WORLD SCHOLARS, PHILANTHROPISTS NAMED RECIPIENTS OF 2026 KING FAISAL PRIZE

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- A number of scholars, philanthropists, and scientists from around the world have been named recipients of the 2026 King Faisal Prize for their outstanding contributions across five categories — Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science.

In a statement, the General Secretariat of the King Faisal Prize said the recipients were selected following a series of meetings held from Jan 5 to 7.

The selection committees of the prize reviewed nominations from around the world and, in some categories, decided to confer the awards jointly.

The 2026 King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam was awarded jointly to Sheikh Abdul Latif Ahmad Al-Fawzan, a Saudi national and chairman of the board of directors of Al-Fawzan Company, and Professor Dr Muhammad Muhammad Abu Musa, an Egyptian national and professor at Al-Azhar University.

“Abdul Latif was recognised for his distinctive approach to philanthropic work, including the establishment of Waqf Ajwad as a community platform for developing humanitarian initiatives, as well as the founding of dozens of Islamic centres and residential endowments for students in several Islamic countries.

“Muhammad Muhammad received the prize in recognition of his authorship of more than 30 books in Arabic language studies, particularly in rhetoric, aimed at elucidating the rhetorical miracle of the Holy Quran,” the statement stated.

As a founding member of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar University, Muhammad Muhammad has led more than 300 scholarly circles at Al-Azhar Mosque, helping to make classical heritage texts more accessible to younger generations.

For the King Faisal Prize for Islamic Studies, the award was given jointly to Professor Dr Abdul Hamid Hussein Hamouda, an Egyptian national and professor at Fayoum University, and Professor Dr Muhammad Wahib Hussein, a Jordanian national and professor at the Hashemite University.

Under the theme ‘Arabic Literature in the French Language,’ the King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature was awarded to Professor Pierre Larcher, a French national and professor at Aix-Marseille University, in recognition of his efforts to introduce Arabic literature to French-speaking audiences with creativity and originality.

The King Faisal Prize for Medicine, themed ‘Transformative Discoveries in Obesity Treatments,’ went to Professor Svetlana Mojsov, a United States (US) national and professor at Rockefeller University. The award was given in recognition of her pioneering role in discoveries that led to new treatments for diabetes and obesity.

Another US national won the King Faisal Prize for Science. Themed ‘Mathematics,’ the award was given to University of Chicago professor, Professor Carlos Kenig, in recognition of his contributions to mathematical analysis, particularly in nonlinear partial differential equations, which have provided widely used techniques for researchers.

-- BERNAMA