Dr Syeda Fatima Manzelat
It is a moment of extreme sadness and mourning at the demise of Dr. Mohammed Ziauddin Ahmed Shakeb, my beloved uncle (Mamu Saheb), whose soul calmly departed in the early hours of Wednesday, the 20th of January in London. He is survived by his wife Mrs. Farhat Shakeb, the only son Mr. Mohammed Manzoor Ahmed Shakeb, two daughters and four sisters, along with a multitude of grandchildren.
He was the only son of late Mr Mohammed Mushiruddin Ahmed, an eminent Islamic scholar and editor of bimonthly Al Bayan who was born in the palace (Mubarak Mahal) at Kakori province of Uttar Pradesh.
Dr Shakeb was born on 21st October 1936 in Hyderabad. He was the grandson of Dr Saeed Ahmed, a reputed surgeon and great grandson of Mr Maqsood Ahmed, the Chief Minister of Tonk.
Dr Shakeb completed his Master’s from Aligarh Muslim University in History and doctorate from the University of Pune. He started his career as an Assistant Director in Telangana State Institute of Research and Archives at Tarnaka, Hyderabad.
He lived a great part of his life working at various universities in London.
Dr Shakeb was an obedient son, a great father, husband, brother, uncle and friend. Though he had spent a major part of his life in London, he visited Hyderabad frequently for attending his aged parents. His visits were hectic as it consisted of delivering seminars, lectures, and mushairas. Moreover, he was a pious person seen in serving the poor and the needy. He was a very eminent and multitalented personality who published not only great works in history but also in Urdu poetry and prose. He was a distinguished speaker at famous Mehfil-e-Iqbal Shinasi held in Masjid-e-Aliya, Gunfoundary, Hyderabad.He was multilinguist with great works in Arabic, Urdu and Persian. He was deeply attached to the Golconda Fort. His frequent picnics to the monument were some of the most memorable moments we had spent under his supervision.
He was the chief guest at my daughter Dr Isra Syed Siraj’s Roza kushai “Roza kushai” ceremony. She remembers him as her Pocket Wale Nana since he used to tell her that he will put her in his[U1] pocket while flying to London.
His writings on the famous Allama Iqbal and the book titled Ghalib and Hyderabad are some of the well known works. He had worked at the University of London and supervised research projects under his guidance in History, Urdu and Persian. His students are eminent professors at various universities including Osmania University, Hyderabad.
His body was laid to rest in London following funeral prayer in Hyderabad and Castlefield,London. May Allah forgive him and grant him high place in Jannat al Firdous.