Faisal Prize winner donates award money

RIYADH: Shoura Council’s former Chairman Saleh Bin-Humaid, who received the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for Service to Islam in Riyadh on Wednesday, has donated his prize money to an educational foundation in Makkah.
Bin-Humaid was one of the eight scholars who received the prestigious awards from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at a glittering ceremony at Al-Faisaliah Hotel’s Prince Sultan Grand Hall on Wednesday.
Bin-Humaid is a consultant at the Royal Court, member of the Council of Senior Scholars and president of the Jeddah-based International Islamic Fiqh Academy.
The prize was awarded in appreciation of his leading role in the International Islamic Fiqh Academy.
Bin-Humaid has put forth a strenuous effort, profound wisdom, deep vision and positive influence in dealing with contemporary fiqh (jurisprudence) issues.
Bin-Humaid said that he thought it is proper for him to donate the cash award to people who are in real need of the money. The foundation, named after him 20 years ago, strives to provide education to African children in Makkah.
Thanking the King Faisal Foundation (KFF) for bestowing the prestigious honor on him, he said: “I rose up from Al-Qassim as a man to a teacher and then a preacher. Preaching kept me close to the people.”
Each prize consists of a handwritten Arabic certificate indicating the laureate’s achievements, a commemorative 24-carat, 200-gram gold medal and a cash award of SR750,000.
Ministers, members of the royal family, senior government officials, academics and top scholars were among the distinguished guests at the award ceremony.
The event was presided over by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is the chairman of the KFIP board. KFIP Secretary-General Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Basil delivered the welcome address.
Among the other winners were Prof. Abdullah bin Yousif Al-Ghunaim, president of the Kuwaiti Studies and Research Center. He won the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies. It was given to him in recognition of his seminal contributions both as an author and critical editor of original manuscripts of Muslim geographic legacy and his distinguished venture to revive ancient Arabic terms on shapes of the earth’s surface and adapt them to contemporary geography.
The Prize for Arabic Language and Literature was awarded to Prof. Mohammed Al-Ghazawani Muftah from Morocco and Prof. Mohammed Abdul Muttalib Mustafa from Egypt.
Professor Mohammed Muftah is recognized for his distinguished methodical and theoretical endeavors in Arabic language and literature.
Professor Mohammed Abdul Muttalib is recognized for his important accomplishments in applied analysis of Arabic poetry; he has competently and skillfully coined his analysis of poetic texts with deep knowledge of Arabic culture and insight of contemporary literary and stylistic concepts.
Prof. Han Grrit Brunner and Prof. Joris Andre Veltman from the Netherlands shared the King Faisal Prize for Medicine for clinical application of next generation genetics.
The King Faisal Prize for Science in Biology was shared by India-born Prof. Vamsi Krishna Mootha from the US and Professor Stephen Philip Jackson from the UK.
Launched by the KFF and granted for the first time in 1979, the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) recognizes the outstanding works of individuals and institutions in five major categories: Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science. Its aim is to benefit Muslims in their present and future, inspire them to participate in all aspects of civilization, as well as enrich human knowledge and develop mankind.
KFIP winners are evaluated only based on merit and their works are meticulously examined by specialized selection committees. The strict selection procedure meets international standards, and many of the laureates who have been awarded the prize went on to receive other prestigious prizes, such as the Nobel Prize.