“Belajar agama tinggi-tinggi mesti last-last jadi ustaz/ustazah Madrasah.”

Itulah tanggapan atau stereotype that we usually hear dalam perbualan masyarakat Melayu/Islam Singapura mengenai mereka yang mendalami agama Islam hingga ke tahap universiti. Moreover, not many people know that a degree in Religious Studies could be the key to opening many doors for the future.

Encik Muhammad Tarmizi Abdul Wahid, or better known as Ustaz Mizi Wahid, merupakan siswazah Sarjana Muda dalam bidang Syariah dari Universiti Al-Azhar – sebuah institut pengajian tinggi yang terletak di Kaherah, Mesir. He first started his career with Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) where he gained exposure to the religious field, terutamanya dari sudut Fatwa di Pejabat Mufti. Aside from that, Ustaz Mizi also ran educational programmes for adult learners. Antara yang menarik, Ustaz Mizi juga berpeluang menyediakan khutbah-khutbah yang sering kita dengar di masjid-masjid tempatan.

Setelah lebih dua tahun bertugas di MUIS, Ustaz Mizi menyedari bahawa there is still a lot to be done for the Malay/Muslim community. Beliau mendapati bahawa terdapat ramai masyarakat Islam di Singapura yang ingin mengenali agama Islam dengan lebih mendalam lagi. However, most of them lack the time to attend classes due to tight work schedules. Ada juga yang mungkin telah lama tersasar dan mahu kembali ke pangkal jalan, namun mereka tidak tahu where to take the first step. Realising the gap, Ustaz Mizi gagahkan diri untuk menubuhkan sebuah institusi Islam yang diberi nama Institut Safinah.

“Everybody needs a strong sense of humility. We can get carried away very easily and lose ourselves along the way. We need to remind ourselves and sometimes we need others to remind us to get back on our feet.”

Institut Safinah has contributed a lot to the Malay community in Singapore. Badan agama yang telah ditubuhkan sejak April 2009 itu menawarkan pelbagai kursus, kelas dan kegiatan agama. Antara yang lain, institut itu menganjurkan acara Sidang Puncak Kerohanian mereka tersendiri, Spiritual Summit, yang menghimpunkan para asatizah tempatan. During the summit, current and relevant topics were discussed. Some of which include The Direction of Your Heart, The Search For Meaning and so on. More importantly, those are topics which are close to the hearts of the participants. This serves as an opportunity for the local Muslim community to better understand and appreciate Islam.

“Our community needs to not over react and blow up an issue. Be supportive, not too defensive. We do not want the future generation to feel lost and out of place.”

Semasa menganjurkan ceramah dan perhimpunan bimbingan agama, Ustaz Mizi sering mengingatkan dirinya supaya bersikap matang dari segi emosi, rohani, dan juga pemikiran.

“Be open to criticism. Anyone, regardless of what they did in the past, deserves a chance.”

Ustaz Mizi menasihati masyarakat Melayu/Islam supaya bersikap open-minded dan tidak terlalu cepat menghakimi atau judge seseorang. Jika kita terbuka untuk mendengar pendapat orang lain, kita mampu meraih banyak lagi manfaat apart from just understanding one another.