**Biografi Sedek bin Ariffin** Sedek bin Ariffin dilahirkan pada 20 Februari 1977 di Bagan Datoh, Perak, Malaysia. Beliau memulakan pendidikan awal Al-Quran dalam lingkungan keluarganya. Pada peringkat sekolah menengah, beliau menuntut di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Slim River, sebelum melanjutkan pelajaran ke peringkat Diploma Tahfiz Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat di Darul Quran JAKIM pada tahun 1998. Di Darul Quran, beliau dianugerahkan gelaran Hafiz Al-Quran dan telah mewakili Malaysia dalam pertandingan menghafaz Al-Quran di peringkat antarabangsa yang diadakan di Mekah al-Mukarramah. Setelah itu, beliau melanjutkan pengajian dalam bidang Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat di Ma’had Qiraat Al-Azhar, Mesir, pada tahun 2002, diikuti dengan pengajian dalam bidang bahasa Arab di Universiti Umm Al-Qura, Makkah al-Mukarramah. Pada tahun 2005, beliau kembali ke Malaysia untuk menyambung pengajian ke peringkat Sarjana pada tahun 2008 dan seterusnya ke peringkat Doktor Falsafah pada tahun 2011 di Universiti Malaya. Beliau pernah berkhidmat sebagai pensyarah sambilan di Darul Quran JAKIM sebelum memulakan kerjaya di Universiti Malaya pada tahun 2009. Kini, beliau menjawat jawatan sebagai Profesor Madya di Jabatan Al-Quran dan Al-Hadith, Akademi Pengajian Islam Universiti Malaya. Kepakaran beliau terletak dalam bidang hafazan Al-Quran dan Al-Qiraat. Di samping itu, beliau aktif dalam penulisan akademik mengenai hafazan Al-Quran, dengan banyak kertas kerja dibentangkan di pelbagai persidangan dan seminar di negara-negara seperti Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, China, Turki, Iraq, Poland, dan United Kingdom. Beliau juga merupakan penulis beberapa buku, termasuk "Metodologi Hafazan Al-Quran," "Modul-modul Hafazan Al-Quran," "Ikhtiyar Dalam Ilmu Qiraat," dan "Pengantar Ilmu Qiraat," yang diterbitkan oleh Penerbit Universiti Malaya. Sejak menyertai Universiti Malaya, beliau telah menyelia lebih 50 pelajar di peringkat Sarjana dan Doktor Falsafah, serta berperanan sebagai pemeriksa dan penilai tesis di institusi pengajian tinggi awam dan swasta di seluruh Malaysia. Pada tahun 2014, beliau terpilih sebagai felo penyelidik di Universiti Warsaw, Poland, di bawah tajaan EC Erasmus. Pada tahun 2017, beliau menjadi pensyarah jemputan di Sakarya Universiti, Turki, di bawah tajaan program Mevlana. Beliau juga telah dianugerahkan cuti sabatikal oleh Universiti Malaya pada tahun 2019 dan 2024 untuk melaksanakan penyelidikan dalam bidang hafazan Al-Quran dan ilmu Qiraat. Selain itu, beliau aktif dalam bidang pentashihan Al-Quran sebagai Setiausaha Lajnah Tasheh Al-Quran, Kementerian Dalam Negeri, sejak tahun 2013 hingga kini. Beliau juga turut menyumbang kepakaran dalam bidang ibadah haji dengan berperanan sebagai Guru Pembimbing Ibadah Haji di PEKTA Tabung Haji Malaysia, serta aktif dalam menyampaikan syarahan mengenai ibadah Haji dan Umrah. **Biography of Sedek bin Ariffin** Sedek bin Ariffin was born on February 20, 1977, in Bagan Datoh, Perak, Malaysia. He began his early Quranic education within his family. During his secondary education, he attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Slim River, before pursuing a Diploma in Tahfiz Al-Quran and Al-Qiraat at Darul Quran JAKIM in 1998. At Darul Quran, he was honored with the title of Hafiz Al-Quran and represented Malaysia in an international Quran memorization competition held in Mecca al-Mukarramah. Subsequently, he continued his studies in Quran and Qiraat at Ma’had Qiraat Al-Azhar, Egypt, in 2002, followed by studies in Arabic language at Umm Al-Qura University in Mecca al-Mukarramah. In 2005, he returned to Malaysia to pursue a Master's degree, which he completed in 2008, and later obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 2011 from Universiti Malaya. He served as a part-time lecturer at Darul Quran JAKIM before commencing his career at Universiti Malaya in 2009. Currently, he holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Al-Quran and Al-Hadith at the Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya. His expertise lies in the fields of Quran memorization and Qiraat. In addition to his teaching, he is actively involved in academic writing related to Quran memorization, having presented numerous research papers at various conferences and seminars in countries such as Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Turkey, Iraq, Poland, and the United Kingdom. He is also the author of several books, including "Metodologi Hafazan Al-Quran," "Modul-modul Hafazan Al-Quran," "Ikhtiyar Dalam Ilmu Qiraat," and "Pengantar Ilmu Qiraat," published by the University of Malaya Press. Since joining Universiti Malaya, he has supervised over 50 students at the Master's and Doctoral levels and has served as an examiner and assessor for theses at public and private higher education institutions throughout Malaysia. In 2014, he was selected as a research fellow at the University of Warsaw, Poland, under the EC Erasmus sponsorship. In 2017, he served as a visiting lecturer at Sakarya University, Turkey, under the Mevlana program. He has also been awarded sabbatical leaves by Universiti Malaya in 2019 and 2024 to conduct research in the fields of Quran memorization and Qiraat. Furthermore, he is actively involved in Quranic verification as the Secretary of the Lajnah Tasheh Al-Quran at the Ministry of Home Affairs since 2013. He also contributes his expertise in the field of Hajj rituals as a Hajj Guiding Teacher at PEKTA Tabung Haji Malaysia and is actively engaged in delivering lectures on Hajj and Umrah.  **سيرة ذاتية صديق بن عارفين** وُلِد صديق بن عارفين في ۲٠ فبراير ۱٩٧٧ في باغان داتو، بيراك، ماليزيا. تلقى تعليمه القرآني المبكر في كنف أسرته، حيث بدأ في حفظ القرآن منذ نعومة أظفاره. أثناء دراسته الثانوية، التحق بمدرسة الثانوية الوطنية الدينية سليم ريفر، ثم واصل مسيرته الأكاديمية ليحصل على دبلوم في حفظ القرآن والقراءات من دار القرآن جاكيم في عام ۱٩٩٨. وفي سياق ذلك، حظي بلقب حافظ القرآن وشارك بفاعلية في مسابقة دولية لحفظ القرآن الكريم التي أُقيمت في مكة المكرمة. لاحقاً، واصل دراساته في مجال القرآن والقراءات في معهد قراءات الأزهر في مصر عام ۲٠٠۲، ثم درس اللغة العربية في جامعة أم القرى بمكة المكرمة. في عام ۲٠٠٥، عاد إلى ماليزيا لاستكمال دراسته العليا، حيث حصل على درجة الماجستير في عام ۲٠٠٨، وتبعها الحصول على درجة الدكتوراه في عام ۲٠۱۱ من جامعة مالايا. عمل كأستاذ محاضر جزئي في دار القرآن جاكيم قبل أن يبدأ مسيرته الأكاديمية في جامعة مالايا في عام ۲٠٠٩. حالياً، يشغل منصب أستاذ مشارك في قسم القرآن والحديث بأكاديمية الدراسات الإسلامية بجامعة مالايا، حيث تتركز خبرته في مجالات حفظ القرآن والقراءات. إلى جانب نشاطه التدريسي، يساهم بنشاط في الكتابة الأكاديمية المتعلقة بحفظ القرآن، حيث قدم مجموعة من الأبحاث في مؤتمرات وندوات دولية في بلدان مثل إندونيسيا، بروناي، تايلاند، فيتنام، كوريا الجنوبية، الصين، تركيا، العراق، بولندا، والمملكة المتحدة. كما أنه مؤلف لعدد من الكتب، منها "منهجية حفظ القرآن"، "وحدات حفظ القرآن"، "الاختيار في علم القراءات"، و"مدخل إلى علم القراءات"، التي صدرت عن دار جامعة مالايا. منذ انضمامه إلى جامعة مالايا، أشرف على أكثر من ٥٠ طالباً على مستوى الماجستير والدكتوراه، بالإضافة إلى عمله كممتحن ومقيم للأطروحات في مؤسسات التعليم العالي العامة والخاصة في جميع أنحاء ماليزيا. في عام ۲٠۱٤، تم اختياره كزميل بحث في جامعة وارسو، بولندا، تحت رعاية برنامج إيراسموس EC. وفي عام ۲٠۱٧، عمل كأستاذ زائر في جامعة ساكاريا، تركيا، ضمن برنامج ميفلانا. كما مُنح إجازات تفرغ علمي من جامعة مالايا في عامي ۲٠۱٩ و۲٠۲٤ لإجراء أبحاث متعمقة في مجالات حفظ القرآن والقراءات. علاوة على ذلك، يشارك بنشاط في التحقق من القرآن بوصفه أمين سر لجنة تصحيح القرآن في وزارة الداخلية منذ عام ۲٠۱٣. ويُسهم كذلك بخبرته في مجال مناسك الحج كمدرب للحج في PEKTA صندوق الحج الماليزي، حيث يُشارك بفاعلية في تقديم المحاضرات المتعلقة بالحج والعمرة.

I am an associate professor at the Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya. Much of my research focuses on the psychological and emotional dimensions of learning additional languages. My broader academic interests include quantitative methods in applied linguistics and natural language processing. I am also increasingly interested in the study of the human sensorium—particularly how sensory perceptions, such as olfaction, intersect with language, cognition, and emotion. In my research on language learning, one of the directions I pursue is exploring how language learners perceive and imagine the cultures of their target language communities. This interest led to the publication of my book, Stereotypes and Language Learning Motivation: A Study of L2 Learners of Asian Languages (Routledge, 2020). I actively engage with theoretical perspectives and seek innovative methodologies that help explain the psychological phenomena involved in learning a new language. This line of inquiry resulted in my most recent book, Emotions and Affect in Language Learning: A Photovoice Study of Learning in Lockdown (Routledge, 2025). In this work, Lev Vygotsky’s concept of perezhivanie provides the theoretical grounding for exploring language learners’ lived experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. My work has appeared in journals such as Applied Linguistics, Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, System, and Journal of English for Academic Purposes. I welcome opportunities for collaboration with researchers working in related areas.

Dr. Nazhatulshima Ahmad is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, where she has been a member of the academic staff since 1999. She received her BSc in Physics (1998), MSc in Astronomy (2003), and PhD in Physics (2013) from the University of Malaya. Her doctoral research, entitled “The Characteristics of Be Stars in the Delta Scorpii System,” focused on the variability and physical properties of emission-line stars. Dr. Nazhatulshima has played an important role in the development of observational astronomy at the University of Malaya, contributing to the establishment and growth of research activities in optical astronomy. She currently leads the Optical Astronomy Research Laboratory, where she coordinates observational programs, research projects, and collaborative activities related to stellar astrophysics and small-body studies. Her research focuses on emission-line stars, particularly Be stars and short-period eclipsing binaries, with an emphasis on photometric and spectroscopic variability. In addition, she is actively involved in the observation and monitoring of asteroids and Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), including astrometric observations and orbital analysis to support planetary defence initiatives. Dr. Nazhatulshima also conducts studies on light pollution and its impact on astronomical observations, with the aim of improving observational site quality and protecting dark skies for scientific research. Beyond her astrophysical research, she collaborates with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) on astronomical applications relevant to the Muslim community. These include observational and computational studies on crescent moon visibility for the Islamic months of Ramadan, Shawwal, and Zulhijjah, as well as investigations into the astronomical determination of Isha’ and Fajr prayer times. Through her work, Dr. Nazhatulshima continues to contribute to the advancement of observational astronomy in Malaysia while fostering collaborations that integrate scientific research with societal and cultural applications. Area of Expertise Astronomy and Astrophysics: Spectroscopy of emission line stars; binary stars; asteroid; observation and imaging techniques in optical wavelengths; spectroscopy, photometry and astrometry techniques; crescent moon; almanac