Date: Saturday, 16th August 2025
Time: 3.00PM – 5.30PM
Venue: HARTA Space, Lot 94, Level 1 Habib 2, Lorong Mamanda 2, Taman Dato Ahmad Razali, 68000 Ampang, Selangor (Press HERE: PARKING LOCATION)
NOTE: Flat Rate for parking at RM5 at the designated parking space by showing this Event Poster or Registration Confirmation.
Welcoming Speech:
YBhg Dato’ Seri Meer Habib
HABIB Group Executive Chairman
Officiating Speech:
YAB Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad
Former Prime Minister of Malaysia
Discussants:
Dato’ Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa
Founder & Director, Islamic Renaissance Front, Kuala Lumpur
Dr Azhar Ibrahim
National University of Singapore
Moderators:
Ms. Saima Ali
Research Fellow, Islamic Renaissance Front
Dr Nazirul Hazim A. Khalim
Monash University Malaysia
Register at: https://forms.gle/wWdZHwvdwXFZ2yxF7
Muhammad Asad is arguably one of the 20th century’s greatest Muslim thinkers from the West. However, those who have followed his career through his books and writings know that no contemporaneous Muslim intellectual has contributed more to understanding Islam and awakening Muslims or worked harder to build a bridge between the East and the West than Asad. These unpublished letters showcase Asad’s intellectual and personal life, his relationship with family and friends, the agony he suffered while he was imprisoned at Ahmadnagar internment Camp during World War II, the fond memories of his years in Pakistan, the turbulent period of his life when false allegations were made against him after he resigned as Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations, and his marriage to Pola Hamida in New York. In his own words: ‘Very few people realize how I was treated at the time of my removal from the Pakistan Foreign Service, but it was an extraordinarily bitter experience.’
When Asad ended his short-lived career with the Pakistan foreign office in October 1952 because he was denied permission to marry Pola Hamida, his life took a new turn. Rumours circulated among the Pakistani press that he had committed apostasy and reverted to Judaism. He was also labelled as an agent of the Western powers. We learnt that one person who steadfastly supported him and defended his reputation was the late Maulana Abu’l-A’la al-Mawdudi, although Asad was never one of Jama‘at Islami’s ideologues. We also learnt that the funding arrangement for Asad’s Qur’anic translation project was made through the good office of the Muslim World League (Rābiṭah al-‘Alam al-Islāmī) and its representative office in Europe (Islamic Centre Geneva) which was headed by Dr Said Ramadan, the son-in-law of Hasan al-Banna, the founder of Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwān al-Muslimūn).
Leopold Weiss was born on 2 July, 1900; Muhammad Asad died on 20 February, 1992 and was buried in a cemetery in Granada, Spain. A compilation of his unpublished letters, this book provides a rare insight into the feelings and mind of this great reformer of Islam.
Program
3.00 – 3.05PM : Introduction by Moderators, Ms Saima Ali & Dr Nazirul Hazim
3.05 – 3.10PM : Welcoming speech by YBhg Dato’ Seri Meer Habib
3.10 – 3.30PM : Speech and Book Launch of The Unpublished Letters of Muhammad Asad by YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad
3.30 – 3.50PM : Discussant I: Dato’ Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa
3.50 – 4.10PM : Discussant II: Dr Azhar Ibrahim
4.10 – 4.40PM : Discussion
4.40 – 4.50PM : Conclusion by Moderators
4.50 – 5.00PM : Gifts to YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad by Haji P.K. Koya Kutty, YBhg Dato’ Seri Meer Habib, & Hafizan Halim
5.00 – 5.30PM : Museum & Art Gallery Tour, HARTA Space, Books exhibition by IBT & IRF and Artwork exhibition by Hafizan Halim
5.30PM : Tea
Jointly organized by: Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), Islamic Book Trust (IBT) & HARTA Space, HABIB
Speakers’ Biographies
YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad is Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, having served from 1981 to 2003 as the fourth Prime Minister, and again from 2018 to 2020 as the seventh Prime Minister. Born on July 10, 1925, in Alor Setar, Kedah, he was trained as a physician before entering politics. Under his leadership, Malaysia underwent significant modernization and industrialization. His Vision 2020 policy set ambitious goals for transforming Malaysia into a developed nation, while landmark infrastructure projects such as the North-South Expressway, KLCC, KLIA, and Putrajaya were launched during his tenure. Tun Dr. Mahathir was known for his strong, pragmatic leadership and independent foreign policy, often championing the rights of developing nations. After retiring in 2003, he returned to politics and led the opposition coalition to a historic victory in 2018. His second term was marked by efforts to combat corruption and reform governance. A prominent voice in the Islamic and developing world, Tun Dr. Mahathir remains a highly influential figure in Malaysian politics and global affairs.
YBhg Dato’ Sri Meer Habib, has led Malaysia’s premier jewellery brand since 1986, and has been instrumental in the direction and growth of the company that was founded by his late father, Habib Mohamed. He is largely credited for shifting Habib Jewels’ original jewellery wholesale business in Penang into a retail business, turning Habib into a household name, and leading to the creation of the brand’s trademark masterpieces. In 1998, it became the first public-listed jeweller. His recent milestones include the breaking ground of Masjid Habib in Seri Tanjong Pinang, Penang in December 2022 as well as the fulfilling work Habib does with Yayasan Habib. Habib also recently launched HARTA Space, a museum and art gallery which showcases and educates Malaysians on jewellery from Habib’s archives and the artworks they’ve collected over the years.
Dato’ Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa is a scholar, researcher, and social activist. He is the Founder and Director of the Islamic Renaissance Front. He holds a PhD in Surgery from Monash University Australia and Masters of Medicine in Surgery from Universiti Sains Malaysia. He is also a doctoral candidate in Islamic Studies at Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia and a Research Fellow at Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Islam (STFI) Sadra (Islamic Philosophy College), Jakarta, Indonesia.
Dr. Azhar Ibrahim is a Lecturer at the Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his PhD., and MA, from the same Department in 2008 and 2002 respectively. Before joining NUS in 2009, he was a lecturer National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. His research interest includes sociology of religion, sociology of literature and critical literacy, and the Malay-Indonesian intellectual development. He completed his post-doctoral research on the development of social theology at the Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and later at Stanford University, USA.
