Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pays tribute to the late scholar Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, calling him one of the greatest minds of the age
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed profound sadness over the passing of Royal Laureate Professor Tan Sri Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas.
Anwar described the late scholar as “one of the greatest minds of our age” in a Facebook post.
He highlighted al-Attas’s role as a philosopher who questioned the purpose of knowledge itself.
The Prime Minister cited seminal works like ‘Islam and Secularism’ and ‘Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam’.
Through these, al-Attas challenged the secularisation of knowledge and laid intellectual foundations for an Islamic worldview.
“Malaysia heard him. The Muslim world heard him,” Anwar stated.
On behalf of the government and people of Malaysia, he extended deepest condolences to the scholar’s family and all his students.
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas passed away on the 18th of Ramadan at the age of 95.
“He leaves us on the 18th of Ramadan, at the age of 95. That is a life well lived and a departure well earned,” Anwar added.
The Prime Minister concluded his tribute with a prayer for divine mercy and a high station among the righteous.
Syed Muhammad Naquib was the founder and director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC).
He died at 6.47 pm yesterday.
