SPEECH – QURAN AND I BOOK LAUNCH

 

Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Amar Haji Fadillah Haji Yusof ,

Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia,

Professor Barry Winn, Vice Chancellor of Taylor’s University,

Distinguished guests,
Friends, family,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Salam Sejahtera and thank you for being here this afternoon.

Let me begin very clearly.

This book was not written to preach.
It was not written to convert.
And it was certainly not written to argue or debate.

The Quran and I was written to share.

To share how one ordinary Muslim, who grew up poor in multicultural Malaysia, learned to live with the Quran anchoring his life.

Through family.
Through friendship.
Through work.
Through mistakes.
Through reflection.

This book is not about Islam as a theory.
It is about Islam as a lived experience.

Over the last two decades, something important has been unfolding across the world.

For a long time, especially after 9/11, Islam was encountered largely through fear, suspicion, and headlines. It became something spoken about, but rarely spoken with. Debated, but seldom understood.

Since October 7th, 2023, emotions have intensified again. In parts of America and Europe, Islamophobia has grown louder. Mosques are watched. Muslim names are questioned. Faith is reduced to politics.

And yet, at the very same time, something else is happening.

A quieter, more thoughtful curiosity is emerging.

Across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Far East, and beyond, people are asking deeper questions.

Who are these Muslims beyond the headlines?

What is it they believe that gives them resilience?

What kind of faith produces dignity instead of rage, patience instead of bitterness, even in moments of suffering?

This curiosity is not driven by campaigns.

It is driven by human encounters.

A recent experience of a fifth-grade teacher in the United States explains it well.

A small group of her Muslim students realised it was time for their prayer.

Their usual prayer space was unavailable, so they respectfully asked if they could pray in her classroom.

She agreed.

What moved her was this.

Without any adult directing them, the children confidently organised themselves. They stood shoulder to shoulder. One stepped forward as the leader. They bowed. They prostrated. In sync. Calm. Orderly. Proper.

They just knew what to do.

Ten-year-old children, disciplined not by fear, but by faith. Connected to their Maker.

The teacher sat at her desk and watched. Inspired. Touched. Respectful.

When they finished, she told them how proud she was of them.

And she began to cry.

The children hugged her.

And for a brief moment, the world felt different.

In that small classroom, there was no politics. No headlines. No ideology.

Just sincerity. Reverence. And human connection.

That is what changes perceptions

This book is relaunched for such moments.

Not as a defense.

Not as a reaction.

But as a human explanation of how Islam is lived from the inside.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a religious scholar. I am a businessman.

In many ways, I am self-taught in my understanding of the Quran. Through books, translations, tafsir, lughat al-Quran, through teachers living and departed, and through the conviction that if we read and listen sincerely, God speaks.

I grew up surrounded by difference.

Muslims.
Christians.
Buddhists.
Hindus.
Taoists.
Sikh communities.

That difference did not weaken my faith.
It strengthened it.

The Quran drives me to see not just with my eyes, but with my heart. That substance is more important than form. Look deeper, and you will find shared values that bind differences together.

The Quran taught me that work is honorable if it is halal, whether you are CEO or janitor.

It taught me that keeping your word matters.

That hope is not naïve. It is energy.

That no matter your past, God’s mercy is always greater.

This faith does not promise an easy life,

but it does promise a meaningful and purposeful one.

This book is also a message from Malaysia to the world.

We are not perfect. We have our disagreements. At times, we have overzealous voices who fail to see the larger picture.

Yes, we are human.

But we have something rare to offer.

Malaysia is a Muslim-majority nation with Islam as the religion of the Federation. Yet we also have thousands of churches, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, Chinese temples, and gurdwaras, combined.

You can walk down one street and hear the azan, temple bells, church hymns, and festival drums within minutes of one another.

In corporate offices owned by non-Muslims, you will often find a surau. A small prayer room for Muslims. A small space. But big in meaning.

We make room for one another.

We share food.
We open our homes.
We celebrate each other’s festivals.

Not because we are the same.
But because we have learned to live with difference.

We give.
We take.
We respect.
We say thank you.

The Quran captures this beautifully:

“To each of you We have ordained a law and a clear way. If Allah had willed, He would have made you one community, but He tests you in what He has given you. So compete with one another in good.” 5:48

In many ways, our nation is a living chromosome, a model of how faiths can coexist, each preserving its own colours, yet woven together in the same tapestry of peace.

If you are a Muslim, whether in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Islamabad, or Riyadh, I hope this book reminds you that the Quran is not only for rituals, but for all times.

Faith should make us better neighbours.
Better colleagues.
Better citizens.

If you are not a Muslim, especially from America or Europe, this book is not an explanation of Islam in its entirety.

It is an invitation.

A glimpse into one life. One experience.
One imperfect attempt to walk with God.

A gentle door to know Islam.

You do not need to agree with everything.
You only need to be open.

My sincere hope is this.

That this book will travel beyond Malaysia.

That it will sit not only on religious shelves, but in living rooms, book clubs, and classrooms.

If this book leaves you with anything, I hope it is this:

A soft but sincere voice.
A genuine sharing.
And above all, HOPE.

Before I conclude, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Fadillah for graciously gracing this launch with his presence.

My sincere thanks to Professor Barry and the team at Taylor’s University, and equally to my own team at Zubedy. Both teams have worked with dedication to make this afternoon possible.

Special mention to Prof Anindita, Dr Loh, Dr Murugan, Ms Kirtana and Aby, the team lead at zubedy.

 “To Allah belong the East and the West. Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah.”

Quran 2:115

Thank you.

Peace.