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Hakim Muhammad Said was a prominent and world acclaimed medical researcher, scholar, philanthropist,writer and a former Governor of Sindh Province of Pakistan from 1993 until 1996. Said was Pakistan's one of the renowned and top medical researcher in the field of eastern medicines who established the Hamdard Foundation in 1948, prior to his settlement inWest-Pakistan.
Within few years, the herbal medical products of Hamdard Foundation became household names. Hakim Muhammad Said authored and compiled about 200 books in medicines,philosophy, science, health, religion, natural medicine, literary, social, and travelogues.On October 17 in 1998, Said was assassinated by the group of unknown assailant while he was on his way to attend a medical experiment at the Hamdard Laboratories.
Hakim Muhammad Said was born in New Delhi, British Indian Empire in 1922 to an educated and religious Urdu-speaking class. His forefathers and family had been associated with herbal medicine business, and had established the Hamdard Waqf Laboratories which, as of today has emerged into one of the largest manufacturer of Unani medicines in the world. Said attended the local school where he learned Arabic, Persian,Urdu, English and studied the Holy Quran. At age 18, Hakim passed the university entrance test and went on to attend the University of Delhi in 1938. At there, Said obtained BPharm and B.S. in Medicinal chemistry in 1942. After his undergraduate degrees, Said joined the Hamdard Waqf Laboratories as a junior researcher and took participation in quality control herbal while formulating the formulas for the medicines. In 1945, Said attended the post-graduate course, and obtained MPharm in Pharmacy from the same institution. Following the Partition and establishment of Pakistan, Said left his hometown with him wife and a daughter via airline route. The family settled in Karachi, Sindh Province of West-Pakistan. He established the Hamdard Laboratories and served its first director until his death in 1998. In 1952, Said traveled to Turkey where he attended theAnkara University where he was awarded Ph.D in Pharmacy and returned to Pakistan to devote his life for the medicine research.
In 1985, Hakim Muhammad Said founded and established
Hamdard University where he served its first Vice-Chancellor and professor as well. The establishment of a university which could enliven the intellectual tradition of the educational institutions of the golden era of Muslim civilization had always been his most cherished dream. In fact it was the central point towards which all his endeavors were directed. The actual appearance of the university was just the culmination of a long dedicated and continued effort spanning his whole life.
Hakim Muhammad Said (1920–1998) was a man of vision and was endowed with many virtues. 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. He sacrificed his life in the service of the nation. In a life span of 78 years he made enormous contributions in the field of health, science, education and culture, which has left an imprint on the course of history for generations to follow.
He was strictly a man of principles with extraordinary sense of time management. The guidance he gave showed that he was an extraordinary genius, born to guide and lead the people. Although the assassin's bullets extinguished and silenced the noble soul on October 17, 1998, the light of his spirit lives on to inspire and encourage others to follow his mission. Lest we forget what is owed to this remarkable personality, an institution under the name of "IDARA-E-SAID" has been set up in one of his most ambitious projects - Madinat-al-Hikmah - city of education science and culture whose doors are ever open for the seekers of knowledge. The library, housed in Madinat-al-Hikmah is undoubtedly one of the finest seats of learning east of Suez, for scholars and researchers to drink deep from the fountains of learning.
The crowning activity of his life is the establishment of Madinat-al-Hikmah. It comprises Hamdard University with such institutes as Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry, Hamdard Al-Majeed College of Eastern Medicine, Hafiz Muhammad Ilyas Institute of Herbal Sciences, Hamdard Institute of Education & Social Sciences, Hamdard Institute of Management Sciences, Hamdard Institute of Information Technology, Hamdard School of Law, Faculty of Engineering Science & Technology, Hamdard Public School and Hamdard Village School. . Bait-al-Hikmah (the Library) is also a constituent part of Madinat-al-Hikmah. This is one of the biggest and well-stocked libraries of Pakistan.
Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Said wrote, edited or compiled over 200 books and journals in Urdu and English on Islam, Education, Pakistan, Science, Medicine and Health. Besides writing travelogues of countries he visited, he also wrote books especially for youth and children. He also edited some journals such as Hamdard Islamicus, Hamdard Medicus, Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society “Historicus”, Hamdard Sehat and Hamdard Naunehal. For several years he was also editor of "PAYAMI"- Urdu edition of UNESCO'S journal "Courier". Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Said participated in various international conferences on medicine, science, education and culture and traveled widely to many countries of the world. While in Pakistan he himself organized numerous international and national conferences on topics of prime importance.
In order to preserve his works, a Research and Documentation Center by the name of Idara-e-Said has been set up. It is a joint venture of Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan; Hamdard University; and Hamdard Foundation Pakistan. Idara-e-Said will project and focus the life and works of Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Said, most particularly in the field of science, education and research, medicine and health care. The project is aimed at collection of Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Said speeches, writings (both published and un-published), personal memorabilia, photographs and artifacts. After the collection of materials related to his life and works, all records will be preserved and displayed in a scientifically arranged and properly managed museum. Hakim Muhammad Said Archives / Museum is being set up at Madinat-al-Hikmah.
Idara-e-Said will also initiate research projects leading to the award of post graduate (M.Phil. & PhD) degrees on the contribution of Hakim Muhammad Said to Islam, education, medicine, sciences & culture. Idara-e-Said will also patronize publications of literature and books written by different authors on the life of Hakim Muhammad Said, his personality, leadership and his endeavors for the propagation and promotion of education and learning. It is a matter of great pleasure that first M.Phil degree on the life and works of Hakim Muhammad Said Shaheed was awarded to Mr. Javed Swati in Hamdard University convocation 2002. His topic of research was “Education Ideas & Perceptions of Hakim Muhammad Said”. Two students are doing PhD from University of Punjab and Sindh University. Some more scholars are doing M.Phil and Ph.D’s from other universities of Pakistan. A Web Site about Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Said has also been developed.
He was prolific writer, having a large number of books and articles to his credit. He edited many research journals and periodicals on medicine, history and Islam. Hakim Muhammad Said also created two very widely attended national forums: Hamdard Shura (for leaders of public opinion) and Naunehal Assembly (for children). He attended and read papers at numerous conferences all over the world and organized a number of international conferences for the promotion of science in Pakistan in collaboration with national and international organizations including UNESCO and WHO. He also held important offices and memberships of dozens of national and international organizations related to education and health care, the fields to which his contributions are universally acknowledged.
He also attended around 100 International Conferences as a delegate from Pakistan. He was associated with more than 30 international associations and learned bodies. He also launched two world-class journals, Hamdard Medicus and Hamdard Islamicus. Hamdard-e-Sehat, which was already being published under his editorship since 1940, also appeared from Karachi in 1948. To get the young ones involved in good literature and to inculcate a healthy reading habit among them, he launched a magazine, Hamdard Naunehal; and established a separate division, Naunehal Adab, for producing quality books for children.
Hakim Muhammad Said was murdered on October 17, 1998.
Late Hakim Muhammad Said leaves behind a daughter, Sadia Rashid, who is heading the Hamdard Foundation and the Hamdard Lab. (Waqf) in Pakistan and three grand-daughters. Dr. Mahenemah Munir Ahmed, Amena Mian ( who is married and settled in USA with four children ) and Fatema-Tuz-Zahra Munir Ahmed who has joined her mother and is currently running things at Hamdard.
Source : Wikipedia
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