Mrs. Sadia Rashid
President,
Hamdard Foundation Pakistan

I urge each and every one of you to remember the basic reason why you joined a university: Surely it was to get an education, not just a degree? And at Hamdard University, we aim to impart the best of knowledge from the past and the present, the traditional and the modern.

Its founder, Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said, believed strongly in a number of things. One of these was that the pursuit of knowledge and from it, hopefully, wisdom-should be engaged in whole heartedly and with an open mind. That is why the Hamdard University is, perhaps, unique in having both a college of allopathic medicine and dentistry, and one of eastern medicine or hikmat His belief was that the doctor, the hakim, and the researcher or scientist should work together and move forward together for the betterment of mankind. No artificial, man-made barriers should be allowed to stand in the way of progress.

Hakim Said's other strong belief was service of mankind, with the help of Allah. This was not just an idea to which he paid mere lip-service. He converted Hamdard Laboratories to a waqrf, or irrevocable trust All its profits go towards charitable and nation-building work including education. So every time you buy a Hamdard Product, you are helping make the life of a widow or orphan a little easier, or helping to alleviate some poor sick person's pain, or helping a needy student get an education.

If one man's efforts could, with Allah's help, bring a university into existence in the wilderness of Bund Murad Khan, there is no knowing what your efforts will bring about, if you try with honesty of purpose, genuine faith, and that all-important ingredient without which nothing can be achieved: hard work.

To come back full-circle to where we began: Getting a good education. For this, two things are essential: a good teacher; and a good student. Your academic success is not just dependent on what you are taught, but also on what you learn. My prayers go out to all of you.