BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

UNIVERSITI Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) has produced two Bru-neian doctorates for the first time since it was set up in 2007.

Pg Hj Badaruddin Pg Abd Rah-man received his Doctor of Philosophy in Syariah, while Pg Hjh Salmiah Pg Hj Shahbudin was awarded Doctor of Philosophy in Arabic Language during the varsity’s fourth Hafl al-Takharruj (convocation ceremony) yesterday.

The two Bruneians received their certificates from His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UNISSA at the International Convention Centre.

In an interview with The Brunei Times, Pg Hj Badaruddin, who is a Syariah lower court judge, said that it has been his life-long aim to continue learning about Islamic law and its application to the society.

“I graduated with a Bachelor degree in syariah from Al-Azhar University in 2000. I worked at Islamic Legislation Unit (Unit Perundangan Islam) after the graduation. In 2003, I worked as court registrar at the Syariah Court. I pursued Master’s programme in Jordan in 2005, and graduated in 2008,” he said.

In 2010, he became a Syariah judge. He pursued his PhD in Syariah at UNISSA during the same year and completed his research in 2013.

The title of his research is ‘The implementation of Maqasid Syariah (objectives of Syariah) in court proceeding in Brunei’s Syariah courts’.

Pg Hj Badaruddin’s research focused on how the Syariah court judges in Brunei implemented the objective of syariah in their jurisdiction between the period of 2001 and 2005.

Meanwhile, Pg Hjh Salmiah, the Language Centre Director of Seri Begawan Religious Teachers University College (KUPU SB), said she pursued the field due to her interest with the Arabic language.

“Alhamdulillah, I feel very happy and grateful to Allah SWT for giving me the strength to finish my doctorate thesis in Arabic language. I hope more students will pursue their studies, despite the many challenges that will be faced along the way.”

The 53-year-old shared that she first received her degree from University of Al-Azhar, Egypt before pursuing her Master’s degree at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

“The reason I took this path is because I want to challenge myself, although I am considered as a veteran student, but that did not pull my spirits down. So now I challenge my own children and students to follow my footsteps with diligence, patience, perseverance and seeking guidance from Allah SWT,” she concluded.

The Brunei Times