Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor, Prof Mohammad Gulrez today inaugurated Newly constructed hall and reading room
ALIGARH : The Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor, Prof Mohammad Gulrez today inaugurated the newly constructed hall and a reading room in the Department of Arabic, which have been built in memory of the late Prof. Mohammad Rashid Nadvi, former Chairman of the department.
The inaugurated hall and reading room have been built with a generous donation of funds by Prof Mohammad Rashid Nadvi’s sons Danish Rashid and Waqar Rashid, who also donated his books with two large cabinets, to the department’s seminar library, after getting the books bound in hardcover.
Appreciating the initiative, Vice Chancellor Prof Mohammad Gulrez said that the generous donation by Prof Rashid’s sons is a noble deed and it will go a long way in helping the students in their educational pursuits. He further said that the Department of Arabic has a unique identity in the studies of various languages at the university.
The Vice Chancellor released books of the teachers of the department and the latest issue of Majma-ul-Ilmi Al-Hindi and the collection of essays from a seminar on this occasion. He also gave away prizes to the winners of speech, quiz and debate competitions.
The Chairman of the department, Prof. Mohammad Sanaullah Nadvi said that the total area of the hall and the reading room is 871.5 square feet, which has expanded the reading area in the library for more students to accommodate.
Remembering Prof. Mohammad Rashid Nadvi’s academic achievements, Prof. Abdul Majid Qazi (Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi) said I am happy that his sons have constructed a big hall in his memory and it will help spread knowledge.
Padma Shri Professor Hakeem Syed Zillur Rahman (President, Ibn Sina Academy) highlighted the scholarly qualities of Prof Rashid.
Prof Rashid’s son, Engineer Mohammad Danish said we have donated all the books and cabinets of our late father to the department hoping it will further the cause of spreading knowledge which was very dear to him. He assured that a memorial lecture will also be sponsored by them in their father’s memory every year.
Prof. Syed Kafeel Ahmed Qasmi (Former Chairman of the department), Prof. Muhammad Sami Akhtar, Professor Masood Anwar Alvi and Prof. Arif Nazir, Dean Faculty of Arts also expressed their views. Prof Mohd Faizan Beg proposed the vote of thanks.
Prof Mohammad Rashid Nadvi was a prominent figure of Arabic language and literature in India whose scholarly work and teaching impacted the lives of a large number of his students and colleagues. He started his services as a research assistant in the Department of Islamic Studies in 1962 and became a lecturer in the same department in 1972. In 1977, he was appointed as a reader in the Arabic department and later became a professor.
He retired from the university services in 1996 and passed away on May 2, 2021.