Hakim Habibur Rahman ( bn, হাকিম হাবিবুর রহমান, ur, حکیم حبیب الرحمان )
(23 March 188123 February 1947) was an ''
Unani
Unani or Yunani medicine (Urdu: ''tibb yūnānī'') is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The Indian Medical Association describes U ...
'' physician, litterateur, journalist, politician and
chronicle
A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...
r in early 20th-century
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
(now
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
).
Rahman was a close associate of Nawab Sir
Khwaja Salimullah
Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur (7 June 1871 – 16 January 1915) was the fourth Nawab of Dhaka and one of the leading Muslim politicians during the British rule in India. In 1906, the Muslim League was officially founded at the educationa ...
of the
Dhaka Nawab Family
The Nawab of Dhaka (Bengali: "ঢাকার নবাব"), originally spelt in English Nawab of Dacca, was the title of the head of largest Muslim zamindar in British Bengal and Assam, based in present-day Dhaka, Bangladesh. The title of ''na ...
. His two chronicles of Dhaka, ''Asudegan-e-Dhaka'' and ''Dhaka Panchas Baras Pahle'', remain important primary source material for researchers working on Dhaka. His wide collection of manuscripts, coins, weapons and artefacts is preserved at the
Dhaka University
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
Library as the ''Hakim Habibur Rahman Collection''. The Hakim Habibur Rahman Lane carries his name near his birthplace, the ''
Choto Katra
Chhota Katra ( bn, ছোট কাটারা; ''Small Katra'') is one of two Katras built during Mughal's regime in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was constructed in 1663 by Subahdar Shaista Khan. It is on Hakim Habibur Rahman lane on the bank of the B ...
'', a landmark in the old part of Dhaka.
Medical career
Habibur Rahman trained for 11 years in ''tibb'' (traditional medical practice) and the ''Unani'' system of medicine at
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
,
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
,
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 ...
and
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...
after completing his studies at Dhaka Madrasah. He established his own practice in 1904. In 1939 he was awarded the title of ''Shifaul Mulk'' for his contribution in the field of
Unani medicine
Unani or Yunani medicine (Urdu: ''tibb yūnānī'') is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The Indian Medical Association describes Un ...
by the
British government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
.
Social and political work
Habibur Rahman was a prominent leader of the
Khilafat Movement
The Khilafat Movement (1919–24), also known as the Caliphate movement or the Indian Muslim movement, was a pan-Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajma ...
in
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
. In the 1920s and '30s he performed as a major arbitrator for the
Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...
community of Dhaka, who were the traditional leaders of the
Panchayet
The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical menti ...
system of local government of Dhaka. He edited ''Al Mushriq'', an
Dhaka Museum, he donated 231 old coins, some of gold and silver, to the museum in 1936.
Tibbia Habibia College is the one of oldest medical colleges and the oldest Unani medical college in Bangladesh. This was not only a college, it was the pioneer of Unani medicine revolution in Bangladesh. Hakim Habibur Rahman is still remembered and respected for this establishment. Tibbia Habibia College has been producing Unani physician with the title DUMS (Diploma in Unani Medicine and Surgery). It has designed and formed a Unani medical college under Dhaka University which has been producing BUMS (
Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery
Bachelor of Eastern Medicine and Surgery (BEMS) or Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) is a bachelor's degree in Unani medicine and surgery awarded upon graduation from medical school by universities in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri La ...
) physician for the country.
Literary work
A notable Urdu journalist and writer in turn of the century Dhaka, Habibur Rahman wrote extensively, often under the ''takhallus'' (pen name) of Ahsan (meaning "mercy"). Apart from the celebrated ''Asudegan-e-Dhaka'' (1946) and ''Dhaka Panchas Baras Pahle'' (1949), his other major works include ''Al-Fariq'' (1904),
Socrates
Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
' biography ''Hayat-e-Sukrat'' (1904), ''Tazkiratul-Fujala'' and ''Masajid-e-Dhaka''. He collected all the
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 ...
and Urdu books written in Bengal for more than 40 years and published a catalogue titled ''Sulasa Ghusala''. He compiled the correspondence of
Mirza Ghalib
)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy
, death_date =
, death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India
, occupation = Poet
, language ...
and Khwaja Haider Jan Shayek, a 19th-century Urdu poet from Dhaka, in ''Inshaye Shayek''. He was the founder secretary of ''Anjuman-e-Urdu'', an organisation established to provide a forum for Urdu in East Bengal and
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
.
Hakim Habibur Rahman Foundation
The Hakim Habibur Rahman Foundation was established in 1994 in his memory. The scope of the foundation includes research on and promotion of
herbal
A herbal is a book containing the names and descriptions of plants, usually with information on their medicinal, tonic, culinary, toxic, hallucinatory, aromatic, or magical powers, and the legends associated with them.Arber, p. 14. A herbal m ...
and Unani medicine, establishment of charitable institutions on traditional medical studies and exchange of knowledge, awards of merit, organisation of seminars and symposia, and promotion of Rahman's social and intellectual ideals.
Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman
Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman is an Indian scholar of Unani medicine. He founded Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences in 2000. He had earlier served as Professor and chairman, Department of Ilmul Advia at the Ajmal Khan Tibbiya Colleg ...
from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
is one of the recipients of the Foundation 'awards of merit' in 1996.