Kuala Lumpur: The Muslim world mourns the passing of eminent scholar and philosopher Royal Laureate Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al Attas, who died on 18 Ramadan 1447 at the age of 94. Widely regarded as one of the most influential Muslim thinkers of the modern era, his intellectual legacy spans philosophy, Islamic thought, education, literature, and civilisation studies.
Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al Attas held several distinguished academic positions during his lifetime. He served as the first holder of the Chair of Malay Language and Literature at the National University of Malaysia from 1970 to 1984. He also held the Tun Abdul Razak Chair of Southeast Asian Studies at Ohio University from 1980 to 1982.
In 1987, he founded the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation at the International Islamic University Malaysia and served as its founding director. The institute later emerged as an important center for Islamic intellectual scholarship.
Throughout his academic career, Professor al Attas delivered more than 400 lectures across Europe, the United States, Japan, the Far East, and various parts of the Muslim world. His writings addressed history, philosophy, literature, and the relationship between Islam and modernity.
His scholarly contributions earned international recognition. In 1993, Anwar Ibrahim appointed him as the first holder of the Abu Hamid al Ghazali Chair of Islamic Thought at ISTAC. King Hussein of Jordan appointed him a member of the Royal Academy of Jordan in 1994. The University of Khartoum later conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1995. In 2024, Malaysia honored him with the prestigious title Professor Diraja, the Royal Professor of Malaysia.
Following the funeral prayer held at Masjid at Taqwa in Kuala Lumpur, his eldest son Syed Ali Tawfik al Attas addressed mourners and reflected on his father’s life and work. He said his father dedicated his entire life to Islam and education, guiding thousands of Muslims through his teachings and writings.
Syed Ali Tawfik al Attas said many people describe his father as a towering intellectual and philosopher. While acknowledging this recognition, he stressed that his father was also a man of action whose work extended beyond academic theory.
He recalled that Professor al Attas contributed to cultural and institutional development from a young age. At the age of fifteen, he helped define the meaning of a political movement and designed a flag that later symbolised national unity.
His son also highlighted Professor al Attas’s role in establishing institutions of Islamic learning. He said his father proposed the idea of an Islamic university and later established ISTAC in 1987. Even the architectural design of the institute reflected his vision, as he personally supervised the design of the building, library, and interior details.
According to the family, the institute’s library collection of around 156,000 volumes stands as one of his enduring intellectual contributions.
The passing of Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al Attas marks the end of an era in Islamic intellectual history. His ideas on knowledge, civilisation, and education continue to influence scholars and institutions across the Muslim world.
