The reminiscence of a man of vision and character is an act of benevolence. It serves to inspire. It motivates. It enlightens our lives.
Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad (Shaheed) has left a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. His name is not carved on his lowh-e-mazaar (tombstone) but in the hearts of hundreds and thousands of people who are the beneficiary of his kindness, guidance, compassion, fairness, humility, piety, intellectual prowess, generosity, scholarship and his unique style of leadership.
He was a teacher par excellence. He did not merely impart knowledge but inculcated values because he believed in the power of knowledge as an agent of transformation. He envisioned this transformation in the service of individuals, their society and their country at large. His educational philosophy embodied knowledge not as an end in itself but as a means to higher human ideals.
The famous French writer, Guy de Maupassant, once wrote: “Our memory is a more perfect world than the universe: it gives back life to those who no longer exist.” But in the persona of Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad (Shaheed) we see a great reversal. Even from his inanimate presence, he ceaselessly conveys to us a message of life, hope, tenacity and service.
The enduring message of this great teacher of ours is a blessing for us not only for the time we spent at the esteemed institutions that he established and nurtured through his untiring efforts but is a guiding light for the rest of our life. This emanates from his seminal thought that education is not for wages alone, but for the holistic development of the individual, and ultimately for the society.
We are remembering Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad (Shaheed) at the third commemoration of his demise (September 10). In order that this remembrance does not become an annual ritual that lasts for just the day of the commemoration, I have given some serious thought to finding an innovative way to turn it into an act of perpetual remembrance.
It is with this perspective that I am pleased to present to you the unique gift of his thoughts in the form of a book. It is published in Urdu, entitled Ilm, Amal, Zindagi. This book offers an extraordinary insight into his moral and ethical cogitation that might otherwise have remained hidden in the midst of his routine life at the campus. His mentoring through this book would brighten your life with the affective domain of human life. It would restore your confidence in the innate human goodness and it would equip you towards achieving personal and social transformation.
By reading this book, you would be fulfilling the vision of Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad (Shaheed) who strived not only to educate you but to transform you into a leader in thought and action.
Ibrahim Hasan Murad
President ILM Trust/UMT
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