Ijaz Kakakhel PO Photo Sh Arif Islamabad
Rich tributes were paid to Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said, former Governor of Sindh, a renowned Hakim (physician) of international repute, Chancellor of Hamdard University, President Hamdard Foundation Pakistan and Chairman Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan.
The speakers at a gathering to remember “Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said” said that he was a distinguished scholar and humanist. He was strictly a man of principles with extraordinary sense of time management. Hamdard Foundation Pakistan arranged the gathering. They said that he was a multifaceted personality. Hakim Said was born on 9th January 1920 in Delhi in pre-partition days during the British rule in the Sub-Continent. His father was associated with herbal medicine business and had established Hamdard Dawakhana in 1906 in Delhi, India.
Hakim Said got his early education in Delhi where he learnt Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and English and studies Holy Quran. At the age of 20, in 1940, he obtained the degree in Unani Medicine from Ayurvedic, and Unani Tibia College, Delhi. After completing his education he joined Hamdard and looked after the affairs of Hamdard’s herbal medicines business with his elder brother Hakim Abdul Hameed, they maintained. As a result of partition, he migrated from India to Pakistan in January 1948 along with his wife and daughter.
Speaking on the occasion Hakim Said daughter Sadia Rasheed said Hakim Said was a devout Muslim who would get up in middle of the night to offer prayers. He would recite the Quran and fast whenever he could. Yet, he did not impose his beliefs on others. “We used to go to all sort of parties,” she recalled.
As a chief gust, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said was an intellectual, inclusive and progressive thinking personality. According to him Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said has another ability to lesson and respect others. He said that Hakim Said’s institution played affective role against Covid-19 pandemic and even the world recognize it. The senator further said that knowledge, education and learning were the legacy of Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said. He assured the participants that he would act like a spokesperson in parliament for Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said’s institution of serving the humanity.
Director General Hamdard University Professor Abdul Hakim Manan said that services of Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said was so long that he was unable to explain in such a short time. He claimed that Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said made great contribution in the field of Tibb, herbal medicine manufacturing and many more. Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said was the first one who used modern machineries for manufacturing herbal medicines and standardize at international level.
Dr Zafar Iqbal from International Islamic University said that current development of Tibb was only due to the efforst of Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said, which he claimed that not only recognized in Pakistan but also abroad. It will not be wrong to call him as institution and Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said was also a big political leader. His vision about the country was unique and wanted to serve the humanity irrespective of religion, cast etc. Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said was preacher of dialogues over national issues through consensus.
President National Press Club Islamabad Anwar Raza thanks Humdard Foundation, who arranged such a valuable gathering to talk about Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said’s life and achievements
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr Asif Mehmood Jan said that Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said was a big personality, who spent his life for welfare of humanity.
Several others also praised the contribution of late Hakim Mohammed Said and his organization. They said that he had a number of friends in foreign countries particularly in Turkey, Germany, Kuwait, Iran and Lebanon. His frequent visits to the United States of America also enabled him to develop friendly relations with a number of scholars there.
He was a social reformer and committed to the cause of Pakistan and the young generation. Hakim Said’s life mission was to work. Once he had said that he had no work except to work. Hakim Said was a prolific writer, and wrote, edited and compiled over 200 books, journals in Urdu and English on Tibb, Medicine, Education, Islam and Pakistan.
Hakim Said participated in more than 100 International Conferences as a delegate from Pakistan. He was also associated with more than 30 Associations and Learned bodies, they maintained.
He was a multifaceted personality, a physician, author of books, and editor of journals, bibliophile, an organizer, an idealist, an innovator, educationist and above all a patriot of the highest order.
Hakeem Saeed founded Hamdard University in 1991. He made enormous contributions in the field of health, science, education and culture. He was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 2002, in recognition of his services. He died on October 17 in 1998.
