Professor Dr. Hamidullah: A Great Silent Scholar
By Dr. A. Khan
Chicago , IL
February 19, 2009 marks the 101 st anniversary of birth of Professor Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah, a great Islamic scholar, a trusted friend of Pakistan, and one of the last free citizens of the State of Hyderabad Deccan.
Dr Hamidullah lived a remarkable life dedicated to scholarship and service to Islam. He belonged to the rare breed of scholars and intellectuals who focus on scholarship and strive for serving humanity without seeking any recognition in return. His portfolio of scholarship included a doctorate from the Bonn University and a PhD in literature from the Sorbonne University. He translated the Holy Qur’an into French, English and German, and wrote more than 170 books in 24 languages, and more than 1,000 articles on a wide spectrum of topics and issues. Dr. Hamidullah also provided frequent help and advice to Dr. Annemarie Schimmel, the well-known German scholar and orientalist, on various research projects.
Dr Hamidullah is recognized as the most authoritative scholar who carried out extensive research on Islamic international and constitutional law. His most popular works are: Muslim Conduct of State, Introduction to Islam, and The First Written Constitution.
These books have become very popular and have been translated into almost every major language of the world. One of his major scholarly contributions was the publication of the collection of ahadith by Sahifa Hammam bin Munabbah, a student of Hazrat Abu Huraira (RA), a prominent companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
In the early 1950s, Dr Hamidullah was invited by the government of Pakistan to draft the first Islamic constitution for the country. He started the work but later resigned because of difference of opinion with vested interests, and returned to Paris where he conducted his scholarly activities for five decades. He often visited Pakistan on various scholarly ventures.
In 1985, the government awarded him Hilal-i-Imtiaz in recognition of his scholarship and service and a 10-million-rupee cash award. But he refused to accept the award and donated the Rs10 million to the Islamic Research Academy.
In 1946, as a citizen of the State of Hyderabad Deccan, Dr Hamidullah was appointed a delegate by the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, to represent the state at the League of Nations. On September 12, 1948, a day after the demise of the Quaid-i-Azam, Indian prime minister Nehru carried out the military invasion of the state of Hyderabad Deccan. Before the invasion, Hyderabad Deccan’s delegation which included Dr Hamidullah left for the United Nations (UN) to plead their case. But before the delegates could reach the UN, the state was annexed by India (according to oral historical accounts, prime minister Nehru did not keep his promise of making Azam Jah, the eighth Nizam of Hyderabad ). Thus, Dr Hamidullah like other delegates became a stateless refugee. In 1948 he founded the Hyderabad Liberation Society to get recognition for Hyderabad as an independent state, and decided to stay in France as a stateless person as long as the status of Hyderabad remained open in the United Nations.
Dr Hamidullah was a very humble man and lived a modest life and dedicated his time to his students. In 1967, he told his students during a lecture, “We can expect to solve the problems facing us if everyone ... helps others before asking for help.”
Dr. Hamidullah did not marry; he dedicated his entire life to the pursuit of scholarly activities. He lived in a small apartment in Paris. For five decades he used to climb three flights of stairs to get to his apartment. In his later years, he fell sick, and was asked by his brother’s grand-daughter Sadia Attaullah to join her in the United States so that she could take care of him. In 1996 Dr. Hamidullah moved to the United States for medical treatment and stayed with Sadia Attaullah.
Dr. Hamidullah was a very humble soul he disliked the limelight and preferred to live an anonymous life. According to Saida Attaullah, “He wanted to be that fortunate man who lived and worked and died in anonymity and acknowledged 200 years after his death.” Indeed, Dr Hamidullah lived a life of anonymity in France and the United States without seeking either help from anyone or recognition for his work. He passed away in his sleep on December 17, 2002, in Florida.
Professor Dr. Hamidullah was truly a silent scholar and a seeker of the truth. His legacy will be a source of guidance for generations to come.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
