwas and guidance – not to complicate or burden them in life, but to simplify and ease matters for them, and to find solutions for those who struggle – because he understood both theoretically and practically, that this is what God wants us to do, as leaders.

3. Today's scholarship awards are meant to inspire you to reflect on the legacy of leaders and scholars like Shaikh Syed Isa, as you begin to imagine what a life as a religious leader and scholar may and should look like. But you will each have to chart your own journey. You will have your own strengths and weaknesses, your own ups and downs, your own stories to tell, and your own challenges and accomplishments that will shape you and your legacy in the future. Your journey begins today with this awards ceremony.

4. On behalf of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and the Religious Leadership and Talent Development Committee, I wish to congratulate all recipients of this year's scholarships – both the Syed Isa Semait and MUIS scholarship. You now join 12 SISS scholars and MUIS scholars since the SISS was introduced in 2022.

5. We are very pleased that year on year, the quality of candidates continues to improve, and you have done exceptionally well to be selected in a highly competitive pool. You must be proud of yourselves. You have stellar academic results and you have demonstrated confidence and a strong desire to learn in order to help the community. You are certainly very deserving of these awards.

6. My personal wish, if I may, however, is that you develop a bit more courage and audacity, and greater willingness to encounter some discomfort or even take on a bit more risk, even in your educational pathways, because the journey ahead is far more challenging. Good managers can deal with what is known and what is familiar, but good leaders are those that can navigate unfamiliar terrains and a far more uncertain future.

7. So what do these scholarships that you will be awarded with mean? To me at least, it means three things:

   1. That good and competent leadership matters. The scholarship is meant to develop leaders for our community in the future, and we are fully committed to invest in leadership development so that our community continues to be guided by good people.

   2. That each of you have shown potential to become a good leader, and hence why you have been selected and will be supported through various programmes to stretch your potential further.

   3. That our community, society and nation matter deeply to us. No one else will perform this duty on our behalf, and there has to be a reason God places us here and now, in this moment. And when He grants us a gift, and in this context, a gift of the mind, the intellect, and in sya Allah, character too, that we use these gifts to the best of our abilities to create and multiply the goodness around us.

8. Reflect on this verse in Surah Fatir verse 32:

9. This work of leading the community in our social religious life has, arguably, become harder than ever before, as the world continues to evolve in more challenging ways. What happens out there are largely beyond our control, but what we can do is to continuously prepare ourselves.

10. The same applies to higher education learning, which you will embark upon soon. I have just returned from a week with leaders in the Higher Education sector, mostly based in the U.K. learning and discussing new and very challenging developments in Higher Education, and the role of leadership in navigating significant change. The talk of the town is - Generative AI and what it means for education. Some are asking the most basic questions - do we still need the university, do we still need a degree in the age of AI?

11. But the consensus is that universities and institutions of higher learning will continue to be very important places of self-development and transformation – only if they too are flexible and willing to adapt to the changing environment, especially in identifying the skills and competencies that future graduates need in order to thrive and find meaningful jobs and careers. These are not easy questions and there are no easy solutions, and not all institutions are equally invested in these challenges.

12. But they are not any less important or significant for the development of religious leaders like yourselves. These are important questions for us too. In Singapore, we hope to address this directly with the establishment of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS).

13. At the same time, we are also expanding our efforts through leadership development programmes at different stages of the asatizah journey.

14. On this note, I am pleased to share that MUIS will be introducing the Religious Leadership Development Programme (RLDP) to strengthen the capabilities of asatizah in leadership. It is a fully funded 12-month executive programme open to Tier 1 ARS asatizah who are undertaking, or preparing for, greater leadership roles within the religious sector.

15. The RLDP complements MUIS's existing scholarships by supporting the continued development of asatizah beyond their formal education. The various initiatives aim to strengthen MUIS's leadership development pipeline, from supporting promising madrasah graduates through undergraduate scholarships, to preparing experienced asatizah for greater leadership responsibilities.

16. It leaves me now to once again congratulate you and remind you of the great journey of learning that you will soon embark upon. You carry the hopes of your families, your teachers, your institutions and the wider community, but more importantly, your own goals and aspirations. Strive for excellence in your studies and character.

17. I also wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation to parents, educators, madrasahs, community partners, who have supported the creation of a thriving eco-system of learning and service that has helped produce these bright minds. This is a shared responsibility, and together we build the future of our community.

18. May Allah s.w.t. bless our awardees with knowledge that benefits, with character that unites and guides, and with the desire and commitment that will bring their community to greater heights.