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{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hakim Muhammad Sharif Khan
| image = 3 HakimMohd large.jpg
| caption = Hakim Sharif, probably during his days as Royal Hakim to the Mughal emperor.
| birth_date = 1722
| birth_place = Delhi, Mughal India
| death_date = 1807
| known_for = Prominent member of the Delhi School of Unani medicine<br/>
Royal physician to Mughal emperor Shah Alam II
| title = Ashraf-ul-Hukma
| children = Hakim Sadiq Ali Khan
| relatives = [[Hakim Ajmal Khan]] (great-grandson)
}}

'''Hakim Muhammad Sharif Khan''' (1722 – 1807) was a [[Sunni]] Muslim [[Hakim (title)|Hakim]] (physician in [[Yunani medicine|Unani / Greek medicine]]) of some importance in [[Mughal India]] at the end of 18th century.

==Early life and career==
Muhammad Sharif Khan was born in 1722 in Delhi. His ancestors arrived in India from modern day [[Uzbekistan]] during the time of Mughal emperor [[Babur]] (ruled 1526 – 1530).<ref name=GreekMedicine/> Muhammad Sharif Khan studied at a ''madrasa'' in Delhi that was run by the sons of eminent religious scholar of the [[Naqshbandi]] order [[Shah Waliullah Dehlawi]]. He was the royal Hakim at the court of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Shah Alam II]] (ruled 1759-1806) who gave him the title Ashraf-al-Hukma (The Best of Physicians). Hakim Muhammad Sharif Khan also possibly treated this emperor's son [[Akbar II]] (ruled 1806-1837).<ref name=GreekMedicine/><ref name=Iranica>[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sarif-khan-mohammad-d-ca-1807-physician-at-the-court-of-the-mughal-emperor-shah-alam-ii Muhammad Sharif Khan profile on Encyclopedia Iranica] Published 15 July 2009, Retrieved 23 August 2019</ref>

== Achievements ==
Since Hakim Sharif was based in Delhi, his family of hakims, the "Sharifi family", came to be recognised as the Delhi school of Hakims.<ref name=GreekMedicine>{{Cite web|url=http://www.greekmedicine.net/whos_who/Sharifi_Family_Tradition.html|title=Greek Medicine: THE SHARIFI FAMILY TRADITION|website=www.greekmedicine.net|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref><ref name=Iranica/>

Muhammad Sharif Khan came from a "a family of theologians and physicians", and ultimately descended from [[Khwaja Ahrar|Ubayd-Allah Mahmud Ahrar]] (died 1490), "an influential Sufi Shaikh of the [[Naqshbandi]] order in [[Transoxiana]]".<ref name=Iranica/>

He was a prolific writer, and wrote some seventeen books on medicine, of which the most famous was "Elaaj al-Amraaz", (The Cures for Diseases) which is still considered a great source of reference in the field. He is also famous for compiling the most complete and authoritative collection of Unani medicinal formulas into one master work.<ref name=Iranica/>

He also translated the Quran into Urdu, which is widely regarded as the first translation of the Qur'an into that language.<ref name=Iranica/>

He was responsible for introducing aspects of European science in [[Yunani medicine|Unani medicine]] during that period, and he also composed works in [[Persian language|Persian]], as well as in [[Arabic]], including a dictionary of Indian drugs.<ref name=Iranica/>

He is the great-grandfather of [[Hakim Ajmal Khan]], a renowned hakim, scholar, and politician of his time in [[British India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-south-asian.com/april2002/indiasfirstunanifamily1.htm |title=Sharif Manzil & Hindustani Dawakhana - crumbling memories of India's First Unani family|website=the-south-asian.com|date=April 2002|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref>

==Death==
Hakim Muhammad Sharif Khan died in 1807 and was buried close to the tomb of [[Sufi]] [[Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki]] in Delhi, India.<ref name=GreekMedicine/><ref name=Iranica/>

==Further reading==
For his life and writings, see:

* C.A. Storey, ''Persian Literature: A Bio-Bibliographical Survey''. Volume II, Part 2: E.Medicine (London: Royal Asiatic Society, 1971), pp. 283–5 no. 494.
* [[Carl Brockelmann]], ''Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur'', Supplement, 3 vols. (Leiden: Brill, 1937-1942), vol. 2, p. 864 no. 56a

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = ŠARIF KHAN, Moḥammad | last = Speziale | first = Fabrizio | authorlink = | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sarif-khan-mohammad-d-ca-1807-physician-at-the-court-of-the-mughal-emperor-shah-alam-ii | editor-last = | editor-first = | editor-link = | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica | pages = | location = | publisher = | year = 2009 | isbn = }}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan}}
[[Category:1807 deaths]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:Unani practitioners]]
[[Category:1722 births]]

Hakim Muhammad Sharif Khan - Revision history

>Citation bot at 07:51, 18 March 2021