IOn the occasion of the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony for Dr. Shehzad Saleem.
am deeply grateful for these precious and honorable moments, in which even a junior companion like myself— and to be called a “companion” is itself a great honor for me—has been given the opportunity to speak at this gathering.
The noble qualities that adorn the personality of Dr. Shehzad Saleem are well known to all of us. For me, however, there is an additional honor: within the Farahi school of thought, he was my very first teacher.
When I was first introduced to this intellectual tradition, I corresponded with Dr. Shehzad Saleem for almost a year, asking him questions one after another, to which he always responded. During that period, one particular incident left me deeply astonished. On one occasion, I asked him regarding one of his replies: “Should it not rather be understood in this way?” To my surprise, he immediately responded: “Yes, you are right.”
For a senior scholar of his stature to accept, without the slightest hesitation, the correction of a junior student like myself was something entirely unexpected. Yet this humility and openness is among his greatest qualities. Alhamdulillah, my student–teacher relationship with him continues to this day: whenever I send him questions, he replies promptly and with generosity. May Allah grant us the ability to follow in his footsteps and adopt these noble traits ourselves.
The decision to honor Dr. Shehzad Saleem with a Lifetime Achievement Award is indeed an excellent one. I am certain that such accolades make little difference to him personally, but for us and for the institution, it is a great honor. By appreciating and recognizing his services, the institution has set a wonderful precedent.
In conclusion, I extend my heartfelt congratulations both to Dr. Shehzad Saleem himself, and to our teacher Javed Ahmed Ghamidi whose guidance we all share. Thank you very much.