Karachi (HRNW)- Hamdard University’s former vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Hakim Abdul Hannan, recalled that although Hakim Mohammed Said drew inspiration from historic Muslim institutions such as Cairo’s Jamia al-Azhar and Baghdad’s original Bait al-Hikmah, he ultimately established an entire city of knowledge and culture: Madinat al-Hikmah.
Prof Abdul Hannan was speaking at a special ceremony held on Tuesday to mark the 105th birth anniversary of Hakim Said, the university’s founder. Hundreds of faculty members, staff, and students were present on the occasion, including Chancellor Ms Sadia Rashid.
Prof Hannan pointed out that Madinat al-Hikmah was never intended as a profit-making venture, but rather as a project providing a rich learning environment for children, teenagers, and young adults.
“Money was not an issue for Hakim Sahib,” he said. “That is why Madinat al-Hikmah includes a school for underprivileged local children, an institution of higher education, and a Scholars’ House where philosophers and educationists can reside and conduct research.”
Director of Bait al-Hikmah Library, Prof Malahat Kaleem Sherwani, noted that Hakim Said disapproved of the Western educational system, viewing it as flawed and in need of reform — particularly for its indifference to religion and lack of proper upbringing and training (tarbiyat).
She quoted Shaheed Hakim Said from an interview in which he described the system as “a conspiracy against the Islamic way of learning — and way of life itself.” Hakim Said had observed that the enemy had targeted both the education and health of Muslims.
“Education is health, and health is education,” he remarked, adding that without proper education, a society’s health could never improve.
Dr Adnan Anwar, an alumnus of nearby Hamdard Public School and now a lecturer at Hamdard University, fondly recalled the founder’s qualities. He said Hakim Said had urged school students to become good human beings alongside aspiring to careers as doctors or engineers.
Hamdard University’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Imran Amin, said Hakim Said profoundly influenced all students he met directly. He noted that Generation Z students possess energy and intelligence but require proper direction — something only the thoughts and actions of figures like Shaheed Hakim Said can provide.
Mansoor Moattar Siddiqui, who skilfully conducted the memorial proceedings, highlighted that Hakim Said had personally treated millions of patients free of cost during his lifetime.
Later, the university’s Chancellor and President of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan, Ms Sadia Rashid, presented souvenirs to the speakers in the presence of Prof Dr Imran Amin.
