Professor Arif-uz-Zaman

Professor Arif-uz-Zaman at QAU

Sajjad Mahmood

Everyone at the Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University loved Dr. Arif-uz-Zaman. The faculty room, where tea was prepared at 10:30 each morning, came alive for 30 minutes with talk on art, poetry, literature and history - Arif sahib in command with his vast knowledge:

“My father had an exceptional memory. I have not come across any one to compare. His loves were Physics, Poetry and History. His power of recollection coupled with an analytical mind unencumbered by any cultural prejudices except a search for truth, enabled a very insightful and overarching worldview.” (Zaman, 2021)

On days when he was not around, we merely had tea.

It was perhaps the third quarter of 1968, when Arif sahib walked into the Institute of Physics (as the department was then known) library where a student came across him:

“He came across and greeted me. In a customary manner I requested his introduction:

آپ کی تعریف؟

His response was,

ہمارا نام عارف الزماں ہے، ہم یہاں پڑھانے آےؑ ہیں۔

My name is Arif-uz-Zaman and I have come here to teach.

We had heard of a new faculty hire, so I took him to the office.” (Nayyar, 2021)

To the students enrolled in his classes during those early days, his penchant for interspersing historical anecdotes during lectures soon became apparent. They often tried to divert him with questions about events touched upon during a lecture and enjoyed the stories (Iqbal, 2021).

Khan Muhammad was of age 17 when he joined the Institute of Physics as a peon - replacing his father. Recalling that Arif sahib had joined a bit ahead of him he recalls the thoughtfulness and compassion:

“He would come to me at the end of the day and say, ‘خاں صاحب, چلو گھر چلیں۔’ Khan sahib, come let us go home. He would drive and drop me in his new car, with a registration number ending 1661, to where I lived and go on. On an occasion or two he came in and had tea.” (Muhammad, 2021)

And then there were moments when he stopped, turned to face the class, pointed to a result just arrived at and with joy and excitement conveyed the beauty of it all. The course material was interspersed by digressions into history of the subject, and stories about the personalities involved. We were introduced to tensors, covariance and contravariance besides use of symbols such as the Kronecker delta and Levi-Civita antisymmetric notation. His enunciations are so entrenched that I could see the equations on the chalkboard while watching a TV documentary on neutrino detection and oscillations recently.

With students he was considerate and direct. A classmate, Nadir recalls a day before the semester exams when he walked into Arif sahib’s office and sought help on a topic he did not understand. Arif sahib looked at the problem and told Nadir not to worry about it as far as the exams are concerned but made him promise to return after the exam. Nadir did just that and Arif sahib explained the topic in full (Qureshi, 2021).

Arif sahib’s dress was always simple but a dress coat was constant, irrespective of changing seasons. During peak summer when students asked why, Arif sahib took out pens, medicines, cigarette pack, matchbox, glasses from different pockets, placed them on a surface and asked back, “where would I keep all this”? Friends share a different version:

“He would turn over the side of his coat and slightly pull a container from the inner pocket and ask, “where should I keep this wretched thing?” (G. Murtaza, 2021)

It was during late 1975 early 1976 that the University advertised two or three Professor positions at the Department of Physics. All of the members of the theory group who had joined the then Institute of Physics back in late 1960s as Associate Professors were potential applicants. As it turned out, Dr. Arif-uz-Zaman did not apply, arguing that the other applicants - his colleagues - were more deserving (Qadir, 2021). We, the students, thought that he should have been designated as such without the need of an application.

It was apparently not the first occasion for him to not pursue advancement:

“At his funeral, a gentleman whom I didn’t know came up to me and said, ‘your father was a strange man’. They were together at the Punjab University from where Abba did his Master’s in Physics. Apparently after the exams there was a job offering which Abba could walk into considering his results. Instead Abba helped another colleague, arguing that he needed it more.” (Zaman, 2021)

Arif sahib was particularly disturbed at the military takeover in July 1977 and more so at the execution of the elected prime minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in April 1979. Most of his day in the department apart from teaching would be consumed talking to colleagues or graduate students, in hushed tones, about the lashings and protests. Research was far from his mind. The anguish he felt was palpable.

Not an overtly religious person ever, Arif sahib was persuaded by his wife to attend the weekly Friday prayers:

“A few times I went with him and was embarrassed. He used to walk around on the road, smoking cigarettes for the duration of the Imam’s sermon and came in to join the prayers at the last stage, just as folks stood up and rows formed.

When Bhutto was killed, he stopped going to the mosque.” (Zaman, 2021)

During those years, I would often encounter him in Professor Fayyazuddin’s office as I entered with some results from a calculation in my hands. They had been friends since 1961 having met at Imperial College, London (Fayyazuddin, 2021) - Fayyaz sahib was winding up his Ph.D. and Arif-uz-Zaman had just joined. Their discussions were wide ranging, often quotes were exchanged and appreciated. One that Arif sahib particularly enjoyed came from Oscar Wilde: "Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future." Interrupted by my entry, he would get up, glance at the papers and say, “it is all about the numbers'', a smile on his face.

Arif sahib graced our wedding reception on a Friday in late 1978. He admonished me when I showed up the following Monday at the department:

ارے میاں ۔ تم یہاں کیا کر رہے ہو؟

“Oh Mister, what are you doing here!”

Late in 1979 Arif sahib’s health started to deteriorate:

“A recurrent evening fever that could not be diagnosed and did not respond to antibiotics took hold and continued for a couple of months. Abba shifted to Karachi, on medical leave, in the hope of better treatment and help of family physicians. His health continued to decline. Tests and speculative diagnosis continued including one for cancer. Finally Abba's friend, Dr. Mazhar-ul-Haque started him on antibiotics targeting Tuberculosis. This course of treatment was objected to by other physicians but the fever started subsiding quickly. Abba continued with the medication for a better part of two years. With improved health he returned to Islamabad.” (Zaman, 2021)

In early 1982 Arif sahib left on leave, to teach at University of Benghazi (Libya) - a position that probably his friend, the late Faheem Hussain recommended him for. Arif sahib did not like it in Libya but completed the contracted period of two years returning in 1984. Throughout those two years, he and his wife, Asma sahiba, lived out of a hotel room (Zaman, 2021).

On his return from Benghazi, colleagues saw a distinct, and to some a welcome change: “He looked much better” (G. Murtaza, 2021). Arif sahib’s health had improved. Obviously the financial strain had also eased somewhat and it reflected in his demeanor, but according to Sabah (Zaman, 2021):

“Abba was never one to think too much on such matters.”

A heavy smoker, I recall he had switched to a more expensive brand. He often forgot his matchbox and on sunny days he could often be located outside on the bridge connecting two Physics buildings, using solar energy to light up - with his spectacle lens (Iqbal, 2021).

During 1986, a couple of lecturer positions had opened up and I was among the applicants. General Zia-ul-Haq was still in power, and the effects of drastic changes put in place by Sheikh Imtiaz Ali (the University vice chancellor) were still fresh. A brief event on the day following candidate interviews has left a permanent imprint in my mind. Arif sahib looked at me as I walked in the tea room at 10:30 AM, smiled, stood up, went to the chalkboard and wrote a couplet of Hari Chand Akhtar:

نوید سربلندی دی منجم نے تو میں سمجھا

سگان دہر کے آگے دوتا ہونے کا وقت آیا

With the welcome omen of success from the astrologer I understood,

It was time to kneel to dogs of the world

The times were marked with “Islamization” of the campuses. Religious extremism was encouraged and liberal thoughts discouraged. Arif sahib was affected:

“Abba did not care what others thought of him unless he respected their opinion. Nasty things were said about him by folks on campus. He often quoted Hafez

مارا به رندی افسانه کردند

پیران جاہل شیخان گمراہ

Tales are told about our intoxication

By ignorant elders and leaders lost

Occasionally he took it to heart.” (Zaman, 2021)

My final years of interaction with Arif sahib started December 1986 as a junior colleague. An year later, Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy was attempting to bring Arif sahib back to Physics research and it was a privilege to be asked to collaborate. The study involved lengthy calculations. The underlying theoretical models had changed drastically from what Arif sahib had worked with in the 1960s and 70s. His love of mathematical calculations and insights in symmetry groups helped us. The paper was published in 1988 - probably one of the last for him (Arifuzzaman et al. #).

At the end of 1987, a novel incident was recorded during the end of semester examination. Arif sahib had taught the course on Relativity. The class was all seated in the examination room. The appointed start time came and went while the students waited (Bashir, 2022). After a while they walked to Professor Masud Hussain - the chairperson, who narrated an incident where Arif sahib had missed a paper during his Master’s examination:

“I remember my parents telling me about the episode. Abba was well on his way to top the class. He worked extremely hard including last night – to exhaustion. An attendant was given explicit instructions to wake him early for the morning exam but forgot. I think Abba lost a year, secured first class but not the first class first. Very bad luck!” (Zaman, 2021).

It turned out that Arif sahib had forgotten about the examination he was to conduct!

Unfortunately I was away when Dr. Arif-uz-Zaman reached the mandatory retirement age. Students at the time did arrange what they called “Arif-uz-Zaman Fest”. The festival focussed on celebrating Arif sahib’s teaching over two decades - his complete dedication and immersion in the subject at hand.

For students he was still willing to go the extra mile:

“I remember once I asked him a simple question about rotations. His response, “You know what? You should study the Poincaré group. It covers everything.” Then added, “Come I'll teach you.” He took me to his office and in a few sittings taught me all about the Poincaré group.” (Bashir, 2022)

On September, 27 1989, colleagues at the Department wrote to the Vice Chancellor:

“Our respected colleague, Dr. Arifuzzaman is due to retire in November this year after over 21 years of devoted teaching and research in this University. He joined in 1968 as Associate Professor, and is due to retire also as Associate Professor. In spite of his being an exceptionally dedicated and inspiring faculty member, and in spite of his being widely respected for the breadth and depth of his knowledge, this University has not recognized his contributions …”

The letter concludes:

“As members of the Physics Department, we strongly feel that the time has come to redress this wrong and to honour Dr. Arifuzzaman by appointing him Professor for the remaining period of his service in the University.”

Dr. Arif-uz-Zaman retired on November 27, 1989 as Associate Professor of Physics - the same designation he had started some two decades earlier.

Subsequent to his retirement, he moved to Karachi and lived with his son in an apartment. Arif sahib searched for a suitable position but could not find one. Ultimately he started teaching at a school (Beaconhouse) and though he did so with his usual gusto, it remains a great waste of caliber, knowledge, experience and talent (Zaman, 2021).

Professor Arif-uz-Zaman passed away in early April 2002, at Karachi.

References

Arifuzzaman, Hoodbhoy, P., & Mahmood, S. (1988). The Swelling of Nucleons and Quark Antisymmetrization. Nuclear Physics, A480, 469-489

Bashir, A. (2022). Private communication

Fayyazuddin, (2021). Arif-uz-Zaman Memories

Hoodbhoy, P. A. (2021). Remembering Arif-uz-Zaman

Iqbal, M. Z. (2021). Arif-uz-Zaman - Gem of a Man

Muhammad, K. (2021). [Private communication].

Murtaza, G. (2002). عارف کے نام چند عقیدت کے پھول

Nayyar, A. H. (2021). Private communication

Qadir, A. (2021). Memories of a Friend

Qureshi, N. H. (2021). Private communication

Yousuf, M. A. (2022). Private communication

Zaman, S. (2021). Private communication.

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