The International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC), an institute under the International Islamic University Malaysia, has been a popular wedding venue for years.
Many couples love the building’s unique and elegant architecture. Some said the building looked like a church from the outside while the interiors gave off an old-timey look like Hogwarts or a fantasy setting vibe.
This could be largely due to the wooden furniture, furnishings, and old-style lamps. The interior is also decorated with Islamic motifs on the large doors and walls, lending a classy vibe.
Recently, Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal criticised “the government for allowing” ISTAC’s lecture hall to be rented out for weddings when commenting on another tweet highlighting the premises as a unique wedding spot.
He called out Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and higher education minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir for “allowing this to happen.”
He claimed he wasn’t politicising the issue and believed the lecture hall was a sacred place where knowledge was imparted and renting the place for weddings breached etiquette.
How low ISTAC has become. It is a university’s lecture hall where sacred knowledge being imparted – not a wedding hall! This is loss of Adab! Both Anwar and Zambery should have known better to stop this rot! https://t.co/nToAre1hGU
— Wan Ahmad Fayhsal (@wanfayhsal) August 11, 2024
Some netizens shared their views on the matter. Some said there’s no issue for the hall to be rented for weddings because the income generated can help sustain the university.
They also pointed out that other universities abroad have served as wedding venues without issues. Renting out the halls is a way to sustain the university financially.
Meanwhile, others believe weddings shouldn’t be held in a place of learning. In response, some said the venue is rented as a wedding venue and not for partying. Since weddings are good things to happen, they argued there’s no real issue in renting out the lecture hall for that purpose.
In addition, using the lecture hall for weddings is a way to preserve the building rather than letting it languish in disrepair.
Moreover, a netizen shared that the lecture hall can only be rented by family members or relatives of ISTAC professors.
ayah aku antara cendekiawan yang founded this institute in the late 90s and what i can say is agak menyedihkan yang tempat ni famous sebagai tempat event semata walhal niat mereka adalah untuk tempat ni dijadikan pusat ilmiah bertaraf antarabangsa dalam kajian islam dan sejarah https://t.co/fzFnpUDGYx
— tehoeyes (@tehoeyes) August 11, 2024
Sensitive betul org malaysia ni, ni pun nak dijadikan isu, padahal University lain luar negara banyak je dh start buat untuk wedding😅
— vendetta (@vendett44__) August 11, 2024
Haritu dah nak sewa tempat ni, tapi die tak allow.
Only family and relative to the professors kerja istac je boleh. Not open to public yang nak book event hall
— Min 🍉 (@asmamin) August 11, 2024
from the picture I can see if org nk buat wedding kat sini bukan jenis wedding caca marba punya. It is going to be a proper ones instead.
Okay la tu ada add on value selain tempat untuk majlis ilmu.
Dari ramai tak tau, nanti guest datang.. makin ramai yg ambil tahu tempat tu
— Farhana Farid | Takaful Planner (@farhanafarid14) August 11, 2024
Kenapa tak fikir dari side positive? Perkahwinan yg buat dekat sini semuanya generate money kot, duit tu laa boleh guna untuk maintainance segala benda untuk bangunan ni. Kalau tak buat mcm ni, segala maintainance tu semua nak cekau duit dari mana? Nak keluar poket sndiri?
— Bella Yusof (@bbyyammmm) August 12, 2024
Well, to build is one thing. But to sustain is totally a different thing.
Like it or not, they have to find a way to generate income for the building maintenance.
Tbf, you should be thankful they found a way just to do that. If not, the building might be left to be inoperable.
— His Lordship Baron of Luxor (@GerardValkyrie3) August 11, 2024
It’s better for them to use it for wedding dari terbiar and usang di makan usia. Kalau masjid boleh jadi tempat kahwin, I don’t see tempat ilmuan can’t.
— WF (@dumborx) August 12, 2024
ISTAC sendiri tulis:
Recommended for wedding.Walaquib walattas wafaysahl boleh jangan buat teruk sangathttps://t.co/pcdWQn2xzl
— Zaid #2023A (@hidup_sihat) August 12, 2024
Why do some people seem attached to ISTAC?
ISTAC was founded by world-renowned Muslim scholar, Professor Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, in 1987. His goal was to revive the salience of the philosophy of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali. In other words, the institute aims to integrate Islamic teachings into modern academic disciplines and the pursuit of knowledge (the Islamization of Knowledge).
As a contemporary scholar, Syed Muhammad is one of the few who is thoroughly rooted in the traditional Islamic sciences and studied theology, philosophy, metaphysics, history, and literature. He has authored books on these subjects, including Sufism, cosmology and the Malay language.
The institute was originally near the old International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) campus in Petaling Jaya. It then moved to its own campus in Bukit Tunku, a building that sported Spanish Muslim or Andalusian motifs.
One of the notable characteristics of ISTAC is its unique multilingual library comprising more than 140,000 volumes. It was said the collection includes rare books and manuscripts collected by Syed Muhammad himself over ten years.
In its heyday, Islamic scholars and thinkers around the globe used to seek the opportunity to study in ISTAC.
However, ISTAC was thrown a curve ball around 1998 before it could establish itself as a world-class institution. The issue that allegedly arose was the delicate line to balance teaching religion and Malay history as separate disciplines or combined. As one can imagine, this puts academics in a difficult situation.
ISTAC was embedded into IIUM’s new Gombak campus and most of its professors were retired, forced to leave, or had their teaching hours reduced.
Syed Muhammad’s service with ISTAC was terminated in 2002, said to be on baseless allegations. Many believed that was when ISTAC’s legacy started deteriorating because removing Syed Muhammad was seen as the disappearance of intellectual tradition.
