UBAIDI TRUST

OFFICIAL LAUNCHING OF YAYASAN UBAIDI
BY
THE PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
Y.A.B. DATO SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD

AT
DEWAN MUKTAMAR
PUSAT ISLAM
KUALA LUMPUR

ON

Friday, 11th. October 1991
3rd. Rabiul Akhir, 1412H

CHAIRMAN SPEECH

First of all may I thank Allah Most Gracious and Most Merciful for his Beneficient Bounties in helping us to hold this function in such a cordial atmosphere. 

Allow me to say a few words on how the concept of this charitable Foundation was first formed.

The Quran calls upon Muslim to make haste to seek an honest living as a primary duty after performing the prescribed prayers. In Islam, it is the prerogative of every individual to acquire wealth through any lawful means, by applying innovation and ingenuity.

Muslims are exhorted to increase production so that the wealth of the nation might increase. Both the charging of interest and hoarding of surpluses have been forbidden by Islam as means of accumulating wealth. Even the wealth legitimately earned is to be recycled in society through the institution of zakat (poor-tax) and the Islamic law of inheritance.

The Quran says,

From this perspective it is apparent that whatever we may acquire actually belongs to God. We are at best His trustees.

If a property is owned by me rightly it is mine. But I should believe that the property does not belong to me. Is this not contradictory? Yes, it is. How to solve this contradiction? Islam gives a justifying reason for this contradiction. To say this property is mine is material thinking. To say it does not belong to me is spiritual thinking. When one believes that a property is his own he is encouraged to work hard and make it grow. Islam induces him to increase his wealth. But while dealing with the property he should believe that it does not belong to him. It belongs to God. When he believes that it belongs to God he would distribute the due share to fellow creatures.

By the Grace of Allah, our Foundation, under the style, YAYASAN UBAIDI, was commenced on the 12th. May, 1990. We wanted to carry out its activities quietly and humbly.

A pious friend of mine advised me to launch the charity Foundation openly so that the public would come to know about it.

I said that I should be modest and should not seek publicity. He disagreed with me and said that there was a need to do charity openly and quoted the following verse from the Holy Quran: "Those who rehearse the Book of Allah, establish regular prayers and spend (in charity) out of what we have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a commerce that will not fail":(xxxv-29)

Abdullah Yusuf Ali world renowned translator of the Holy Quran, in his commentary on the above verse, says: "A Muslim should spend in charity out of the provision Allah has provided for him either secretly or openly. A Muslim should not be ashamed of his charity done openly or secretly, he should just do what is necessary for his fellow-beings whether people talk about it or not."

In the above Quranic verse, Allah has assured that the one that does charity can hope for a commerce that will not fail or fluctuate. God guarantees the return and adds his own bounty to the philanthropist.

We accordingly decided to launch the Foundation openly. The guidance of Quran to do charity openly is to induce more and more people to do charity.

"Jealousy is evil, but it is allowed in competing with others in doing charity, excelling others in the attainment of knowledge and doing good deeds." So said the Holy Prophet.

This open launching helps to reach deserving cases. Of course, we would do almost all of our charity secretly. The guidance of Quran to do charity secretly is to see that the recipient of the charity is not humiliated and society does not look down upon him.

To launch it openly, we requested the graceful hands of Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir bin  Mohamad because our Foundation is also a sincere response to the caring society essential for wawasan 2020, which Y.A.B Dato' Seri inspired recently.

A private charity Foundation has a specific duty to perform. There are in our society people who are in dire need of financial assistance, but their dignity and self respect prevent them from asking assistance from others. They suffer silently. The pity is that their self respect deprives their helpless children of their health and education. Such persons can be more easily identified by a private charity Foundation. This is one of the reasons we wanted to establish a Foundation instead of donating directly to the many existing charitable institutions.

In the past our fore-fathers bequeathed properties to Mosques, Madrasah and Majlis Agama. Such waqaf properties are, I am told, numerous in Penang and Kedah. Somehow or other, the institution of dedicating properties as waqaf is not so active as before.

Our family has come out in a humble way to follow the good example of our fore-fathers. We have donated a sum of Malaysian Ringgit: Fifteen Million (M$ 15,000,000/-) in cash to Yayasan Ubaidi.

We would like to learn more from older established private Foundations, but there are not that many in Malaysia. With the fear of God, we would carry out our duties in the Foundation as far as possible pleasing everybody. We know how impossible it is. Insya' Allah.

Our Foundation would distribute its assistance to all people irrespective of religion, race, or language as it is also the requirement of the Government. The presence of all religious communities of Malaysia and other countries of the world in this august hall also becomes an Islamic invitation. Our Foundation would strive to bring about an understanding of Islam by the followers of other religions in Malaysia. The Foundation would also promote good relations and communal harmony.

Holy Prophet said, "that if God wishes well of nation he makes sensible men their chief and gives wealth to the generous". It is true God wishes Malaysia well. It is true that Y.A.B. Dato' Seri is a sensible leader. It is true God has given wealth to the generous people of Malaysia. May we all thank God for his favour to our dear country and his kindness to Malaysians.

God blesses a garden with numerous flowers but chooses only some to become fruits. We are very grateful to Allah, to have chosen us to become a fruit and  given us the privilege to be His trustees to distribute it to the poor and needy.

We thank Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad for so graciously launching this Foundation in the midst of a back log of official duties just after a whirl-wind tour.

The only apology we can think of for having taken his valuable time is that this foundation is also a part of Islamic values needed for the harmonious life of our multi-racial country.

Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Datin Paduka Dr. Siti Hasma is a well-known welfare worker of the country. She was the first person to welcome the idea of forming Yayasan Ubaidi. We were very much touched by her concern and kind moral support and every encouragement given to us. I would like to thank Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Datin Paduka Dr. Siti Hasmah sincerely and spontaneously.

Y.B. Dato' Dr. Mohd Yusuf Noor stands as an outstanding example not only to Malaysia but also to many Islamic countries to prove that the theologically educated can run secular ministries. This became possible for the first time in the pragmatic and innovative government of Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Y.B. Dato' Dr. Mohd Yusuf Noor was an unfailing source of inspiration to Yayasan Ubaidi. We are very grateful to him.

Y.B. Dato' Dr. Abdul Hamid Haji Othman has widely propagated the spirit of Fardhu Kifayah. With the same spirit he gave us all assistance from the day Yayasan Ubaidi was mentioned. His advice and assistance is solely responsible for the success of this function.

(This is a translation of the original speech in Bahasa Malaysia)

1.   Meningkatkan taraf pendidikan masyarakat melalui penubuhan sekolah-sekolah agama,  
      sekolah menengah, kolej, politeknik, kelas kemahiran dan pusat-pusat pengajian tinggi.

2.   Untuk membantu golongan miskin tanpa mengira agama dan keturunan.

3.   Untuk menyumbangkan bantuan perubatan kepada mereka yang sakit dan ditimpa 
      kemalangan dengan menubuhkan hospital, klinik dan menyelenggarakan institusi perubatan  
      yang sedia ada.

4.   Untuk menghulurkan bantuan dalam membina dan membaikpulih rumah ibadah dan institusi 
      pengajian.

5.   Untuk memberikan sumbangan dalam meninggikan kesenian, kesusasteraan dan kebudayaan.

6.   Untuk menyediakan kemudahan awam, balai rakyat, perhentian bas dan meninggikan tingkat 
      kesedaran sivik di kalangan masyarakat.

7.   Untuk menerbitkan buku-buku yang berupa ilmu pengetahuan, risalah seperti untuk 
      menyebarkan pelajaran dan keagamaan bagi kepentingan masyarakat.

8.   Untuk menanjurkan seminar, muktamar dan simposium bagi meningkatkan pengetahuan dan 
      kefahaman masyarakat tentang kepentingan kesusasteraan dan kebudayan.

9.    Memberi sumbangan kewangan kepada fakir miskin untuk menampung perbelanjaan 
       perkahwingan dan pengkebumian.

10.  Untuk menyumbangkan biasiswa, bantuan kewangan kepada pelajar-pelajar di peringkat 
       sekolah serta mengedarkan pakaian seragam kepada sekolah-sekolah.

11.  Untuk memberi sumbangan kepada institusi-institusi yang terlibat dalam penyelidikan dan 
       penyelidikan perubatan.

12.  Untuk menubuhkan dan menguruskan rumah-rumah kebajikan masyarakat seperti rumah 
       anak-anak yatim, orang-orang cacat dan orang-orang tua.

13.  Bekerjasama dengan institusi yang sedia ada yang mempunyai objectif yang sama dengan 
       Yayasan ini dalam bentuk bantuan kewangan.

14.  Tabung Yayasan ini akan digunakan berdasarkan tujuan Yayasan ini untuk faedah semua 
       rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira bangsa, agama dan kedudukan sosial.

PROFILE OF SENATOR TAN SRI DATO S.O.K. UBAIDULLA, D.P.M.S. J.M.N.

KOREA : Korea Study tour - 1961 (Leader of Delegation).

KARACHI : Searathum Nabi conference - 1962

GENEVA : Malaysian Employers' Representative to International Labour Conference years, 1963, 1964, 1965.

TAIWAN : Malaysian consolidatory Concultativa Council (MEMBER).

RUSSIA : Malaysian government Trade Delegatin (MEMBER).

VENEZULA : Member to I.P.U. 1989.

ADDITIONAL BIODATA FOR TAN SRI DATO S.O.K. UBAIDULLA

1. Tokoh Mahal Hijrah Peringkat Kebangasaan bagi tahun 1989.
2. Ahli lembaga Pengarah Institut Kefahman Islam Malaysia (IKIM) dari tahun 1993 hingga sekarang
3. President kapade pusat Penyelidikan dan Penerangan Islam Selangor dan wilayah Persekutuan dari tahun 1993 hingga sekarang

TRUSTEE - Yayasan Ubaidi.