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Former Dean Faculty of Unani Medicine Aligarh Muslim University of India Professor Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman is visiting Australia
(Media Release to Sada-e-Watan from Ibn Sina Academy Aligarh,India)

Professor Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman, an eminent Unani physician and President of 'Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences', Aligarh, India, is visiting Australia to meet family and friends and also to attend few academic programs.

He is invited to deliver a talk at the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research (CompleMED), University of Western Sydney, during a symposium on scope and understanding of Unani Medicine at Campbelltown Campus, University of Western Sydney.In the first week of February, he intends to visit Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Wollongong. In Adelaide, he has an interactive meeting with the staff of Graeco-Arabic Medicine Society Inc. In free timings, he would love to visit few of his old friends and acquaintances.

It is to be noted here that Professor Rahman, has to his credit more than 40 published books and several research papers. He is recipient of several awards and honours including Padma Shri by Government of India.

Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman

Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman is well known for his contribution to Unani medicine. He founded Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences in 2000. He has earlier served as Professor and Chairman, Department of Ilmul Advia at the Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, for over 40 years before retiring as Dean Faculty of Unani Medicine.Author of 45 books and several papers on different aspects of Unani, he also owns one of the largest collection of books on Unani medicine.

The Government of India conferred Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman with Padma Shri award in 2006 for his contribution in the field of Unani Medicine.Rahman was born on 1 July 1940, at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in a family of learned scholars. His grandfather Hakim Syed Karam Husain, father Hakim Syed Fazlur Rahman and uncle Hakim Syed Atiqul Qadir were famous Unani Physicians of their times at Tijara / Bhopal. He is married to Ahmadi Begum and has four children: Safia Akhtar, Syed Ziaur Rahman, Soofia Akhtar and Asifa Haneefa.

Rahman received his early education from Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama at Lucknow and later studied at Tibbiya College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.Rahman started his career from Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, Aligarh Muslim University as Demonstrator in 1961 and then Lecturer from Jamia Tibbiya, Delhi, he was appointed reader in 1973 and professor in 1983. He remained Chairman of the Department of Ilmul Advia for 18 years and Dean of the Faculty of Unani Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University."

His entire work concerns with history of medicine particularly of medieval medicine and medicine in medieval Islam.He is himself a diligent explorer of Unani medicine for old Arabic and Persian manuscripts. By his personal efforts made the Department of Ilmul Advia, Ajmal Khan Tibbia College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh as a center of excellence. A new building of the department with all modern facilities in the laboratories was constructed under his able guidance and chairmanship. He raised both name and fame of this department at national and international level.

He assisted in the establishment of Ibn Sina Tibbia College at Beenapara, Azamgarh of which he laid the foundation stone on January 25, 1981.

He established his personal library-cum-museum in 1960s, which became part of ‘Shifa-al Mulk Hakim Abdul Latif Memorial Committee’ in 1970. After the establishment of Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences in 2000, this library (Hakim Zillur Rahman Library) and museum (Hakim Karam Hussain Museum on History of Medicine & Science and Hakim Fazlur Rahman Museum on Arts, Culture & Orientalism) have now become a part of the academy.

The library at present houses one of the most precious and valuable collection of 20,000 printed books, 500 manuscripts", some rare books, microfilms, compact discs, a large number of periodicals and manuscript catalogues. Books in many languages like Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Sanskrit and English on a variety of subjects like History of Medicine and History of Science, Unani, Medieval medicine, Ilmul Advia (Pharmacology), Urdu Literature with special reference to Ghalib, Iqbal, Aligarh and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan are also extant in this library. In addition, there is a Publication Division under the Shifaul Mulk Hakim Abdul Latif Memorial Committee, Centre for Safety & Rational Use of Indian Systems of Medicine, Ibn Sina Shifakhana, AIDS Cell & Ghalib.He edited 'Al-Hikmat' (Monthly Unani Literary Magazine) from 1965-1970.

Awards and honours

 Ayurvedic and Tibbi Academy Award, Government of UP, Lucknow, 1968.

Urdu Academy Award, Government of UP, Lucknow, 1974.

Urdu Academy Award, Government of UP, Lucknow, 1978.

Urdu Academy Award, Government of UP, Lucknow, 1993.

Certificate of honours for outstanding contribution to Persian Language, (President of India Award on Independence day, August 15, 1995).

Short-term Consultant, World Health Organization to the South East Asia Region for development of Unani Medicine in Bangladesh, 1996.

Shifaul Mulk Hakim Habibur Rahman Memorial Foundation Shield, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1996.

Visiting Professor, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan, 1997.

lmtiaz-e Mir Award, All India Mir Academy, Lucknow, 1997.

Pakistan Tibbi Pharmaceutical Manufacture's Council, Pakistan, 1997.

Conferment of title: Reflective thinker and Researcher, ldara Sada-e-Qasmi, Karachi, Pakistan, 1997.

Urdu Academy Award, Government of UP, Lucknow, 1998.

Hakim Said Memorial Lecture, Hamdard Foundation, Hamdard University, Karachi, 2004

Institute of Alternative Medicine, Karachi, Pakistan, 2004

Padma Shri by Government of India, 2006.

Ibn Sina Award, All India Unani Tibbi Congress, 2009

Maulana Azad National Award, Milli Educational Foundation & All India Urdu Educational Committee, 2009

Felicitated by Azam Tibbia College, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan, 2004; Punjab Tibbia College, Jhang, Pakistan, 1997; Ajmal Tibbia College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 1997; AR Memorial Tibbia College, Lahore, Pakistan, 1997; Anjuman Himayat Islam Tibbia College, Lahore 1997, 2004 and 2008

Hakim Ahmed Ashraf Memorial Global Award - Awarded in 2009, by Hakim Ahmed Ashraf Memorial Society (Regd.), Hyderabad.

 Documantry Film on Rahman

A documentary film on the personality of Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman and his established institute, Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences was made by Zakir Mehmud (Director) and J.S.Chauhan (Asisstant Director).