Hakeem Muhammad Saeed ( ur, ; 9 January 1920 – 17 October 1998) was a Pakistani

medical researcher Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...

, scholar and philanthropist. He served as

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Sindh Province from 1993 until 1994. Saeed was one of Pakistan's most prominent medical researchers in the field of Eastern medicines. He established the

Hamdard Foundation Hamdard Pakistan, () is a Pakistani unani medicine company which is based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was established by Hakim Said as Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) in 1948. History Hakim Abdul Majeed (1883 – 1922) founded an organization ca ...

in 1948, prior to his settlement in

West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was d ...

. In the next few years, the herbal medical products of the Hamdard Foundation became household names in Pakistan. Hakeem Muhammad Saeed authored and compiled about 200 books in medicine, philosophy, science, health, religion, natural medicine, literary, social and travelogues. In 1981, Saeed became one of the founding member of the World Cultural Council, a non-profit international organization, based in Mexico. On 17 October 1998, Hakeem Saeed was assassinated by a group of unknown assailants while he was on his way to attend a medical experiment at the Hamdard Laboratories in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

. His killing prompted

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...

to impose direct federal rule over the Sindh province.

Early life and career

Hakeem Muhammad Said was born in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, British Indian Empire in 1920 to an educated and religious Urdu-speaking Muhajir class family. His ancestors came from

Kashgar Kashgar ( ug, قەشقەر, Qeshqer) or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is an oasis city in the Tarim Basin region of Southern Xinjiang. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan ...

(now Kashi, Xinjiang, China) to the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, in the reign of the Mughal emperor,

Shah Alam Shah Alam () is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in ...

. They first stayed at

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

for about eighteen years, then moved to

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

and lastly settled down at

. His forefathers and family had been associated with the herbal medicine business and had established the Hamdard Waqf Laboratories in India before 1947, which today has emerged as one of the largest manufacturers of Unani medicines in the world. Saeed attended the local school where he learned

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

. At age 18, Hakeem went on to attend the

University of Delhi Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE) ...

in 1938. There, Saeed obtained a B.Pharmacy degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in medicinal chemistry in 1942. After his undergraduate education, Saeed joined Hamdard Waqf Laboratories as a junior researcher and participated in herbal quality control while formulating medicines. In 1945, Saeed attended the post-graduate course and obtained a master's degree in pharmacy from the same institution. Before 1947, Hakeem Saeed was also involved in the Pakistan Movement activities. After the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1947, Saeed left his hometown with his wife and only daughter. The family settled in

, Sindh Province of

. He established Hamdard Laboratories and served as its first director until his death in 1998. In 1952, Saeed travelled to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

where he attended the

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

and was awarded a PhD degree in Pharmacy, then returned to Pakistan to devote his life to medicine research.

Scholarship

Following his settlement in Pakistan, Saeed began practicing medicine and continued to research in Eastern medicine.Dawn Having established the Hamdard Laboratories in 1948, Saeed was one of the driving forces in Pakistan for engaging in the research in medical biology and medicine. In 1953, after his doctorate degree, Saeed joined the Sindh University as the associate professor of pharmacy and taught courses in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

. In 1963, Saeed resigned from his position because of differences with the Federal government. In 1964, Saeed came into public limelight when he gave rogue criticism to

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Wajid Ali Khan Burki Lieutenant-General Wajid Ali Khan Burki (28 October 1900 – 17 January 1989) CBE, was a high-profile Pakistani military official who served as Minister-in-Charge of the Ministry of Health under the military government of Field Marshal A ...

, then-''Surgeon General (Pakistan)'' of

Army Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are examples of medica ...

who was a high-profile officer leading the then Ministry of Health under the government of Field Marshal

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

. Saeed criticized the General, saying, "General ajidBurki used to say that Eastern medicine and homeopathy were quackery". Saeed began to write articles, organized conferences and lobbied hard for the Eastern medicine and Ayub Khan had to pass a law legalizing Eastern medicine, due to a fear of his government losing credibility among the people. In 1985, Hakeem Mohammed Saeed founded Hamdard University, where he served as its first Vice-Chancellor and as a professor. The crowning activity of his life is the establishment of ''Madinat-al-Hikmah'' campus in Karachi. 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 best-stocked libraries of Pakistan. Saeed 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-e-Sehat ''Hamdard-e-Sehat'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani Urdu health journal founded by Hakeem Abdul Hameed in 1931 in Delhi. Later in 1940, his younger brother Hakeem Muhammad Saeed became its editor. When Hakeem Saeed migrated to Pakistan in 1948, he publis ...

'' and ''

Hamdard Naunehal ''Hamdard Naunehal'' ( ur, ہمدرد نونہال) is a Pakistani kids bilingual (Urdu and English) monthly magazine. first published by Hakim Said of Hamdard Laboratories, under the editorship of Masood Ahmed Barkati, in 1953. This magazine ...

''. For several years he was also the editor of ''Payami'', the Urdu edition of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

'S journal ''Courier''. Saeed participated in various international conferences on medicine, science, education and culture and travelled widely to many countries of the world. While in Pakistan, he organized numerous international and national conferences on topics of prime importance. Saeed created two widely attended national forums: ''Hamdard Shura'' (for leaders of public opinion) and ''Naunehal Assembly'' (for children). He held offices and memberships in dozens of national and international organizations related to education and healthcare. He launched two 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. He launched a magazine for young readers, ''

'' and established a separate division, Naunehal Adab, for producing quality books for children. Saeed was an exponent of

Eastern medicine Traditional Asian medicine is a collective term for several types of traditional medicine practiced in Asia. These include the medical traditions of: * East Asia ** China *** Tibet ** Japan (Kampo) ** Korea ** Mongolia * Southeast Asia ** Cambo ...

who had treated patients from all over the world including Pakistan, Europe, Africa and the Middle East by the time of his death in October 1998. He helped get

alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

recognized by the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO). After a fifty-year career as a practitioner of Greco-Arab medicine, he was posthumously awarded the

Nishan-e-Imtiaz The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (; ) is one of the state organized Civil decorations of Pakistan, civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the awa ...

by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

in 2002.

Books written

Islamic-related

#Religion, Islamic Studies, Islamic Law, Education and Literature (in English) #Nuristan (Radio speeches on Quran-e-Hakim & our lives) (Published in 1987) #The Employer And the Employee: Islamic Concept (Published in 1972) #Islamic Concept of State (Published in 1983) #Essays on Islam (Four Volumes) (Published between 1992-1998) #Voice of Morality (Published in 1985) #Man—The World—Peace #Main Currents of Contemporary Thought In Pakistan (2 Volumes), History & Biography (in English) (Published in 1973) #Al-Biruni: His Time, Life And Works, Co-author: Dr. Ansar Zahid Khan (Published in 1981) #Personalities Noble (Published in 1983) #Road To Pakistan, Co-authors: Dr. Moin-ul-Haq, Prof. Sharif-ul-Mujahid, Dr. Ansar Zahid Khan (Published in 1990)

Medicine & History of Medicine

#Al-Biruni's Book on Pharmacist And Material to Medica (Published in 1973) #Diseases of Liver: Greco-Arab Concepts (Published in 1982) #Cardiovascular Diseases: Greco-Arab Concepts (Published in 1983) #Hamdard Pharmacopoeia of Eastern Medicine (Published in 1969) #Oral Health (Published in 1994) #Medicine In China (Published in 1965 Hakeem Mohammad saeed #Pharmacy and Medicine Thru The Ages (Published in 1969) #Traditional Greco-Arab And Modern Western Medicine: Conflict and Symbiosis (Published in 1975) #Pakistan Encyclopedia Planta Medica (2 Volumes), Co-authors: Dr. Viqar Uddin Ahmed & Dr. Atta-Ur-Rahman (Published in 1986) #Medicinal Herbal (2 volumes) Published in 1996 Background of Unani, Arabic & Islamic Medicine & Pharmacy (Published in 1997) #Ethics For Medics (Published in 1997)

Children's Literature

#Love and Peace (Published in 1990) #Dostan (4 parts) Published in 1991 #Let Us Talk Health (Published in 1989) #Peace Primer, Co-author F.A. Anvery (Published in 1991) #The Best of Goodness (Published in 1991) #The Greatest Man (Published in 1991) #A Primer of Health for Children of the World (Published in 1993) #A World without Polio –Children's thematic Poster Competition (Published in 1996)

Personal life

In 1945, he married his cousin Naimat Begum in Delhi. They had one daughter,

Sadia Rashid Sadia Rashid (born 1946) is a Pakistani educationist who is the current president of Hamdard Pakistan, chancellor of the Hamdard University and president of the Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association (PJCA). Early life She was born in 1946 in Sita ...

. He was the younger brother of the

Hakim Abdul Hameed Hakim Abdul Hameed ( ur, ; 1908 - 1999) was an Indian physician of the traditional medicine system of Unani, the founder chancellor of Jamia Hamdard, and a former chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. His ancestors came from Kashgar (now ...

Death and investigation

Saeed was murdered on 17 October 1998 in

, Aram Bagh. His murderers were caught by DIG Farooq Amin Qureshi, CCPO Karachi at that time. Qureshi was highly appreciated and is one of the most renowned police officers of Pakistan to this day. Several persons were arrested and subsequently sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court. On 26 April 2014, The Supreme Court upheld the verdict of

Sindh High Court The High Court of Sindh ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest Court of Appeal for Sindh in ...

(SHC) regarding acquittal of

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement (abbreviated MQM) is a name currently claimed by two competing Pakistani political factions: * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London, a political faction managed from the UK * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan Muttah ...

(MQM) workers in Hakeem Saeed murder case. In 2001, an anti-terrorism appellate bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan had acquitted all nine people accused of murdering famous philanthropist and physician Hakeem Saeed in 1998. The verdict was challenged by the then provincial government. MQM workers, Mohammed Amirullah, Mohammed Shakir alias Shakir Langra and Abu Imran Pasha, were among those acquitted by the court.

Legacy, awards and recognition

* Kuwait Prize for Tibb-i-Islami (Eastern medicine) in 1983 * Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Death anniversary of Hakim Said observed in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2015
The Nation (newspaper), Published 17 October 2015, Retrieved 24 August 2019 * Many prominent personalities of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

gathered at the Hamdard Center on his death anniversary in 2011, to pay tributes to him. Hakeem Saeed was portrayed as someone who had a multi-dimensional personality, a patriot of the highest order, and who is a role model for the youth as he set worthwhile examples of hard work, honesty and love for humanity.Tributes paid to Hakim Said on his death anniversary in 2011
The Nation (newspaper), Published 3 November 2011, Retrieved 24 August 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Said, Hakim 1920 births 1998 deaths Governors of Sindh Founding members of the World Cultural Council Herbalists Muhajir people Pakistani philanthropists Pakistani homeopaths Pakistani humanitarians Pakistani medical researchers Pakistani medical writers Pakistani pharmacists Pakistani pharmacologists Pakistani travel writers Founders of academic institutions Pakistani book and manuscript collectors Vice-Chancellors of the Hamdard University Bibliophiles Writers from Karachi Businesspeople from Karachi Hamdard University faculty Pakistan Movement activists People murdered in Karachi Founders of Pakistani schools and colleges Pakistani diarists Pakistani people of Uyghur descent Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Urdu-language children's writers 20th-century diarists Scientists from Delhi