Najib al-Din Humayun (died 30 October 1595), commonly known as Hakim Humam or Hakim Hamam, was a physician (''hakim'') and an official in the service of the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

. A native of

Gilan Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Region 3, west of the province of ...

in present-day Iran, he migrated to present-day India with his brothers to escape

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

persecution. He held several positions in Akbar's service, and served as the Mughal ambassador to

Abdullah Khan II Abdullah Khan (Chagatai language, Chagatai and ; 1533/4–1598), known as "The Old Khan (title), Khan", was an Uzbeks, Uzbek ruler of the Khanate of Bukhara (1500–1785). He was the last uncontested Shaybanids, Shaybanid Khan of Bukhara from 15 ...

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

Early life

Hakim Humam was a native of the

region in present-day Iran. His father '' Mawlana'' 'Abdu'r Razzaq Gilani was a ''

sadr The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), also known as the Sahrawi Republic and Western Sahara, is a partially recognized state in the western Maghreb, which claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, but controls only ...

'' known for drawing horoscopes. In 1566-1567, the

ruler

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 until his death in 1576. He was the eldest son of Shah Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Tahmasp ascended the throne after the ...

imprisoned Gilan's ruler Khan Ahmad Khan. During this period, 'Abdu'r Razzaq was also imprisoned, and his sons migrated to the Mughal Empire in present-day India. ''Hakim'' Najib al-Din Humam entered the service of the Mughal emperor Akbar, along with his brothers: ''Hakim'' Abu'l-Fath Gilani and ''Hakim'' Nuru'd-Din Qarari, and ''Hakim'' Lutfullah Gilani. They were

Shia Muslims Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

In Akbar's service

Humam's real name was Humayun, but when he came to Akbar's court, he called himself Humayun Quli ("slave of Humayun") out of respect for Akbar's father

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

. Later, he changed his name to ''Hakim'' Humam. Officially, Humam held the position of ''mir bakawal'' or ''bakawal begi'' (superintendent of the kitchen), and his performance in this role greatly impressed Akbar. However, he was also known as a

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

, connoisseur of poetry, scientist, doctor (''hakim''), and diplomat. Akbar appointed him to the board of authors of ''Tarikh-i Alfi'', a history of the first thousand years of Islam. Humam also held the military rank of ''

mansabdar The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar later used in all over in early modern India. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined th ...

'' of 600 soldiers. Around 1588, Akbar sent Humam as an ambassador to

. The letter drafted by Abu'l-Fazl on behalf of Akbar introduces Humam as an "asylum of instruction and talent, cream of devoted loyalties, best of our confidants, the skilful Hakim Humam, who is a right-speaking and right-acting man".

Death and legacy

Humam died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

on 30 October 1595, after two months of illness. According to Abu'l-Fazl, he "was endowed with a good countenance, was a jewel of purity, and a sweet-spoken man." Later sources count him among the

Navaratnas Navaratnāḥ (Sanskrit dvigu ''nava-ratna'', , ) refers to a distinguished assembly of nine learned and virtuous individuals who adorned the royal sabhā (court) of certain illustrious List of Indian monarchs, bhūpati-s (kings) in History of ...

or nine prominent courtiers of Akbar. He is buried at the Tomb of the Hakims in present-day Pakistan. Humam's elder son Kamal al-Din, born at

Fatehpur Sikri Fatehpur Sikri () is a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh, India. Situated from the district headquarters of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Mughal emperors, Emperor Akbar, servin ...

and better known as ''Hakim'' Hadhiq, gained prominence as a poet and prose-writer. His other son, ''Hakim'' Khushhal, held the

rank of 6000 soldiers, and served as a '' bakhshi'' (military paymaster) and ''waqianawis''(court writer) in the

Deccan The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...

region.

References

{{reflist

External links

Portrait of Hakim Humam c.1615-20
Royal Collection Trust 16th-century Mughal Empire people Indian Shia Muslims Unani practitioners 16th-century deaths from tuberculosis 1595 deaths People from Gilan province 16th-century Iranian physicians