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 was a distinguished scholar and humanist. He was strictly a man of principles with extraordinary sense of time management.
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.
As a result of partition, he migrated from India to Pakistan in January 1948 along with his wife and daughter. Before migrating to Pakistan his teacher Maulana Kazi Sajjad Hussain told his brother Hakeem Abdul Hameed that let Hakim Said migrate of Pakistan, he will come back after facing difficulties. But Hakim Said did not go back, faced all the problems and achieved most of his goals, he set after his migration. Hakim Said rented a room for Rs 12 a month where he started the practice of Tibb.
After practicing Tibb for a few years, Hakim Said established Hamdard Dawakhana and started manufacturing herbal medicines. Hakim Mohammed Said's hope for a bright future was the young generation of Pakistan. His mission was to provide them proper education so that they should be a true embodiment of the dreams and vision of Quaid-e-Azam, the Founder of Pakistan.
Hakim Mohammed Said was one of the greatest travellers of the world and travelled millions of miles throughout the world. Most of the journeys were in connection with Tibb and the healing process. He also wrote the account of his journeys and his travelogues were published. 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.
(The writer is HEC Eminent Scholar and former Director Quaid-e-Azam Academy Karachi. Email: [email protected]
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