Year 12 Graduation

Year 12 Graduation formal dinner night at Michael’s Oriental Restaurant Brisbane 20 November 2014. See more pictures here in photo gallery.

Address delivered by Imam Abdul Quddoos Al-Azhari

Honourable Bernie Ripoll Federal MP, Respected Councillor Angela-Owen Taylor, Ms Mariana Lane of Independent Schools Qld, Board Members and Trustees, Jim Bellos Police Liaison Officer, Respected Principal, Learned Teachers, Support Staff, Graduates, Parents, Community Leaders, Assalamu Alaikum Warrahmutallahi Warabakatuhu.

We are here to celebrate the 7th Graduation Ceremony of our Year 12 students who will be graduating from our College this year. It has been an absolute pleasure to serve and assist you for a number of years, in fact some of you began your journey at our College from the beginning. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, your parents, teachers and the community as a whole. I would like to thank your family members who are present here they have been so kind and generous to you and walked an extra mile for you. I would also like to thank our hardworking teachers, Honourable Principal Mrs Banwa, administration and support staff members who deserve great appreciation for all they have done to make your graduation  possible. You have come to the College as a child and leaving as an adult, you have learned the basics that will serve you well in attaining your full potential, InshaAllah.

 

AIIC Governing Board is working hard to provide the best of ultra-modern education in a safe and caring environment. We are trying our level best to prepare the talented and competent future leaders, scholars and thinkers, so that they become useful members of society and we endeavour our level best to instil in their minds and hearts the art of discipline, intellectual learning experience to face the challenges of the world. It is my prayer and dua that you all enter university in the field of your choice, InshaAllah to become respectable citizens and respectable members of the global community.

It is our dua and wishes that you become replicas of our great scholars, scientists, educators, sociologists, anthropologists, astronomers, surgeons, architects and engineers.

It is our endeavour, hope and prayer that our future scholars, our future leaders be prepared inculcating the value of Aklaaq and Adaab imprinted in their hearts and minds.

You all had your models in your classroom, you have learned about them, you have also learned about their great achievements and inventions of the pioneers including Ibn Sina the father of medicine, Jabbar Bin Hayan who invented Algebra, Al Hawazina the father of mathematics etc. I am very sure that you have learned a lot from their scholarly work and the great achievements they have contributed to the world and I hope and pray that we don’t dwell in the past alone and that we are well equipped with Ilm and Fahm and Hiqma and Basira with vision and wisdom to serve humanity.

My dear graduates I’m very happy that AIIC and the College community was very proud to serve you. We have been honoured and blessed with your presence at our College. From tomorrow you will be preparing for a new life. University life, which is a life that is very different than what you are familiar with, you have to do a lot by yourself. There will be no teachers to tell you to go to assembly, prepare for salaat, do your homework, submit your assignments and assessments or wear the correct uniform. You have to do everything by yourself.

Please take note and consider these six important points:

 

 Talk to Allah

First and foremost what you have to do is talk to Allah (SWT), you have to come close to him, seek his help, do what he wants you to do and what he wishes us to do. Remember the famous Hadith Qudusi “Do as I wish and I shall do as you wish,” and remember “If you get near to me by a palm, I will get near to you by an arm and if you walk towards me I will run towards you.” So my dear children we have to walk towards God, we have to do what God wants and wishes us to do, and I am 100% sure you will not go wrong.

Planning

You have to be organised and remember the famous Hadith, “The best intelligence is planning.” There is a saying in Australia; if you don’t plan you are planning for a disaster.

Resources and Materials

All the resources, materials and facilities are for your benefit – Library, Multipurpose Hall, Chaplaincy, student union, Resource Centre and IT Centre etc – all for your use so make use of it positively.

Research Work

My dear children you will be involved with lots of research work. In doing so you have to be honest, don’t borrow the good work of others and pretend as they are your own.  Clothe yourself from what you have, not from what you have borrowed, plant the cotton with your own hand, water it, cultivate it with your efforts, then weave the cotton, sew it and wear it. Do not be happy with someone else’s property and claim it as yours.

Be Vigilant

Keep an eye on the environment and its surroundings and what is happening around you. Clever people have three eyes,

  1. Eyes of the head with which he looks at the world
  2. The eyes of the heart with which he looks at the Akiraat
  3. The eyes of the inner most being which reminds him of his true nature of this life and the hereafter.
Friendship

When you are in that environment you will be making many friends and while making friends you should be selective and remember what Jesus (PBUH) advised how to make a good friend, who deserves to be your friend. Establish friendship with those whose actions and appearances remind you of the presence of God and who work for the pleasure of God.

My dear students you have been learning a lot on the messengers of God, their life, sacrifices, including Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed (SAW). They are full of Ibraat (lessons) and models for us to follow. I would like to remind you of one among them and that is the mother of Moses who was worried and afraid about Moses, because the order of the day was to kill every newborn male child. The order from God was do not worry and do not be afraid, just place him in the the arc and throw him out to sea and we will bring him back to you and make him my messenger. My dear students you know what happened, the Arc was  floating to the house of Pharaoh (the King), as God says in the Quran “We have put my love onto you.”  When Moses had Allah’s love everyone started to love him and could not kill him they all protected him.

Remember my dear students about his love story when he was in the desert he was in the

queue for drinking water, two beautiful girls were standing there waiting for someone to give them a chance to join the queue. Moses gave his turn to them, this beautiful behaviour and character eventuated to him marrying one of those beautiful girls and live with her father Shoaib (AS), when he remembered Banni Israel – the children of Israel and their plights and the notorious Phiraun and his soldiers. He wanted to go back to Egypt he took his wife and set out on the way his wife had delivery pain no one was with her and it was dark. Moses was looking for light and fire and he told his wife “I’ll go and bring some provisions for you, I can see a light”, he walked towards the light as the Quran says when he came from the right side of the valley he had been called by Rabul Aallameen and conveyed the message to him that he is the mighty messenger of God.

Please note my students when Moses surrendered and submitted to the will of Allah, everything had changed. Allah had transformed him. He forgot his family and their welfare. Someone came to his wife and treated her with honour and care, called by a caller, addressed by an addresser, he was none but Rabul Aallameen. If you fear Allah, Allah will take care of your affairs.

Honourable Bernie Ripoll Federal MP, Respected Councillor Angela-Owen Taylor, Ms Mariana Lane, Jim Bellos, Respected Principal, Learned Teachers, Support Staff, Graduates, Parents, and Community Leaders once again I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the graduates. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours and remember we will be very happy to know what you are progressing, how you are doing, where you are going and how we can help you. We will be more than happy to assist you anyway we can and remember you have to come back to visit AIIC and help and contribute to the school community, to our beautiful country Australia and indeed the whole of humanity. Thank you very much and please enjoy the rest of the evening.

Wassalamu Alaikum Warrahmutallahi Warabakatuhu