Ph.D. (Edin., UK)
4th Ameer/Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
Leadership: 13/Dec/1996 – 14/Oct/2002
Lifetime: 04/Feb/1919 – 14/Oct/2002
Hazrat Ameer (Head) Dr. Asghar Hameed Sahib was born in Lahore, in 1919. He received his primary and secondary education in his ancestral hometown, Amritsar. He passed his matriculation examination from the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (M.A.O.) High School, which was being run by the Anjuman-i-Islamiyyah Amritsar. By the time he passed his matriculation examination, in 1933, this school was upgraded to an Intermediate college, so he continued his studies and passed his Intermediate examination from the same institution. In 1935, he came to Lahore to pursue higher studies and joined the famous Government College. He graduated with honours in mathematics, in 1937, and obtained his Master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Punjab, in 1939.
Dr. Asghar Hameed Sahib started his career as a lecturer of mathematics in the Engineering College Lahore. In due course, he proceeded abroad for further studies and did his Doctorate in mathematics from Edinburgh University, UK, in 1947. He was appointed the Head of the Mathematics Department; he held this appointment for many years. In 1961, the Engineering College was elevated to the status of a university. Dr. Asghar Hameed Sahib was appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning in the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, and he held this prestigious appointment for several years. He retired as Professor of Mathematics, in 1979. During his service, he was reputed to be a dedicated teacher, a hard-working academician and an able administrator. He enjoyed the respect of both his colleagues and students, alike. On his retirement, he was awarded a purse and the Keys of the University and paid glowing tributes in the citation. He has compiled a family-tree and brief history of his family (The Mantoo Family of Amritsar), which includes some well-known jurists, political and literary figures.
After his retirement, he moved to Darus-Salaam to take up permanent residence in the Jama’at’s colony and decided to devote all his time and energy to the cause of the Ahmadiyya Movement. He worked very closely with and under the guidance of the Late Ameer Hazrat Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan Sahib. He delivered the Friday sermons on a regular basis. Some of these, including those on "The Reformative Contributions of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad," were published in the Paigham-i-Sulh. He translated some of the writings of the Promised Messiah, such as Kitab al-Bariyyah, and while at it he compiled a glossary of the difficult words and terminology found therein. He delivered Dars-i-Quran at the Jamiah Darus Salaam. During a period of six years, dars (religious talk) of the Holy Quran was completed three times. His special interest has been the study of the Urdu and English translations and commentaries of the Holy Quran by Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali Sahib. While doing so, he prepared lists of printing errors in these translations. It was due to his hard work, and the that of the Late Captain Abdul Wajid Sahib, and some others, that we were able to make the Arabic text, translation, and commentary, of both these translations, free of most of the errors. Hazrat Dr. Asghar Hameed Sahib has also done a wonderful job by preparing an abridged edition of the encyclopaedic work of Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali Sahib, the ‘Religion of Islam’ in the words of the author himself. It will prove useful to an average person interested in the study of the basic knowledge of Islam. In this way, he was closely associated with the Late Ameer, Hazrat Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan Sahib, in thought and work, and it seems that Allah was preparing him for an important future assignment.
He is a man of great moral courage and strength. In the 1974 anti-Ahmadiyya Movement, his house was attacked by an unruly mob, who burnt his car and threatened the household. He withstood these tribulations with great courage. He is a straightforward, humble and sincere person, who dislikes flattery and hypocrisy. He is a knowledgeable person, dedicated to the cause of the Ahmadiyya Movement. Above all, he has the spiritual qualities to lead a Jama’at committed to the propagation of Islam.
The past year was a year of sorrows and tribulations for him. During this period, he lost his young and talented son Dr. Asif Hameed, his devoted wife and his brother-in-law. Hazrat Ameer’s firm faith in Allah and sincere commitment to the Ahmadiyya Movement gave him the strength to bear these bereavements with great fortitude. Despite these blows, his spiritual zeal and devotion for the cause of the Ahmadiyya Movement grew in strength, and he has now undertaken the responsibility of leading the members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman. May Allah, the Merciful, grant him health and strength to guide the Jama’at in achieving the objectives entrusted by Hazrat Masih-i-Mauood (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian). Aameen.
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