MP MAISARA’S GRADUATION MESSAGE
JAMIATU DA’AWAH AL ISLAMIA
1st Online Graduation Rites
Islamic Studies and Arabic Language
Guest Speaker Speech
May 30, 2021, 1:00 PM
Assalamu’alaikum warakmatullah hi wabarakatuhu.
Mohammad Alioden M. Manalinding , President and Aleem Nasroden Alamada, Vice-President Dawah Islamic Open University, Prof. Jamil Panolong, Director Cosanie Derogongan, NCMF and all distinguished faculty, officers, guests and graduates of this esteemed university good afternoon. I congratulate you all for this successful initiative as the first online Islamic University in the Philippines who offers online courses during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Indeed, we collectively experienced so many challenges this pandemic. Not only have we undergone health and economic challenges but also mental, emotional and even spiritual. These are the days were our faith and patience in our creator, fellow human and deen are tested. Your perseverance today is a testament of your commitment to overcome those challenges.
You even prioritized seeking and learning about ISLAM thru Islamic Language and Arabic Language (ISAL). This with the intention of teaching and guiding our fellow humanity about the word of our creator Allah swt in the Qur’an as well as Sunnah and Hadith of our prophet Muhammad saw.
With the hope of continuing the prophetic mission to continue to propagate the Word of God and the teachings of Islam during a time where ignorance and misguidance is on the rise, and in times where correct teachings and guidance is imperative.
In a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked the followers of Islam to continue his good work. “Convey from me, even if it be only a single verse.”
The graduates present today are among those entrusted with this most sacred of missions, that of guiding the greater Ummah or nation.
I extend my sincerest congratulations, and pray to Allah (SWT) that all of you will be like a shining light to your brothers and sisters.
I would also like to share with you some good news. Recently, the BTA Parliament passed the Bangsamoro Education Code. Through our Office, we pushed for amendments which would include torils in the Bangsamoro Education Code, and strengthen the Madrasah system. We gathered inputs from our ustadz, ustazah, aleem, aleemat, asatidz, religious scholars, and traditional leaders and made sure to enhance the Bangsamoro Education Code such that our Madrasah System is given importance and greater recognition.
One of our greatest achievements is making sure that provisions for special eligibility to be granted to Madaris teachers was included in the Bangsamoro Education Code. The Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission shall conduct special examinations for Madaris teachers. The exam shall be tailored in such a way that it shall adequately test the skills and competencies that an Ustadz should have such as in Islamic Studies and Arabic Language, with great involvement from the MBHTE which would be in a better position to determine how to assess our asatidz. After passing the exam, it is the Civil Service Commission who will grant these asatidz special eligibility. Unlike in the past, they shall be considered Civil Service eligibles and can be appointed to regular and permanent positions.
In working on the Bangsamoro Education Code up until the late hours of the evening, and even until the early hours of the morning, it was all of you who became our inspiration. For too long, our Madarasahs and Asatidz have not been given the proper attention they deserved, and it is our hope that through the BARMM government, we are able to give you the support that you need. These achievements with the Bangsamoro Education Code is all for you. We hope that we can continue to support you.
I would like to also commend the JAMIATU DA’AWAH AL ISLAMIA for adapting during this time of pandemic, and ensuring that its students still received the best education possible in an online setting. By adapting, you were able to ensure the continuity of learning of your students while protecting them and securing their safety. I’m sure your graduates have a lot they owe to you and their teachers who have guided them and culminating in their day of celebration today.
As I mentioned earlier, I pray that you will provide guidance to the greater Ummah. Through your education, you are able to perform continuous good deeds by imparting what you have learned to others and ensuring that they remain on the right path. It is through the efforts of youth like you that the BARMM government can be guided as it performs its mandate of ‘moral governance’. Like Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) before you, do not be afraid to call out wrong doing wherever you see it. Communication is your asset as you perform the great work of Da‘wah. Although everyone is expected to invite or call people to embrace Islam, the effect is different coming from those who are learned and who have a wealth of experience and teachings behind them like all of you.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a few passages from the Qur’an.
“Let there arise among you a group inviting to all that is good, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. Those are the successful ones.”
— Quran, Sura 3 (Al-Imran), ayah 104
“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good preaching.”
— Quran, Sura 16 (An-Nahl), ayah 125
May you continue to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil. May you be successful in all your endeavors. Once again, to the graduating class of 2021, congratulations!
