With the grace and glory of Allah, the selection committees of the 2023 King Faisal Prize, after meticulous deliberations that were held from Monday 2ed to Wednesday 4th of January 2023, have reached the following decisions for the Prize’s five categorize of Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic language & Literature, Medicine, and Science.
First: King Faisal Prize for The Service to Islam
The King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam for this year 2023 is awarded jointly to:
Professor Choi Young Kil-Hamed
(South Korea)
&
His Excellency Shaikh Nasser bin Abdullah
(UAE)
Professor Choi Young Kil-Hamed is awarded the prize in recognition of his outstanding work in Service to Islam, which included:
His translation of a large number of Islamic books, noted for their quality, accuracy, clarity, soundness of language and sobriety of style, which contributed to the dissemination of knowledge about the critical aspects of Islamic culture amid Far Eastern societies, specifically among Korean-speaking peoples. Notable among these books is the translation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an into the Korean language, which was commissioned by the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex. Some of his other books include “Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi”, “Riyad as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous)”, “ A Short Version of Sahih al-Bukhari”, “The Indexed Dictionary of the Words of the Holy Qur’an”, “Prophet Mohammad”, and several other Arabic language tutorial books for Koreans which are used in a number of Korean universities.
His advocacy efforts deployed in giving lessons and lectures and organizing courses to introduce and advocate for Islam. He also taught Arabic language and Islamic sciences at the Universities of Myeongji and Hankook for Foreign Studies.
He is regarded as one of the prominent non-Arabic-speaking advocacy figures in the Asian continent. He enjoys a clear-minded scholarly personality, intellectual openness, moderation and moderateness, which qualified him to be selected to serve as a member of a number of Islamic associations.
His endeavors in chairing a number of institutions, organizations, and federations, and his membership in a number of councils concerned with Muslim affairs. He is the Chairman of the Korean Islamic Hiba Fund. He also served as Secretary of the Korean Muslim Union and Chairman of its Board of Directors, just as he is a member of the Regional Council for Islamic Da’wa (advocacy) in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and a member of the World Supreme Council for Mosques, an affiliate of the Muslim World League.
He received a number of awards, including “King Abdullah bin AbdulAziz International Award for Translation” for his book “Prophet Mohammad”, the Medal of the President of the Democratic Republic of Korea in 2013, and the Korean government’s Medal for Education and Teaching Services in 2014.
His Excellency Shaikh Nasser bin Abdullah Al Zaabi is awarded the prize in recognition of his outstanding work in Service to Islam, which included:
His efforts in philanthropic and relief work through his membership in a number of charitable associations and institutions and his organization and attendance of conferences, forums and seminars on charitable work. The outcome of these endeavors contributed to the creation of a number of Islamic centers, schools, training centers, hospitals, and dispensaries, in addition to providing care to thousands of orphans, digging hundreds of artesian wells, building a number of dams, launching agricultural projects, and supporting many vulnerable communities in Africa.
His presidency of the Permanent Council of the Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF), a subsidiary institution of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). During his presidency, the ISF went through an expansion and diversification of its activities, benefitting Muslim peoples who suffer from diseases, epidemics, and disasters. The number of projects presented by the ISF reached 2775 projects, which have covered developmental, social, educational, economic and emergency sectors, with a total value of US$236.5 million.
His wise leadership of the Islamic University in Niger through his chairmanship of its Board of Trustees since 2014 and his personal involvement in the university’s activities. The Islamic University of Niger is considered one of the major educational institutions in the Central African region.
His membership in the Board of Directors of the Islamic University in Uganda, and his tremendous efforts in supporting the university, which has achieved a strong educational standing in East Africa.
He was awarded a number of medals and decorations in appreciation of his efforts in the field of philanthropic work.
Second: King Faisal Prize for Islamic Studies
The King Faisal Prize for Islamic Studies for this year 2023, Topic: (Islamic Architecture), is awarded to:
Professor Robert Hillenbrand
(United Kingdom)
Professor at The University of Edinburgh
Professor Robert Hillenbrand is awarded the prize in recognition of his outstanding work in Islamic art, which included:
His work is distinguished by its geographic and temporal expansiveness, which covered North Africa, Egypt, Palestine, and Central Asia, and spanned from the early Islamic period till the 19th Century.
His use of a distinct methodology for the study of Islamic Architecture, classified by form, function, and meaning.
His scholarly publications are distinguished by rigor, analysis, and comparison, which makes them a major contribution and a key reference in the field of Islamic architecture.
Third: King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature
The King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature for this year 2023, Topic: (Classical Arabic Narrative and Modern Theories) is awarded to:
Professor Abdelfattah Kilito
(Morocco)
Professor at Mohammed V University
Professor Abdelfattah Kilito is awarded the prize in recognition of his outstanding work in the field of Classical Arabic, which included:
He creatively and extensively elucidated different genres in Classical Arabic Narrative.
He embodied modern critical approaches within his vision, in a novel and creative method, exploring areas in the Classical Arab Narrative that evaded many before.
His distinctive ability presents the Arabic narrative to the general reader in a clear and precise manner.
Fourth: King Faisal Prize for Medicine
The King Faisal Prize for Medicine for this year 2023, Topic: (Pandemics and Vaccine Development), is awarded jointly to:
Professor Dan Hung Barouch
(United States of America)
Professor at Harvard University
Professor Dan Hung Barouch is awarded the prize in recognition of his major contribution to our understanding of the immunology and pathogenesis of viral infections. He has developed novel vaccine and treatment strategies against multiple pathogens of global significance, including HIV-1, Zika virus, tuberculosis, and most recently SARS-CoV-2.
Professor Sarah Catherine Gilbert
(United Kingdom)
Professor at University of Oxford
Professor Sarah Catherine Gilbert is awarded the prize for developing innovative vaccine technologies and applying them to malaria, Ebola, influenza, MERS and lately SARS-CoV2. This latter vaccine has achieved a wide geographical distribution due to its effectiveness and low cost, making it accessible to billions of people. It has greatly participated to vaccine equity worldwide.
Fifth: King Faisal Prize for Science
The King Faisal Prize for Science for this year 2023 Topic: (Chemistry), is awarded jointly to:
Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying
(United States of America)
Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
&
Professor Chad Alexander Mirkin
(United States of America)
Professor at Northwestern University
Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying is awarded the prize for the synthesis of various advanced nanomaterials and systems, and their applications in catalysis, energy conversion, and biomedicine. Namely, Ying’s laboratory has pioneered the synthesis of mesoporous and microporous transition metal oxides by supramolecular templating. For example, she has developed stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles that allow for insulin delivery to diabetic patients only when their blood sugar levels are high, without the need for external blood sugar monitoring. Her accomplishments in the field of nanocarriers for therapeutic purposes is of great benefit to society. Her work is at the intersection of nanotechnology and technical medicine and has culminated in the establishment of six successful start-ups and spinoff companies.
Professor Chad Alexander Mirkin is awarded the prize for his outstanding contribution in introducing the concept of nanoparticles as atoms and DNA as bonds to design functional crystalline macroscopic materials, and enriching the repertoire of chemistry and material tools, and defining the modern age of nanotechnology.
His work has laid the groundwork for new fields in chemistry and materials science, offering new ways of thinking about chemically programming the formation of matter. Namely, through his complementary contact model, Mirkin has formulated fundamental design rules that permitted the construction of hundreds of different crystal types, spanning over 70 different crystal symmetries, including many that do not exist in nature, like quasicrystals. Such megalibraries can be used to rapidly design, synthesize, screen, and identify new nanoarchitectures with almost any desired chemical and/or physical property. His work is interdisciplinary and spans medical diagnostics and therapeutics area. His spherical nuclei acid is being deployed as the basis for various therapeutic lead structures in human clinical trials, offering life-improving treatments for many forms of cancers as well as other diseases with a known genetic basis.
The General Secretariat of King Faisal Prize commends the 2023 esteemed Laureates and offers its sincere gratitude to the distinguished members of the selection committees, the referees, and the experts of this year’s session for their highly valued contributions. The General Secretariat also extends its appreciation to all organizations and institutions that have graciously collaborated with it in submitting their nominations and the members of the media for their continued interest in the Prize’s activities.
May Allah look favorably on those devoting their time and effort in virtue to the betterment of humanity.
