GEORGE TOWN: Datuk Dr Abdul Halim Abdul Aziz, a distinguished expert in Islamic astronomy (falak), has been named Penang’s Maal Hijrah Personality in conjunction with the state-level Maal Hijrah 1447H celebrations today.
The 67-year-old scholar, a former lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), was honoured by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Penang, Tun Ramli Ngah Talib.
The award included a certificate of appreciation, a trophy, complimentary prizes, and RM10,000 in cash.
“I’m truly touched and didn’t expect to receive this award today, as I wasn’t informed beforehand.
Alhamdulillah, I’m grateful to Allah for this honour,“ Abdul Halim told reporters after the ceremony.
A member of the Falak Experts Panel under JAKIM and the Penang State Falak Committee, Abdul Halim pioneered a more accurate multi-point method for calculating prayer times.
Unlike the traditional single-point system, his approach considers multiple coordinates within a zone, selecting the latest time as the reference.
“Penang was among the first states to implement the method 10 years ago, and it was later adopted by several other states, including Perak and Negeri Sembilan,“ he said.
After retiring in 2018, Abdul Halim founded the Lisafa Centre, an educational institution promoting lifelong learning for adults.
The centre has partnered with Indonesia’s Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University to offer master’s and doctoral programs in Islamic studies to professionals from diverse fields.
At the same event, Datuk Dr Mohamed Amir Shah Abdul Aziz, a senior oncologist, received the Da’wah Icon Award, while Prof Dr Noor Inayah Yaakub was honoured with the Special Award.
