Najib al-Din Humayun (died 1595), commonly known as Hakim Humam or Hakim Hamam, was a physician (''hakim'') and an official in the service of the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. A native of Gilan in present-day Iran, he migrated to present-day India with his brothers because of

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

persecution. He held several positions in Akbar's service, and served as the Mughal ambassador to

Abdullah Khan II Abdullah Khan (''Abdollah Khan Ozbeg'') (1533/4–1598), known as "The old Khan (title), Khan", was an Uzbeks, Uzbek ruler of the Khanate of Bukhara (1500–1785). He was the last Shaybanid Dynasty, Shaybanid Khan of Bukhara from 1583 until his ...

Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...

Early life

Hakim Humam was a native of the Gilan region in present-day Iran. His father '' Mawlana'' 'Abdu'r Razzaq Gilani was a ''

sadr The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a p ...

'' known for drawing horoscopes. In 1566-1567, the

ruler Tahmasp I imprisoned Gilan's ruler Khan Ahmad Khan. During this period, 'Abdu'r Razzaq also imprisoned, and his sons migrated to the Mughal Empire in present-day India. ''Hakim'' Najib al-Din Humam entered the service of the Mughal emperor Akbar, along with his brothers: ''Hakim'' Abu'l-Fath Gilani and ''Hakim'' Nuru'd-Din Qarari, and ''Hakim'' Lutfullah Gilani. They were Shia Muslims.

In Akbar's service

Humam's real name was Humayun, but when he came to Akbar's court, he called himself Humayun Quli ("slave of Humayun") out of respect for Akbar's father Humayun. Later, he changed his name to ''Hakim'' Humam. Officially, Humam held the position of ''mir bakawal'' or ''bakawal begi'' (superintendent of the kitchen), and his performance in this role greatly impressed Akbar. However, he was also known as a calligrapher, connoisseur of poetry, scientist, doctor (''hakim''), and diplomat. Akbar appointed him to the board of authors of ''Tarikh-i Alfi'', a history of the first thousand years of Islam. Humam also held the military rank of '' mansabdar'' of 600 soldiers. Around 1588, Akbar sent Humam as an ambassador to

. The letter drafted by Abu'l-Fazl on behalf of Akbar introduces Humam as an "asylum of instruction and talent, cream of devoted loyalties, best of our confidants, the skilful Hakim Humam, who is a right-speaking and right-acting man".

Death and legacy

Humam died of tuberculosis on 30 October 1595, after two months of illness. According to Abu'l-Fazl, he "was endowed with a good countenance, was a jewel of purity, and a sweet-spoken man." Later sources count him among the Navaratnas or nine prominent courtiers of Akbar. He is buried at the

Tomb of the Hakims Hakim's Tomb ( ur, ; ''"Hakeemon ka Maqbara"'') is a 16th-century tomb located in the city of Hasan Abdal, Pakistan, across from the Gurdwara Panja Sahib. The tomb complex also includes the Tomb of Lala Rukh, traditionally attributed to a Mughal ...

in present-day Pakistan. Humam's elder son Kamal al-Din, born at

Fatehpur Sikri Fatehpur Sikri () is a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh, India. Situated 35.7 kilometres from the district headquarters of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar, serving th ...

and better known as ''Hakim'' Hadhiq, gained prominence as a poet and prose-writer. His other son, ''Hakim'' Khushhal, held the mansabdar rank of 6000 soldiers, and served as a ''bakhshi'' (military paymaster) and ''waqianawis''(court writer) in the Deccan region.

References

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External links

Portrait of Hakim Humam c.1615-20
Royal Collection Trust Mughal Empire people Indian Shia Muslims Unani practitioners Deaths from tuberculosis 1595 deaths People from Gilan Province