Hakim Ghulam Mahmud Khan (Khandan-e-Sharifi)

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Hakim Ghulam Mahmud Khan

A Scion of a pre- eminent family of Unani Physicians, Hakim Ghulam Mahmud Khan, also known as “Mahmud Khan-e-Azam”, was born in 1819 at his ancestral haveli Shareef Manzil in Ballimaran . His ancestry can be traced from the Great Saint Nasir Ud-din Khwaja Ubaiduallah Ahrar of Tashkand , whom the descendants of Taimur , particularly Babar’s Farther ,Omar Sheikh Mirza held in high esteem .Besides his own piety , Khwaja Ahrar commanded great respect due to his pedigree which was linked with the first two Caliphs of Islam. He was connected with the first Caliph , Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RTA) from the father’s side and the second Caliph , Hazrat Omer Ibn-al –Khattab from mother’s side.

In his memoirs, Babar says that his father was a disciple of Khwaja Ahrar , who honoured him by visits and loved him so much that he called Babar’s father Omer Sheikh Mirza his son. In fact it was Khwaja Ahrar who gave him the appellation of Zaheer-ud-din Mohammed Babar. His name (Khwaja Ahrar’s) repeatedly figures in the memoirs which refer to him as a renowned sage under whose protection “many poor and destitute persons lived free from the burden of dues and imposts”.(ref: Babar Nama –memoirs of Babar; translated by Annette Susannah Beveridge, Reprint 1979 pg.41) Such was the influence of Khwaja Ahrar on Babar that while besieging Samarqand in 906 AH-1490AD,he had a dream in which the saint appeared and predicted it’s fall soon which then seemed improbable. The prophesy became a reality within a few days when Babar succeeded in occupying Samarqand. (ref: Babar Nama pg 132 ) On another occasion Babar attributed his recovery from a serious illness to his translation of Khwaja Ahrar’s Risala Wiladiyya in Turkish . (ref: Babar Nama pg 619-20). Khwaja’s tomb still exists in Tashkand where he breathed his last on 29^th Rabi-ul-Awwal , 895 AH (1479 AD) at the ripe old age of 89. The renowned Persian Poet , Abdur Rahman Jami , wrote an elegy on the death of the Khwaja.

Later Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar’s descendants who had settled in Samarqand and who were highly esteemed saints of their times , accompanied Babar in his southward march towards India where he laid the foundations of the Mughal Dynasty 1526 AD. Thus came Khwaja Ahrar’s descendants to India where they made a notable contribution in cultural , social , economic exchanges between India and the Central Asia .

The family Tree of Hakim Ghulam Mahmud Khan includes the names of his ancestors in the following order :

Nasiruddin Khwaja Ubaiduallah Ahrar
Khwaja Abdullah alias Khwaja Kalan , Khwaja-i-khwajgan
Khwaja Abdul Haq –(came to India with Babar.)
Khwaja Muhammed Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammed Feroze
Khwaja Muhammed Khurshid
Khwaja Muhammed Mehdi
Khwaja Haji Hashim
Khwaja Muhammed Qasim
Khwaja Sultan
Mulla Ali Qari
Mulla Ali Dawood
Khwaja Muhammed Afzal
Hakim Muhammed Fazal Khan (1^st Hakim of the family)
Hakim Muhammed Wasal Khan
Hakim Muhammed Akmal Khan
Hakim Muhammed Shareef Khan (founder of Shareef khani Khandan)
Hakim Saadiq Ali Khan
Hakim Ghulam Mehmood Khan (1850-1901)

It was this distinguished family of the saints that produced a number of eminent physicians in later ages. Hakim Fazal Khan, who lived during the last days of the Mughal King Shahjahan , is said to be the foremost physician in the family with whom the art of medicine began to be practiced as a profession. After him followed a long chain of highly skilled physicians under whose patronage the Unani system of medicine developed into a full fledged science. Two of them ,namely, Hakim Akmal Khan and his brother, Hakim Ajmal Khan –I , were granted Jagirs and the Mansab of 3000. Hakim Akmal Khan was also honoured with the title, Akmal-ul-Muhaqqaqin-ul-Mulk. The reputation of the family in the field of medicine reached its acme under Hakim Shareef Khan (1138 A.H. -1222 A.H) or 1722-1806 A.D, the son of Hakim Ajmal Khan, and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam-II granted him Jagirs in Sonipat, Baghpat, Baraut, Dasna and Mussoorie (just adjacent to Delhi) in return for his services to the Mughal Court in Delhi and also conferred on him the title of Ashraf-ul-Hukma.(ref Ajmal Magazine , Delhi, February 1936, pg40).He had to his credit, a large number of treatises on medicine and, several books on logic , hadith and history. He also translated the Holy Quran into the Persian and Urdu languages and dedicated his book , entitled Tuhfa-e-Alam or Khawas-ul-Jawahar to the ruling monarch Shah Alam-II (ref Kausar Chandpuri, op.cit.,pp.114-8; Also Muhammed Kamal Husain Hamdani,Matab-i-Masih,Aligarh, 1976, pp.11-3).He was considered an authority in medicine and was consulted by the physicians of his times. In his well known book, Aasar-us-Sanaadeed ,Sir Syed Ahmed Khan waxes eloquent of Hakim Shareef Khan whom he compared to such ancient luminaries of the globe as Arastoo and Jalinoos (ref Sir Syed Ahmed Khan , Aasar-us-sanaadeed , Reprint Delhi,1965,p.512; Arastoo is the Urdu-Persian name of Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) and Jalinoos that of Galen (129-190 A.D ) He constructed a Mosque near his house in Ballimaran , which has the following verse inscribed on it :

“Thanks to the Almighty God that, with the efforts of Muhammed Shareef Khan , a mosque was erected which is Kaaba of purity …when the Muezzins (one who calls the people to proclamation from a mosque) call arose, the preachers of wisdom said : ‘Seek the year of its foundation from the house of God’.” (ref the verse is inscribed on the inner wall of the mosque. Another inscription also mentions 1384A.H. (1968A.D.) , as the date for the reconstruction of the mosque and names it as the Masjid-al-Hanafi-wal-Hukama.

Last words of the couplet indicate 1206A.H. (1790A.D.) as the date of the construction of the mosque. He died in 1231 A.H.(1815A.D.) at the age of 84 and was buried in Mehrauli. It was after the name Hakim Sharif Khan that the residence of the family came to be known as the Shareef Manzil which is to this day situated in Ballimaran, a well known locality of Delhi and where Hakim Ajmal Khan was born. Hakim Shareef khan had six sons of whom the fourth one-Hakim Sadiq Ali Khan succeeded him as a Hakim . Hakim Sadiq Ali Khan acquired all the qualities of his father and wrote several treatises on medicine which were later included in the syllabus of the Tibbia School . He was also a scholar of Persian and Arabic and died in 1264A.H (1848 A.D.) at the age of 80.(ref Ajmal Magazine, February ,1936 p.41.)

Born in 1819A.D Hakim Ghulam Mehmood Khan received his education from some of the greatest scholars of his time .Initially educated at home, he learned Arabic and Persian from eminent Sufi Saint of His time Shah Abdul Aziz Mohaddis Dehlvi, then from Shah Abdul Qadir and Hafiz Maulana Hedar Rehman.He studied Tibbe-Unani ( Greek medical Science ) from his elder Brother Hakim Ghulam Mohammed Khan and later from his father Hakim Sadiq Ali Khan .

He was a legendary personality of inner and outer beauty of exceptional character. His medical works and treatments in different diseases and stories attributed to him are so strange that at times they seem unbelievable .He was an extremely Handsome man , tall fair and healthy with a very thick beard .He wore the traditional dress of his family along with a Dupalli cap. Even in extreme cold weather , he was seen wearing a thin Malmal Kurta with an Angarkha made of Tanzaib(special quality of fine cloth) wrapped in a light Pashmina Shawl. Despite his age his personality was outstandingly impressive.

He was an expert on sexology and has written two very prominent books on the subject which are still as important as they were in his time. He was the first Hakim of his family who used to write a diary .In that he tells his children of his experiences and advises them never to leave the moral high ground which if adhered to will bring them great respect and honour in the eyes of the society as well as god

He was a renowned physician and had a roaring practice in Delhi and other parts of India. He was a royal physician of several princely states, specially of Patiala , Nabha and Jind states.

Hakim Sadiq Ali was blessed with three sons –Hakims Ghulam Muhammed Khan , Hakim Ghulam Mehmood Khan and Hakim Ghulam Murtaza Khan .The eldest son Hakim Ghulam Mohammed Khan joined the court of Maharaja of Patiala as his personal physician and , in accordance with the tradition of his family wrote several books on a variety of subjects. (ref Hakim Jamil Khan ,Sirat-e-Ajmal , Delhi , nd p.5) He died during the very life time of his father .His son Ghulamullah Khan settled down in Patiala . His daughter was later married to Hakim Ajmal Khan .The third son of Hakim Sadiq Ali Khan also remained associated with the Patiala Court and died in 1292A.H. (1876 A.D.) at the age of 54.(ref Ibid.)

Ajmal Khan’s father and the grandson of Shareef khan was Hakim Ghulam Mahmud Khan .He was the second son of Hakim Sadiq Ali. He was the second son of Hakim Sadiq Ali .He was a renowned physician and had a roaring practice in Delhi and in other parts of North India Patients flocked to him for treatment from all parts of India and other parts of the West Asian countries. Mahmud Khan was very hospitable and generous . Though patronized lavishly by the rulers of several princely states, he never neglected the poor. It goes to the credit of Hakim Mahmud Khan that he democratized the Unani system of medicine among the masses by taking it out of the patronage of the royal court .He severed his connections with the Red Fort of Delhi and practiced medicine for the benefit of the poor whose houses he visited frequently to examine their patients from whom he neither charged any fees nor the cost of medicines.

Hakim Mahmud Khan witnessed the horrors of the rebellion of 1857 and would have fallen a victim to the British reprisals but for the timely intervention of the rulers of Patiala, Nabha and Jind , whose regiments kept a round the clock vigil on his house during those traumatic days .

The great poet Ghalib , who was a neighbour of Hakim Mahmud Khan , has recorded unforgettable events in his diary entitled Dastanbuy which he maintained during the period of rebellion .

Thus writes Ghalib:

“During all this turmoil something occurred which was of considerable help to us . The ruler of Patiala , Raja Narendra Singh….supports the conquerors in this battle ; his army has been assisting , the British from the very beginning . Some of the Raja’s Highest officials live in this lane; Hakim Mahmud Khan , Hakim Murtaza Khan , Hakim Ghulamullah Khan – all of them progeny of Hakim Shareef Khan , who now dwells in paradise –are themselves very honourable and famous men . The double row of their extensive homes stretches for some distance and for the past 10 years have been the neighbour of one of these rich men , Hakim Mahmud Khan who , with his family and relatives , lives a very respectable life according to the traditions of his ancestors.”

Hakim Mahmud Khan strove hard to protect the people by providing them shelter in his house, and kept their valuables in safe custody, which were duly returned after the disturbance was over. Curiously enough , these sterling acts of honesty and kindness were considered as seditious by the British authorities who were hell bent upon crushing the soul of Indians. They took strong exceptions to these activities which ultimately led to his arrest. Ghalib graphically narrates this incidence in the following words:

“Probably because of the spying of devilish informants , the city administrators learned that the home Raja Narendra Singh Bahadur’s physicians had become the rendezvous and refuge of the Muslims. It would be no surprise if some of these troublesome , evil-tongued informers are here also. Because of them on Tuesday, February second , the city administrator entered that house and took with him sixty innocent refugees along with the master of the house . Although these people were held in confinement for several days and nights the dignity of their position was respected.”

(ref. ibid, pg 58-9).

Hakim Mahmud Khan was however, released a few days later and most of those who were arrested along with him were also set free soon after. Hakim Mahmud Khan died in 1309 A.H at the age of 72 . The famous Urdu poet Khwaja altaf Hussain Hali composed an elegy on his demise , two stanzas of which are quoted below: (ref , Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali, Deewan-i-Hali ,Lahore ,nd . P.192.-Translation by Dr. F.A Jeelani)

The stream of learning glide along the scholars caused

And then away they passed.

Our Community’s heralds the sleeping roused

And then away they passed.

Some warblers their magical numbers sang

And then away they passed.

Some saviours there were who resurrected the dead

And then away they passed.

The only plank which the shipwreck survived.

The time of tide, Oh Delhi! took that away, too.

Seemingly thou had left the glory of thy people, city divine.

And community’s honour sullied since long;

Yet Mahmud Khan’s presence lent honour to us all.

Alack the loss that Death at last,

Laid her icy hand on him too.

What moments wouldst thou cherish about the days past;

And what the source of thy pride to endure, Oh!

Jehanabad?

Hakim Ghulam Mahmud Khan had three sons. The eldest son Hakim Abdul Majeed Khan , continued the family traditions. He earned a name for his profound knowledge of medicine and was the pioneer for institutionalizing Tibb-e-Unani by starting a Tibbia School for prepairing a well trained cadre of Unani physicians. The British government conferred on him in 1898,the title of Haziq-ul-Mulk for promoting the cause of the Unani system of medicine in India. He also helped his father in pioneering the publication of urdu journal ,The Akmal-ul-Akhbaar and associated himself with the educational movements of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.

The Second son Hakim Wasal Khan took the mantle from his elder brother after his death in 1901 and carried the work with great responsibility. His unfortunate untimely death in 1904, at the early age of 43 ,put the entire burden of responsibility on Masih-ul Mulk Hakim Mohammed Ajmal Khan, the youngest son of Hakim Mahmud khan.

Hakim Mohammed Ajmal Khan proved to be the most outstanding and multifacet personality of his era. He was a scholar of Arabic ,Persian and Urdu as well as Hafiz –e-Quran. He was an outstanding physician, a great politician and freedom fighter. His contribution to the cause of India’s freedom, National integration and communal harmony is matchless. A sound and farcited statesman and an educationist of highest caliber, he was the founder of A&UTibbia College , New Delhi ; Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi and Bachhon ka ghar, Daryaganj Delhi. Apart from all such preoccupations, he was a respected poet of Urdu and Persian. He was such a legendry figure , that endless books written on him. Most importantly he was a personal friend of the British Viceroy, Lord Hardinge and of Mahatma Gandhi . Infact words fall short when it comes to describing his personality .

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