Pengiran Mohammad (born 1948), pen name Zairis M.S., is a Bruneian politician and writer in the

Government of Brunei The Government of Brunei Darussalam is the union government created by the constitution of Brunei where by the Sultan of Brunei is both head of state and head of government (Prime Minister of Brunei). Executive power is exercised by the governme ...

whole formerly took office as the second Minister of Religious Affairs from 2010 to 2015, and

Deputy Minister of Education Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

from 2005 to 2010.

Biography

Education

Pengiran Mohammad is born in 1948, at Kampong Menengah of

Temburong District Temburong District ( ms, Daerah Temburong; Jawi: دائيره تمبوروڠ) or simply Temburong () is the easternmost district in Brunei. It is an exclave — the land is separated from the rest of the country by Malaysia and Brunei Bay, an ...

. He was educated at Sultan Hasan Malay School from 1956 to 1959;

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College (), abbreviated as , is a government boys' secondary school in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It is the first secondary school in the country. The school is also one of the only three boys' second ...

in 1959; Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah Arabic

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

in 1959; Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah Singapore from 1960 to 1965; Islamic College of Malaysia from 1965 to 1968; Malayan Islamic College from 1969 to 1970. He obtained his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

, Usuluddin Faculty majoring in

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

and

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

at the

Al-Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

from 1975 to 1979;

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Islamic Studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

at the

National University of Malaysia The National University of Malaysia ( ms, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, abbreviated as UKM) is a public university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ...

from 1983 to 1986;

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

at the

University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...

from 1987 to 1992.

Career

Pengiran Mohammad's career began as a religious teacher at the Raja Istri Pengiran Anak Damit Arabic Girls' Middle School in 1971. He would go on to serve several other positions such as a religious officer in 1979; Acting Superintendent of

Preaching A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

and

Tabligh Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is a transnational Deobandi Islamic missionary movement that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encouraging fellow members ...

from 1981 to 1983; Senior Religious Officer in 1985; deputy director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs's Institute of Islamic Studies in 1991; Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies in 1996; First Dean of the Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Institute of Islamic Studies from 1999 to 2002; Special Duties Officer (National Education Council)

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

in 2003; Deputy Minister of Education from 24 May 2005 to 29 May 2010; Interim

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University ( Malay: ''Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali''; abbreviated UNISSA; Arabic: جامعة السّلطان الشّريف عليّ الإسلاميّة) is Brunei's second university. It was established in 2007 a ...

in 2007. On 29 May 2010,

Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...

, the

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

, announced the new cabinet shift and fresh appointments for a second five-year term. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, it was declared in a ''titah'' that Pengiran Mohammad would be in charge of managing the duties of the new Minister of Religious Affairs. He spoke in the UNISSA Auditorium as part of the Center for the Advancement of Knowledge and Language's Special Malay Islamic Monarch (MIB), which was titled "History of the Arrival of Islam to Brunei Darussalam."

Personal life

Pengiran Mohammad is married to Datin Hajah Alimah binti Mohd Taib. Together they have 3 children; 2 sons and 1 daughter (Dayangku Saadatul Hannan). Additionally, his hobbies included

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...

and

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

Books

He has co-authored several scholarly works and poetry anthologies alongside other authors and poets. at addition, he represented Brunei at the 10th World Poetry Festival in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, in 2004. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Awards and honours

Pengiran Mohammad has earned the following awards and honours:

Awards

* S.E.A Write Award (30 September 2008) * Islamic Literature Award Finalist (5 November 2008)

Honours

Order of Setia Negara Brunei The Most Blessed Order of Setia Negara Brunei ( ms, Darjah Setia Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bahagia), also translated as The Most Blessed Order of Loyalty to the State of Brunei, is an order of Brunei. It was established on 29 November 1959 by Sultan ...

First Class (PSNB) – Dato Seri Setia (15 July 2011) * BRU_Islamic_Religious_Order_of_the_State_of_Brunei

Order of Islam Brunei The Most Eminent Order of Islam Brunei ( ms, Darjah Seri Ugama Islam Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bersinar), also translated as The Most Illustrious Islamic Religious Order of the State of Brunei, is an order of Brunei. It was established on 1 August ...

Second Class (DSSUB) – Dato Seri Setia * Medal_for_Service_to_State_(Brunei)

Excellent Service Medal (PIKB) * Long_Service_Medal_(PKL)

Long Service Medal (PKL) * Sultan's_Silver_Jubilee_Medal_(1992)

Silver Jubilee Medal (5 October 1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdul Rahman, Mohammad Living people 1948 births Government ministers of Brunei Al-Azhar University alumni University of Malaya alumni National University of Malaysia alumni Bruneian writers Bruneian Muslims Bruneian educators Bruneian royalty S.E.A. Write Award winners