Bismillahirrahmaanirraheem,

Alhamdulillahi wassolaatu wassalaamu 'ala Rasulillah SAW.


For the past few days, I've been reading an article about Nobel Prize. This is a prestigious international award given yearly since 1901 for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and for peace.

The founder of the award, as we all know, Alfred Nobel, the genious who got very rich with invention of the famous dynamite.

Believe it or not, the Nobel Prize is actually a fulfillment of Nobel's will. His will was hardly longer than one ordinary page.

One of his will is, that he declared that his entire remaining estate should be used to endow "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind".


Since then, scientists were racing towards excellence, to be the best for mankind in their respective fields. Nobel succeded (intentionally or unintentionally, I don't know) to ispire the humankind in a superlative manner, in a way that scientists are racing towards excellence to create the best product with greatest benefit to mankind.


To date, there were only two Muslim scientists who became the recipient of this prestigious award. Prof Dr Abdus Salam from Pakistan (1979), and Prof Dr Ahmed Zewail, from Egypt (1999).


(Up to the year 2000 there were no less than 44 Jewish winners of the Nobel Prize in Biomedical Sciences, while Muslims only 2)





Something caught my attention when I was reading Prof Dr Abdus Salam's speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1979.


He quoted, verses from Al-Quran Al-Kareem, from Surah Al-Mulk, verse 3 & 4;





Inspiration


Yes, people live with inspiration.

I am amazed, for how people can be greatly inspired by human-made awards. People are racing for awards and prizes. People are astonished by prestigious prize and big podium.

They are so inspired, that they even race and die for it. (Of course most of the Nobel Prize winner didn't ask for the prize, including Prof Dr Abdus Salam)


Let us imagine, if we, all of us, as Muslims got inspired by the best award human can ever imagine, the paradise.


In fact, we should be greatly inspired by the Jannah (Paradise) and more importantly, the day of Al-Akhirah(Hereafter) as ALlah has promised that He will grant the Jannah for devoted Muslims, who work and strive very hard to give benefit to the Ummah. To give benefit to mankind.


These are what I've been thinking when I was reading the article on Nobel Prize.


Why are we so inspired by the human-made awards while Allah's "award" is the greatest of all?

At-Taubah, verse 111

The only difference between an excellent scientist and an excellent Muslim scientist. The intention, to give benefit for the Ummah, to the mankind, LILLAHI TA'ALA!




Allahu A'lam