“It is one thing to be a student of Professor (Syed Muhammad Naquib) al-Attas, it is another thing to be his son.
It is one thing to be learning about the civilization of Islam, worldview of Islam, justice, existence, being, adab, ḥikmah… but it is something else to be actually living that tradition. I think this is an important element as far as my upbringing is concerned, I’ve actually lived this tradition - I’m still living this tradition.
I can remember when I was a young boy, when my father was writing - he would typically write in an A5 paper with a pencil, and whenever he’d finished writing one page, he’d call me to his study.
He would sit me down and he would read from what he’d written, and from there (when I was 8 or 9 years old) he’d start explaining his ideas saying: “Perhaps now you won’t understand, in future, you might understand”. And it’s true.
Those pearls of wisdom when I was young, impacted me in such a way that I still remember them, and I still understand what he was trying to accomplish… all his students who have come to visit him, I still remember all of them - all of whom have become significant members of society, some of his more flamboyant students, and of course Prof. Wan (Mohd Nor Wan Daud) who is perhaps the best example of Prof. al-Attas’s scholarship influence on the Muslims.”