Farewell to our RMH (Rafiq M. Habib Sahib)
By Wasif Rizvi
Founding President, Habib University
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
رضا بقضائك و تسليماً لامرك و لامعبود سواك يا غياث المستغيثين
(Verily We Belong to Allah, and verily to Him do we return. We earnestly accept His judgement and submit to His command, as there’s none other worthy of worship, O the Succorer for the relief seekers.)
This short prayer is attributed to Imam Hussain (as), the third holy Imam of Shia Muslims, and the famous martyr of Karbala. It is reported that Imam (as) recited these words towards the end of the day of Ashura.
Today, these divine words seem most fitting to mourn the passing of our Founding Chancellor, Rafiq M. Habib, a towering figure of vision, humility, and steadfast service, whose leadership and generosity laid the very foundations of Habib University.
Rafiq Sahib was the visionary in the legendary Habib family to imagine a world-class institution of higher learning being founded in Karachi. Where others might have seen uncertainty, he saw destiny. He reminded us that this university was not merely to be an academic institution, but a living embodiment of the Habib family’s century-long commitment to the public good, to education, and to the higher values of service.
As the Founding President of the University, I was blessed to share a unique affinity and history with him. In those earliest days, it often felt like we were a two-person crew, he, as the anchor and guardian of the vision, and I, as its first steward, working side by side to set in motion what would become Habib University. His conviction and calm stewardship gave me the courage to begin, and his encouragement remained a source of reassurance at every step of the journey.
Rafiq Sahib was a man of immense dignity, gentleness, and resolve. He never sought the spotlight, yet his quiet strength anchored us all. He cultivated an atmosphere of trust, grace, and higher purpose. For Habib University, he was the Chancellor, but also a guardian and guide; for me personally, he was an elder, a confidant, and a companion in this founding endeavor.
The thousands of young women and men who have walked through the gates of Habib University and will do so for generations to come are a living testament to his vision. His generosity was never about recognition, it was an act of devotion to knowledge, to service, and to the belief that education is the noblest inheritance one can give to society.
For Muslims, it is no small measure of God’s grace that he has returned to his Lord in the blessed month of Rabi al-Awwal, when the mercy and light of creation itself was gifted to humanity in the form of the Holy Prophet ﷺ. This passing in the Prophet’s month is a sign of closeness to the Prophet and his holy progeny (as), and it lends further sanctity to Rafiq Sahib’s noble departure.
We will dearly miss you, RMH. Your presence gave us confidence, your absence leaves us bereft, but your legacy will forever light our way. Habib University will continue to strive, in every step, to honor the vision you entrusted to us.
See you on the other side.
مِنها خَلَقناكُم وَفيها نُعيدُكُم وَمِنها نُخرِجُكُم تارَةً أُخرىٰ
“From the earth We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time.” (Quran 20:55)
