Multinational Man: Abdus Salam

Version 1. So, there are probably a fair number of errors here and things that can be phrased better. I've lost the final version, so I plan on eventually correcting this one, and one day, inshallah, adding some more te t from an array of sources. It is unfortunate though that not many sources e ist discussing the life and times of !r. Abdus Salam. "r, at least that's my opinion on the issue.

#his is paper I $rote for an undergraduate class entitled %reativity in &hysics. I then used the paper for a presentation.

I reserve all rights. '(sama )ulsher Ahmad

Usama Ahmed 4/15/2012 Multinational Man: Abdus Salam With the advent of modern day imaging te hnology! "i tures are often edited to the "oint #here they seem as lose to "erfe t as "ossible $ blemishes are removed! olors evened out and a myriad of other enhan ements ta%e "la e before the final "rodu t is released& 'he result is a "i ture that seems almost too "erfe t& (ather! it is too "erfe t& 'his is also ho# #e some of the great "ersonalities of man%ind are envisioned& We have saints and the satani ! murderers and martyrs& )o#ever! on e #e begin to loo% dee"er into the story and if #e*re able to attain the original "i ture! #e #ill see all the #rin%les and im"erfe tions that add om"le+ity and a sense of de"th to "i tures& 'he story of Abdus Salam is no e+ e"tion to this on e"t& )e #as neither entirely martyr nor murderer& )e #as born in #hat #as then

2 ,ritish -ast .ndia& )is mother returned to her village to give birth to him in Santo%das! in the Sahi#al /istri t of #hat is "resent0day 1a%istan! Abdus Salam #ould go from very humble beginnings to eventually #inning a 2obel 1ri3e in 1454! alongside Sheldon 6lasho# and Steven Weinberg 7for their ontributions to the theory of the unified #ea% and ele tromagneti intera tion bet#een elementary "arti les! in luding! inter alia! the "redi tion of the #ea% neutral urrent&712 'he story in bet#een and beyond is about a man #ho understood ho# fortunate he #as! and #anted to allo# others from less fortunate ba %grounds to reali3e their dreams and yet! not lose everything in order to& Moreover! he #anted those from less fortunate ba %grounds and from develo"ing ountries to give ba % and hel" to ontinue the trend& )e #anted to onne t for es! and he #anted to onne t "eo"le&

At the age of 81! Abdus Salam*s father! Mohammad )ussein! lost his #ife si+ #ee%s after the birth of their first hild $ a daughter named Masooda&8 .t #as 9ust re ently that the man had a vivid dream in #hi h he sa# that a future hild of his #ould inter"ret the signs of the #orld li%e no one "rior&4 :et! no# he suddenly found his family s"lit and #as barely earning enough to survive& Someho#! he managed though and roughly three years later! in 1425! Mohammad )ussein remarried and the eldest of the si+ boys and one daughter! Abdus Salam! #as born on ;anuary 24th! 142<&

'he name Abdus Salam is! in essen e! one name& .t*s a%in to a hy"henated name&5 .t means Servant of

'&W&,& =ibble! 7Mohammad Abdus Salam! =&,&-&& 24 ;anuary 142<021 2ovember 144<!7 *iographical Memoirs of +ello$s of the ,oyal Society! 44! no& 2ov& >144?@: 8?<0401! htt"://###&9stor&org/stable/550251 >a essed A"ril 15! 2012@& 2 2obe"ri3e&org! 7'he 2obel 1ri3e in 1hysi s 1454 Sheldon 6lasho#! Abdus Salam! Steven Weinberg&7 Aast modified A"ril! 15! 2012& A essed A"ril 15! 2012& htt"://###&nobel"ri3e&org/nobelB"ri3es/"hysi s/laureates/1454/& 8 =ibble! 8?< 4 6ordon Craser! %osmic Anger Abdus Salam '' the first Muslim -obel scientist! >2e# :or%: D+ford! 200?@! 1& 5 =ibble! 8?<

8 the Most01ea eful& 'he name is a ombination of three Arabi #ords! Abd, ul! and As'Salam& 'he #ord Abd refers to a servant or slave! #hile As'Salam refers to one of the many attributes given to 6od in .slam& 'he #ord ul means EofF and denotes "ossession& 'hus! #e have Abdul Salam! or more "honeti ally orre t! Abdus Salam sin e the ElF be omes silent #hen the t#o #ords are onne ted& Mohammad )usein! Abdus Salam*s father! sa# a dream in #hi h an angel said that this #as alled Abdus Salam&< 'he fa t that it #as seen in a dream! #as inter"reted as 6od*s #ill and therefore the hild that #as eventually born! he #as named Abdus Salam& .n a li%e#ise fashion! the names of all brothers5 ta%e these EAttributes of 6odF and 9oin the #ord Abd to them& )is brothers names #ere Abdus Sami! Abdul )amid! Abdul Ma9id! a "air of t#ins named Abdul Gadir! and Abdur (ashid&! Abdur (ashid and finally Abdul Wahab& When he #as still ne# in the United =ingdom! Abdus Salam disli%ed his name shortened to Abdus or Salam! With regards to his name! a friend named Walter )ayman on e suggested using ea h others* first names! to #hi h Abdus Salam re"lied! Emy name means *Servant of 6od*H #ould you rather be alled *Servant* or *6od&*F Aater in life! his name*s meaning #ould also oin ide #ith his efforts for the third #orld& 'he longer he lived in the United =ingdom! and the more familiar he gre# #ith the ulture and "eo"le! the less he began to mind& Aater in his life! he #ould add EMohammadF to his name&?

Muhammad )ussein! Abdus Salam*s father! #as a dee"ly religious man& 'he family #as far from ri h! o#ning only a 2 room house! #ith no ele tri ity or running #aterH ho#ever! the family did o#n hi %ens and a o#&4 As a hild! Abdus Salam #as given his o#n "rivate "la e in their small home& )is sister #ould bring his food and in general! the hild #as e+em"t of most of the farm #or%& )is sister
< 5 ? 4 Craser 2 Craser 8 =ibble! 8?<08?? =ibble 845

4 #ould also fuel and lean his lam" as the village la %ed ele tri ity& .n om"arison to the other hildren! Abdus Salam #as s"oiled by his father& .n fa t! des"ite the situation of the family! Abdus Salam*s first "ri3e #as given based u"on his "hysi al ondition&& At the age of t#o he #as onsidered the most EhealthyF hild in the entire village of ;hang& )is ne+t ma9or a hievement #ould be an essay in finding out #hen the most famous Urdu "oet! Mir3a Asadullah 6halib! s#it hed his nom de plume from EAsadF to E6halib&F .t #asn*t until later in his early teens that Abdus Salam #ould turn his attention to Mathemati s and Aiterature >-nglish! in "arti ular@& 10 Abdus Salam started learning at the age of three and at the age of si+! Abdus Salam*s father deemed him fit enough for s hool and thus enrolled him& Within a short "eriod after! Abdus Salam #as "ushed u" a fe# grades and entered a ne# s hool& ,ased on his dream! inter"retations of the dream! as #ell as dreams others ad about his hild! Mohammad )ussein des"erately #ished for the hild to do #ell in a ademi s and eventually enter the Iivil Servi e&11 As su h! his hild #ould reJuire average to remar%able s%ill in the -nglish language& Dne #ay for his hild to im"rove his -nglish #as to attend Ientral Model S hool for Muslims in the ity of Aahore&12 .n om"arison to ;hang! Aahore #as a bustling hub of ulture and edu ation& Unfortunately for the father! the son*s resume #as not strong enough to #arrant immediate attention& Curthermore! a fashion fau+ "as may have "layed a role in his re9e tion& At the behest of his father! Abdus Salam #ore a Ce3 hatH ho#ever! #ith the #esterni3ation of 'ur%ey! the hat had long sin e fallen out of vogue& IonseJuently! Abdus Salam returned to ;hang and enrolled in the ;hang .ntermediate Iollege& At ;hang .ntermediate Iollege! he slo#ly began to onsistently a hieve high test s ores and as a result! he #as able to earn s holarshi"s& )is first s holarshi" #as for si+ ru"ees a month&18 Cor "ers"e tive! at the

10 11 12 18

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5 time! his father*s salary >as a tea her@ #as only 14 ru"ees "er month&14 'his #as the start of a "ro ess that #ould re"eat for the rest of Abdus Salam*s ollege and university areer& )e e+ elled in tests and as a result of high test s ores! he #ould either earn an in rease in "reviously established s holarshi"s or maintain ones that he already had& .n 1442 his e+am s ores for his CA >Ca ulty of the Arts@ "la ed him first in the entire "rovin e #ith 555 mar%s out of <50& 'he mar%s #ould be good enough to earn his admission into 6overnment Iollege Aahore& .n addition! his father #as "romoted by the 1un9ab -du ation /e"artment and as a onseJuen e! the family #ould move to the ity of Multan& 1erha"s more im"ortant than the "romotion! #as the raise in salary >250 ru"ees "er month@ that it ame #ith&

At 6overnment Iollege! Abdus Salam ontinued to build u"on his "ast su esses& Cor the very first time in his life! Abdus Salam #as living alone and that too! far a#ay from his family and home& )e #as earning <0 ru"ees "er month >to be used for the "ur"oses of "aying for his edu ation@& .n his free time he develo"ed the habit of "laying hess until he #as admonished by his father for #asting time& Abdus Salam #as rarely admonished in hildhood >as a onseJuen e of being more favored@ but the times #hen he #as admonished! by family or tea hers! he #ould listen and reform himself& At 6overnment Iollege! Aahore! Abdus Salam had the fortune of being taught by Sarvadaman Iho#la #ho further "iJued his interest in mathemati s& .t #as under his tea hing that Abdus Salam*s first 9ournal submission #as made in #he Maths Student! a Juarterly 9ournal for those bordering bet#een amateur and enthusiast& Iarrying on from his days at ;hang .ntermediate Iollege! Abdus Salam #as involved in literature too! both in Urdu and -nglish& )e #as a fan of the Urdu "oet 6halib and -nglish authors su h as Ds ar Wilde and '&-& Aa#ren e& When it ame to e+aminations! his still had a "en hant for outdoing his "revious re ords! and attaining higher mar%s than he did on "revious e+ams& 'hus! it should ome
14 Craser 44

< as no sur"rise that in 144< his he s ored 558 mar%s out of <00 for his MA Mathemati s&15

.n addition to e+ ellen e! good fortune also seemed to smile u"on Abdus Salam& .n 144<! the head of the 1un9ab government had been olle ting funds to hel" #ith the Allied effort in the #ar but the #ar on luded before the funds #ere ever used& 'herefore! the funds #ere set u" as s holarshi" money for students going to abroad&1< 'here #as one reJuirement though! the s holarshi" #as intended for sons of "oor farmers to study overseas& Au %ily! 9ust "rior to this! Abdus Salam*s un le! 6hulam )ussein! donated a small "lot of his land to Mohammad )ussein and as a result Abdus Salam no# Jualified for the s holarshi"&15 As a onseJuen e of this land donation& Mohammad )ussein be ame referred to as Ihaudhry Mohammad )ussein >Ihaudhry is a title or res"e t given to land o#ners@& .n order to attain the s holarshi"! "roof of admission into a foreign university #as also needed& .n this regard! Abdus Salam #as fortunate enough to have already re eived admission to St& ;ohn*s Iollege& )is #as granted admission to fill the s"ot of a student #ho had suddenly #ithdra#n& 'hus he #as able to Jui %ly settle the issue of attaining a s holarshi"& .n the end the s"eed at #hi h Abdus Salam #as able to se ure his s holarshi" #as signifi ant& Abdus Salam #as the only one to re eive the s holarshi"! sin e the s heme Jui %ly dis ontinued and the other sele ted students did not re eive any funding& 'he other four students didn*t immediately "rovide "a"ers "roving their admissionH thus! their s holarshi"s #ere "ut on hold >and ultimately never given@& Mean#hile Abdus Salam re eived his s holarshi" for 8<5 "ounds "er year for three years&1? Abdus Salam #ould later 9o%e that the entire War Cund that #as meant to buy munitions had only one true "ur"ose $ getting him to Iambridge& )o#ever! his father had "rayed for

15 1< 15 1?

Craser 5?054 =ibble! 8?? Craser! <0 Craser! <1

5 it and didn*t see it as a string of oin iden es&14 All things ome #ith a ost! and for Abdus Salam the ost #as not only leaving his family! but also having to revisit undergraduate Mathemati s des"ite having a Master*s degree in Mathemati s& Sin e there #as still time before the he rea hed the age limit for .IS >.ndian Iivil Servi e@! the tri" abroad #ouldn*t be too ostly& (egardless though! #ith money in hand! he set out for St& ;ohn*s Iollege& 20

'he tri" to Iambridge too% t#enty0one days& While t#enty0one days may seem long! it #as arguably too short to "re"are Abdus Salam for #hat #as #aiting #hen he arrived $ the unfamiliar old of the United =ingdom& ,eyond the #eather! there #as also a ulture sho %& 'here #ere -nglishmen in the sub ontinent but they amounted to nothing in om"arison to the amount in the U=& Curthermore! the -nglish of the U= also seemed radi ally different from #hat Abdus Salam #as a ustomed too& 1hrases su h as EloveF and EdearF #ould be used #ithout any onnotation of love or roman e! and #hen as%ed ho# they #ere doing!! "eo"le often re"lied Emusn*t grumble&F21 1erha"s the saying #ould have made sense to Abdus Salam had he arrived "rior to the end of the #ar& )o#ever! sin e he arrived after! the entire situation #as thoroughly "er"le+ing& .t #ould get better later though& Abdus Salam himself en9oyed #ords and the slight nuan es of differen e in #ords& As a hild he let no o""ortunity "ass to use his e+tensive vo abularyH ho#ever! that also ost him some "oints on e+am be ause he had in orre tly used many of the #ords and Juotations he #as so "roud to %no#& )is tea her had #arned him "reviously to sto" but the young hild hadn*t learned his lesson yet& After his tea her "ubli ly humiliated him! he began to listen to his tea her*s advi e and sto""ed using fan y #ords and "hrases at

14 (obert Walgate! 7Man of '#o Worlds!7 ideals and ,ealities! ed& I&) Aai and A3im =id#ai >'eane %! 2;: World S ientifi 1ublishing Io& 1te& Atd&! 14?4@! 458& 20 =ibble! 8?? 21 Craser 54

? ino""ortune times and #ithout first having an understanding of the meanings and onnotations&22 .n addition to this love of language! his time abroad also be ame less foreign #hen he #as eventually 9oined by (am 1ra%ash ,abah! an a Juaintan e from his days at 6overnment Iollege! Aahore& 'he t#o often s"o%e in 1un9abi or #ent to #at h films together&28 6iven the small number of students from the sub ontinent! and the Muslim0)indu divide that may have been "resent! finding a friend from EhomeF must have "rovided some sense of satisfa tion and 9oy&

At Iambridge! Abdus Salam #ould by"ass the first "art of the Mathemati s 'ri"os and #ent straight into the "reliminary 1art .. ourse& )e #ould later s%i" the le tures for 1art .. and instead! attend the 1art ... le tures and eventually too% the e+aminations for 1art ..& 'hus! in t#o years he a om"lished his "ur"ose for oming to Iambridge! and yet! he still had a year left on his s holarshi"& )is father onsulted the head of the Ahmadiyya movement and #as told to use the final year of the s holarshi"&24 Abdus Salam #as fairly onfidant he ould s ore #ell >as he had done before@ on the final "art! but he #asn*t sure #hether or not he #anted to ta%e it& )e found his interest "iJued by 1hysi s and onsidered going do#n that route& 'his interest #as s"ar%ed by /ira & Cor many of the Iambridge undergraduates! /ira #as a magi ian of sorts $ not in that he used sleight0of0hand tri %s or other devious tri %s to ondu t his le tures! but rather it #as his ability to om"letely fas inate & /ira *s le tures on Juantum theory "rovided a first e+"erien e some of the Iambridge students! and others #ho #ere familiar #ith the sub9e t matter also attended& .n his se ond year! Abdus Salam attended a /ira le ture as #ell and it turned out to be a "ivotal e+"erien e in his life&25 .t #as the /ira le tures that began his drift from Mathemati s to 1hysi s& .t also "resented Abdus Salam #ith a hoi e! #hat do ne+tK
22 28 24 25 Craser 51 Craser 5< Craser ?0 Craser 52

Abdus Salam*s mentor! Cred )oyle told him to ta%e the 1hysi s 1art .. instead of Math ...& )e stated that Eother#ise! you*ll never be able to loo% an e+"erimental "hysi ist in the eye&F2< Abdus Salam a e"ted and #ent ahead #ith 1hysi s 1art ..& 'he result #as that he then found himself the sub9e t in an e+"eriment& 'he e+"eriment #as to see ho# he #ould fare in 1hysi s 1art .. after having om"leted Mathemati s 1art ..& 1rior to Abdus Salam! 6&1& 'hom"son and 2evill Mott had both tried to go through the same routeH ho#ever! ultimately! both failed& /es"ite this! later in their lives both #ould go on to re eive 2obel 1ri3es in 1hysi s&25 With the e+"eriment in motion! Abdus Salam began to ta%e the laboratory ourse at the famous Iavendish Aaboratory& When it ame to e+"erimentation he Jui %ly dis overed that he #asn*t very good in a lab& )e often got strange results that then tried to e+"lain by develo"ing ne# theories&2? Cor e+am"le! one "arti ular e+"eriment had him measure the differen e in #avelength bet#een t#o lines in the s"e trum of sodium& Using his mathemati s ba %ground! Abdus Salam %ne# #hat the ans#er should be! too% several measurements and after "lotting them! he tore do#n the a""aratus& )e #as later told that instead of ta%ing three re ordings! he should have ta%en a thousandH furthermore! to add insult to in9ury! he #as told his "ro9e t #asn*t even #orth grading& Aater he #ould also ma%e an error in the "ro edure for his final "ro9e t! but mira ulously! he managed to attain a first0 lass degree& /es"ite ma%ing the grade! Abdus Salam alled those days the hardest of his student days&24

.n bet#een his failures in the laboratory! Abdus Salam also #or%ed on theoreti al "hysi s& Driginally!
2< 2igel Ialder! 7A Man of S ien e 00 Abdus Salam!7 ideals and ,ealities! ed& I&) Aai and A3im =id#ai >'eane %! 2;: Su"erintendent! 6overnment "rinting! 1un9ab! 14?4@! 4420450& 25 Craser ?2 2? Craser ?2 24 Craser ?20?8

10 he as%ed 1aul Mathe#s if he had any E rumbsF left& Mathe#s gave him 8 months to solve a "roblem& Ultimately Abdus Salam made enough "rogress on the "roblem and in five months he had made a signifi ant ontributionErenormalisingF meson theories& /ue to te hni alities! this #as enough to get him a 1h& / and later he #ould ome ba % and re eive his 1h& / based on this #or%&80 'he final "a"er #as titled EDverla""ing /ivergen ies and the S0Matri+F and #as "ublished in A"ril of 1451 >it #as re eived in the E1hysi al (evie#F offi e on Se"tember 24th! 1450@&81 With the su ess of his "a"er! Abdus Salam Jui %ly be ame a #ell %no#n name& )o#ever! by his o#n admission! su ess may have ome too early& /es"ite having only one year of e+"erien e! Abdus Salam #as #ell %no#n! even amongst the elebrities at 1rin eton& /es"ite this though! the fa t of the matter #as he still only had one year of e+"erien e! #hi h ended u" ma%ing his time at 1rin eton more #ret hed than en9oyable& )e summed u" his e+"erien e as a (esear h Cello# by stating! E. %ne# nothing of "hysi s e+ e"t that #hi h . had done myself& . #as afraid to reveal my ignoran e& . learnt nothing ne#&F82

After his time in Ameri a! he returned to the re ently reated of 1a%istan and too% u" a 9ob there as a 1rofessor of Mathemati s at 6overnment Iollege! Aahore and also Ihairman of the Mathemati s! /e"artment of the University of 1un9ab& 1a%istan had not yet embra ed and more im"ortantly had yet to have been truly e+"osed to the ne# s ien e ideas of the t#entieth entury& 'his #as refle ted in the sub9e t matter taught& 'o get around this issue! Abdus Salam held "rivate evening lasses dealing #ith Juantum me hani s& While the idea reated a bu33! by the third lass only t#o students #ere left& 'hese students! t#in brothers named Caya3uddin and (ia3uddin managed to ma%e im"ression on Abdus Salam& Caya3uddin #ould later ome to the U= himself! #hile (ia3uddin #ould ta%e over Abdus
80 Walgate 458 81 Craser 4< 82 Craser 44

11 Salam*s tea hing "osition&88 Aside from this! Abdus Salam #as told he #ould not be able get any time and sour es to do resear h >des"ite the fa t all he really needed #as a bla %board and hal%@& .nstead! Abdus Salam #as given three hoi es for ho# to s"end his free time! be ame the #arden of the ollege hostel! hief treasure of the hostel! or be ome the "resident of the hostel football lub& Ultimately he hose the latter&84 Dverall though! the a ademi limate in 1a%istan at the time an best be summari3ed

#ith the term indifferen e& 1oliti al leaders ignored s ien e and #orse yet so too did the bright students& 'hus! for Abdus Salam his "eriod in 1a%istan re"resented a time of isolation from the s ientifi ommunity&85

,riefly in the summer of 1452! Abdus Salam returned to St& ;ohn*s Iollege and #ent through formalities involved in getting his 1h& / )e #ould later return in 1454! after se uring the "osition =emner #ould leave va ant #hen ta%ing Ma+ ,orn*s hair at -dinburgh& 2ot only did Abdus Salam re eive 450 "ounds annually as a le turer and 800 "ounds as a Cello# of St& ;ohn*s Iollege! but he also arranged for 1?0 ru"ees "er month to be "aid by the 6overnment of 1un9ab for his family #hile he #as Eon de"utation to IambridgeF for a "eriod of three years&8< )is time in 1a%istan #as a "ainful e+"erien e that he tried to "revent for other s ientists from develo"ing ountries& )is frustration at being isolated and at having to hoose either ountry or "rofession >although religious "erse ution also "layed a fa tor in him leaving #ith #ife and daughter@ #ould go on to "lay a big fa tor in Abdus Salam*s Juest at bringing s ien e to the third #orld! and not 9ust bringing talent from the third #orld to the first #orld&
88 Craser 105 84 ;ohn Liman! 7Abdus Salam!7 Ideals and ,ealities! ed& I&) Aai and A3im =id#ai >'eane %! 2;: Su"erintendent! 6overnment "rinting! 1un9ab! 14?4@! 45504<2& 85 Ialder 445044< 8< Craser 1120118

12

,a % in tou h #ith his field and olleagues! Abdus Salam #as a""ointed as S ientifi Se retary at the Cirst Atoms for 1ea e Ionferen e onvened by the U2 in 6eneva&85 'he U2 #as an ideal grou" to be affiliated for a man #ith Abdus Salam*s dreams& .t "resented a #ay to a ess not only the ma9or ountries in the #orld but also the develo"ing ones& .t ould also "otentially be a #ay of onsolidating the interests of the develo"ing ountries and using that onsolidated influen e in order to ause hange that normally #ouldn*t have o urred& 'his is "re isely #hat ha""ened #hen the develo"ing ountries got together in order to bring about the develo"ment of the .nternational Ienter for 'heoreti al 1hysi s&

.n 1455! Aee and :ang #on a 2obel 1ri3e for their #or%s of investigation of so0 alled "arity& Abdus Salam had drafted a "a"er #ith a similar to"i H ho#ever! at the behest of Wolfgang 1auli! he #ithdre# his "a"er& Aater it #as "ublished again! but Abdus Salam learned his lesson $ al#ays submit #or% in a timely manner! even if it*s #rong& 8? /uring the same time! Abdus Salam #as also "re"aring for a ne# 9ob as 1rofessor of A""lied Mathemati s at .m"erial Iollege of S ien e and 'e hnology& At the same time! his #ife #ent ba % to 1a%istan for the birth of their third daughter and #ould later return in 145?& Abdus Salam #ould return to his true alling! 'heoreti al 1hysi s! in 14<0 #hen he #ould be Ihair of the de"artment&84 Also in 1455! Abdus Salam be ame the youngest member of the (oyal So iety&40

1riva y #as im"ortant to Abdus Salam& 1erha"s it #as the result of being a Muslim in a )indu dominated s hool! or later an .ndian Muslim in the United =ingdom amidst the 1artition! and lastly as
85 8? 84 40 Walgate 44< Craser 184 Craser 1850184 Walgate 44<

18 an Ahmadi in 1a%istan& )is "ersonal life #as li%e#ise %e"t "rivate& Abdus Salam first married in 1444& )e #as married to Amtul )afee3 ,egum! the se ond daughter of his "aternal un le! 6hulam )ussein& 'his #edding too% "la e bet#een Abdus Salam*s stay in 1a%istan and his time in Iambridge& 'he ou"le #as married on August 14! 1444! in the village of ;hang $ a hometo#n of sorts for both& After the marriage and the honeymoon! Abdus Salam #ent ba % to United =ingdom! and it #ould be another three years for the t#o to meet again&41 Aater in his life! Abdus Salam #ould marry for a se ond time& .n 14<?! Abdus Salam married Aouise ;ohnson& ;ohnson #as a 1rofessor of Mole ular ,io"hysi s and in 1440! she be ame a fello# of the (oyal So iety& 'he t#o #ere married in a Muslim #edding #ith 1aul Mathe# as the #itness& 'he #edding #as arried out by .mam of the Aondon Ahmadi MosJue& 'he eventual family #ould ma%e regular visits to 'rieste42 'he #edding! islami ally allo#ed! #as Abdus Salam*s se ond on urrent marriage& At the same time! Abdus Salam maintained his "revious marriage and seemed to handle both! in addition to his #or% life #ith adeJuate are& .t is interesting to note! one theme in Abdus Salam*s life is the se"aration of his "ersonal life and his #or% life& When the t#o families both attended the 2obel 1ri3e eremony! many laureates #ere sur"rised to learn of the situation&48 Moreover! to this day! many of his olleagues have different vie#s about ertain as"e ts of his "ersonality& 'hese differen es are sometimes very minor and yet at other times may be as far a"art as Abdus Salam and Weinberg*s religious vie#s& )o#ever! it did not sto" any of them from #or%ing together& ,ased on that fa t alone! a similar statement an be made on his "ersonal life&

'he highest distin tion for any s ientist is a 2obel 1ri3e& .t isn*t as mu h a validation of their efforts! but rather a form of distin t re ognition& Sheldon Aee 6lasho#! Abdus Salam and Steven Weinberg
41 Craser ?8 42 Craser 280 48 Craser 22?

14 #ere all a#arded the 2obel 1ri3e in 1hysi s in 1454& 'he "ri3e #as being a#arded to the trio for their 7for their ontributions to the theory of the unified #ea% and ele tromagneti intera tion bet#een elementary "arti les! in luding! inter alia! the "redi tion of the #ea% neutral urrent&744 .n 1454! Abdus Salam #as already busy #ith the .I'1 and had 9ust re ently tried to "ro ure some funding from the ri h Arab states >#hi h #ould ultimately didn*t "an out@! and had already "romised to donate his share of the 2obel 1ri3e #innings to a talent fund in ho"es reviving a tradition of .slami s ien e& )e had also "romised his share of the 14<? Atoms for 1ea e "ri3e& 'hus! the Abdus Salam that stood before the ro#d at the 1ri3e eremony! envisioned himself more an ambassador of the third #orld! than a "hysi ist living in the first #orld& )is "ri3e s"ee h also tou hed u"on this fa t& )e addressed the ro#d in lothes that #ere traditional to the "rovin e of 1un9ab and in Urdu he stated that it #as 1a%istan #ho dee"ly indebted to the 2obel ommittee and in larger vie#! the s ien e ommunity& )e also made it a "oint to rea h out to the third #orld in his s"ee h& )e stated! E. am no# saying this! not only to remind those here tonight of this! but also those in the 'hird World! #ho feel they have lost out in the "ursuit of s ientifi %no#ledge! for la % of o""ortunity and resour e&F45

After #inning his 2obel 1ri3e! Abdus Salam returned to 1a%istan #here he #as no# legally not a Muslim& .n 1a%istan! he #as #el omed by 6eneral Lia ul )aJ! the man behind Drdinan e MM& 'he li"s #here Abdus Salam re ited the .slami reed or used other .slami e+"ressions #ere removed!

lest the ountry*s only 2obel Aaureate be im"risoned for si+ months& )e then #ent to .ndia #here he #as #ell0re eived& 'he reason for his visit #as to meet his "rimary s hool mathemati s tea her& U"on

44 2obe"ri3e&org! 7'he 2obel 1ri3e in 1hysi s 1454 Sheldon 6lasho#! Abdus Salam! Steven Weinberg 45 Abdus Salam Mohammad! 7S"ee h at 2obel ,anJuet!7 Ideals and ,ealities! ed& I&) Aai and A3im =id#ai >'eane %! 2;: Su"erintendent! 6overnment "rinting! 1un9ab! 14?4@! 8580854&

15 meeting him! Abdus Salam too% off his 2obel medal and "la ed it around his tea her*s ne %&4<

.n many res"e ts! des"ite having a natural harisma! Abdus Salam #ouldn*t have been able to rea h the so ial heights he did #ithout Sir Muhammad Larfarullah =han& An interesting as"e t of this relationshi" is Abdus Salam*s friendshi" #ith Lafrullah =han& ,oth #ere members of the Ahmadiyya and both attained some level of fame and distin tion! both in their home ountries and globally& Lafarullah =han! aside from being a la#yer #ould go on to be ome the first Coreign 1rime Minister of 1a%istan and also later 1resident of the U2 assembly& When Abdus Salam arrived in Aiver"ool! it #as Lafrullah =han #ho met him and offered him his over oat to save him from the old& Lafrullah =han had gone to the same "ort #ith the intention of meeting his ne"he#& Unli%e the sub ontinent! no "orter #ould ta%e Abdus Salam*s huge trun% and finally Lafrullah =han offered to "ull one side of it #hile Abdus Salam grabbed the other side& .n arti le "aying homage to Lafrullah =han after he has "assed on! Abdus Salam narrated that his father had originally #ritten to Lafrullah =han in 1440! see%ing advi e about #hat to do #ith the young Abdus Salam& Lafrullah =han gave three "ie es of advi e! to loo% after his health! se ondly to revise everything he learned the day he had learned it and finally to broaden his mind #henever the o""ortunity arose >be it a 9ourney for "leasure or #ith the intention of learning ne# things@& Aater #hen Abdus Salam #ent to Ameri a! he on e again met Lafrullah =han and this time Lafrullah =han too% Abdus Salam on a tour of the eastern United States& .t #ould be during this meeting that Lafrullah =han introdu ed him to the U2& Lafrullah =han #as born on Cebruary <! 1?48 #hile Abdus Salam #as born on ;anuary 24! 142<& .t #ould be no stret h of the imagination to say that Lafrullah =han #as old enough to be Abdus Salam*s father >#ho! in identally! #as only a fe# years older than Lafrullah =han@& )o#ever! des"ite this age differen e! and a differen e
4< 7-/.'D(.AA: 'he tragedy of our treatment of /r Abdus Salam&7 !aily #imes! 2ovember 22! 200<& ###&dailytimes& om&"%/default&as"K"ageN200<O11O22OstoryB220110200<B"g8B1 >a essed A"ril 80! 2012@&

1< in o u"ations! both develo"ed a healthy friendshi"&4 5

.n an address on the "resentation of an honorary degree to Abdus Salam! ;ohn Liman stated: A single line in his biodata re ords that he has been /ire tor of the .nternational Ientre for 'heoreti al 1hysi s at 'rieste sin e 14<4& 'here is more in that title than the fifty a#ards he has #on from universities and national a ademies around the #orld&4? 'he .nternational Ienter for 'heoreti al 1hysi s! no# %no#n as the Abdus Salam .nternational Ienter for 'heoreti al 1hysi s! #as the brain hild of Abdus Salam and his effort to bridge the dis"arity bet#een develo"ed and less develo"ed nations #ith regards to s ien e& Driginally! many of the ma9or "o#ers of the #orld o""osed the establishment of su h an institution& 'hese ountries in luded the U=! Cran e! 6ermany! Australia! and Ianada& Mean#hile! the US and (ussia #eren*t as o""osed but didn*t e+"ress too mu h su""ort either& 'he idea did re eive su""ort from develo"ing ountries and it #as enough to over ome any o""osition& -ventually! the .A-A de ided to establish the enter in 'rieste! .taly& 'he .talian government had offered to "ay u" to a Juarter million dollars "er year to su""ort annual osts and ultimately! this #as more than the om"etitors&44

Abdus Salam distinguished bet#een Es ien e for s ien e*s sa%eF or theoreti al resear h that e+"lored areas of s ien e to satiate humanity*s thirst for %no#ledge! and on the other side of the s"e trum #as Es ien e for man*s sa%e&F 'his area further bro%en do#n into Eglobal s ien e!
45 Abdus Salam! 7)omage to Ihaudhri Muhammad Lafrulla =han!7 ideals and ,ealities! ed& I&) Aai and A3im =id#ai >'eane %! 2;: World S ientifi 1ublishing Io& 1te& Atd&! 14?4@! 4?104?5& 4? Liman 4<0 44 E'he Aonely S ientists $ 'hin%ing Ahead #ith Abdus SalamF 484

15 s ien e for the ri h ountries and s ien e for the "oor ountries&F .n Abdus Salam*s eyes! the later didn*t e+ist& S"ea%ing about the A./S e"idemi ! he noted Eas long as it remained in )aiti! nobody even bothered about itF but no# that it had "enetrated into Ameri a and -uro"e! Eit #ill get the attention it deserves&F )o#ever! he ontinued and added! Eit al#ays deserved that attention&F 50 .n essen e ! this train of thought "layed a role in the develo"ment of an international "hysi s enter& )e differentiated bet#een te hnology! the a""li ation of s ientifi %no#ledge and s ien e& )e o""osed the E2orthF >or develo"ed nations@ giving the ESouthF as mu h te hnology as "ossible! sin e that #as more e onomi s than edu ation& (ather! he #anted the 2orth to give as mu h s ien e as "ossible to the South&51 U"on this "rin i"le of onne ting the 2orth and South! in 14<4 the .nternational Ienter for 'heoreti al 1hysi s #as established& )o#ever! #ithin 12 years the enter for theoreti al "hysi s e+"erien ed a "aradigm shift of sorts& 'he result #as that they began to diversify and offer lasses about "hysi s of solids! "lasma "hysi s! "hysi s of o eans and of the -arth! a""li able mathemati s! "hysi s of te hnology! "hysi s of natural resour es and other areas of study& Moreover! using his o#n ountry! 1a%istan! as an e+am"le! Abdus Salam highlighted the fa t that for a ountry of roughly 50 million >at the time of the intervie#@! a mere fifty or so "eo"le onstituted the entire a tive "hysi s ommunity& 6iven the small si3e! debating #hat ty"e of "hysi ist #as more needed #as arbitrary so long as more trained "hysi ists #ere "rodu ed&52 Another %ey feature of the institution #as the idea of an Easso iateshi"F $ a one to four0month stays every year enter& 'hese students! from develo"ing ountries #ould have their travel e+"enses overed and #ould be able to better balan e ommitments at home and syn ing #ith the s ientifi
50 =idder 45< 51 Liman 4<0 52 Walgate 545

ommunity in

1? order to stay in the loo"& .n the end! Abdus Salam ho"ed the on e"t #ould s"read and #e #ould see the establishment of EU2 Universities&F58

(eligion "layed a om"li ated role in Abdus Salam*s life& 6ordon Craser! in his boo% Iosmi Anger states that Abdus Salam sa# "hysi s as a "roof of 6od*s grandeur and that several times during his tal%s #ould be %no#n to Juote the )oly GurPan! E:ou see no fla#! no in ongruity! no im"erfe tion in the reation of the All0Mer iful& 'hey loo% u" on e more! do you see any fla#K Aoo%! again and yet again! and your ga3e omes ba % da33led >Surah <5 v804@ &F54 :et! #hen as%ed #hether his religious vie#s #ere a sour e of ins"iration behind his 2obel 1ri3e #inning #or%! Abdus Salam re"lied! E. thin% "erha"s at the ba % of my mind& . #ouldn*t say ons iously& ,ut at the ba % of one*s mind the unity im"lied by religious thought "erha"s "lays a role in one*s thin%ing&F55 )is father #as a devout man! and ontinuously tried to im"art the im"ortan e of religion to his son& 'his #ould in lude daily readings of the )oly GurPan&5<

Many se ts fall under the religion of .slam& Abdus Salam*s se t! the Ahmadiyya Muslim Iommunity! is a more histori ally re ent se t& 'he beliefs of Ahmadi Muslims differ from Muslims of more mainstream .slam on four broad ounts $ the finality of "ro"hethood! the natural death of ;esus! and the arrival of the Mahdi and Messiah! and the unity of the t#o figures&55 'hese o"inions stand in star% ontrast to the vie#s of Sunni .slam! and as a result of this and other fa tors su h a raise of Ahmadi
58 E'he Aonely S ientists $ 'hin%ing Ahead #ith Abdus SalamF 440 54 Craser 104 55 Ae#is Wol"ert! and Alison (i hards! 7S ien e Sublime!7 Ideals and ,ealities! ed& I&) Aai and A3im =id#ai >'eane %! 2;: World S ientifi 1ublishing Io& 1te& Atd&! 14?4@! 4<80458& 5< Craser 50 55 Mir3a ,ashir0ud0din Mahmood Ahmad! Invitation to Ahmadiyyat! >'ilford! Surrey: .slam .nternational 1ubli ations Atd&! 2002@& 8045

14 Muslims in "rominent "ositions >su h as the aforementioned Abdus Salam and Lafarullah =han@! there #as a "re9udi e against the Ahmadiyya ommunity&

After the "artition of the sub ontinent! the Ahmadiyya movement be ame more visible! and as a result they fa ed in reasing "ressure& 'he murder of an Ahmadi army offi er in 144? ataly3ed a full0blo#n riot in the 1a%istani "rovin e of 1un9ab& -ven Muhammad Lafrullah =han! the Coreign 1rime Minister at the time #as not s"ared from a barrage of threats and insults& .t #as amidst this un"redi table and dangerous situation that Abdus Salam mar%ed his return to 1a%istan in 1451&5? 'he most volatile "la e in 1a%istan at the time #as the "rovin e of 1un9ab! and due to larger "o"ulations! main ities #ere es"e ially volatile& As fate #ould have it! Abdus Salam #as tea hing in the ity of Aahore at the time& As a notable Ahmadi! Abdus Salam #as at ris% of being atta %ed! or #orse& .n fa t after his return! rumors floated around that he had been atta %ed by a mob& .n order to "revent the rumor from be oming reality! a fello# Ahmadi housed Abdus Salam in his house& Abdus Salam #as disgusted #ith the violen e! he stated E or"ses! houses burned do#n! all be ause of my Muslim om"atriots&F54

'he ase eventually rea hed the highest ourt of the land and there the ase #as "resided over by Ihief ;usti e Munir Ahmad& 'he 9udge #as fa ed a dilemma in #hat to do #ith the ommunity& )e "ro eeded to all s holars from the various se ts and as%ing them #hat onstituted a Muslim& 'he result #as eJually "er"le+ing as it soon be lear that no t#o s holars ould "rovide the same ans#er for #hat e+a tly a Muslim #as&<0 Ultimately! the ourt ruled that it did not have the 9urisdi tion to
5? Craser 48 54 Craser 111 <0 M& Munir, and M.,. .iyani, ,/&",# of #0/ %"(,# "+ I-1(I,2 constituted under &(-3A* A%# II "+ 1456 to en7uire into the &(-3A* !IS#(,*A-%/S "+ 1458, 9:ahore, &un;ab: Superintendent, )overnment printing, &un;ab, 1456<, ==8'==>.

20 determine #ho #as and #as not a Muslim! es"e ially in light of the fa t that there #as no agreed u"on definition&

.t #as only a matter before the Ahmadiyya issue #as on e again brought u"& 'his time! the venue #as not any ourt but rather the "arliament& Under losed door "ro eedings! the government on e again too% the Ahmadiyya to trial& 'he result this time #as an amendment to the onstitution of 1a%istan& 'he then 1rime Minister of 1a%istan! LulfiJar Ali ,hutto! attem"ted to gain the favor of the oil0ri h middle eastern states and in order to do so had to a""ease the religious leaders of these ountries >as #ell as his o#n@& 'his lead to a legali3ed islami3ation #hi h #as emented by de laring the Ahmadi ommunity as Enon0Muslim&F 'hus! Abdus Salam found himself a non0Muslim in his o#n land! and Muslim on e outside the borders of 1a%istan& )e #as devastated by the ruling& A man #ho had ta%en great "ride in his .slami history #as suddenly being ut off from it& )is diary entry for this date! Se"tember 5! 1454 read! Ede lared non0Muslim! annot o"e&F<1

'he follo#ing day! Abdus Salam handed in his resignation as an advisor& .n e+"lanation of his a tions! he #rote! &&&. believe that the re ent de ision of the 2ational assembly in res"e t of this ommunity is ontradi tory to the s"irit of .slam be ause .slam does not give any segment of the .slami ommunity the right to "ronoun e on the faith of any other

segment! faith being a matter bet#een man and his reator&<2 ,hutto attem"ted to "ersuade Abdus Salam by "romising to hange the situation and attem"ting to "lay the situation as more a onseJuen e of the times than his doing& )o#ever! #hen as%ed for a #ritten
<1 Craser 244 <2 Craser 250

21 "romise! he refused&<8

'he latter "art of Abdus Salam*s life is a rather sad tale& After ,hutto! the situation #orsened under the martial rule of 6eneral Mohammad Lia0ul0)aJ& Under his rule! a set of la#s "unishing the a t of E"retendingF to be Muslim and slander >"roven or un"roven@ against .slam #as made "unishable $ the lightest "enalty ould be a year or t#o in "rison&<4 .n addition! Abdus Salam never re eived the su""ort of 1a%istan again! #hi h effe tively derailed any "lans or admirations he had #ithin the U2 or related "ro9e ts& Moreover! Abdus Salam*s health began to degenerate& )e freJuently fell and as time "rogressed! the freJuen y of falls rose& ,y 14?4! he had been redu ed to a #heel hair& /es"ite this he still attended the inauguration of I-(2*s "arti le a elerator&<5 Driginally it #as un%no#n #hat his disorder #as! only that it #as some sort of degenerative disorder& Aater it #as su essfully diagnosed as 1rogressive Su"ranu lear 1alsy >1S1@& 1S1 is a nuerodegenerative disease #ith no %no#n ause! treatment or ure& .t affe ts nerve ells that ontrol #al%ing! mobility! vision! s"ee h! s#allo#ing! and balan e& 'he disease is fairly rare #ith only five to si+ "eo"le "er every 100!000 develo"ing it&

Abdus Salam arried on his #or% as best he ouldH ho#ever! #ith his health ontinuing to fail him! his olleagues de ided it #as the best time to elebrate his areer! before the disease robbed him to an entirely debilitating "oint& 'hus! in 1448! the E)ighlights of 1arti le and Iondensed Matter 1hysi sF event #as held at 'rieste& 'he even oin ided #ith Abdus Salam*s retirement from tea hing at .m"erial Iollege&<< After#ards! Abdus Salam retired to his home #ith his "hysi s areer over& Sensing his time
<8 Craser 250 <4 6overnment of 1a%istan! 7Drdinan e MM&7 A essed A"ril 10! 2012& htt"://###&the"erse ution&org/50years/"a%la#&html& <5 Craser 2<0 << Craser 2<002<2

22 #as near! his students and olleagues visited him at his home to "ay their res"e ts& Dn one "arti ular in iden e! Seifalah (and9bar0/aemi visited Abdus Salam in D tober >144<@ and s"o%e of the #or% he and Strathdee #ere doing& 'hey #ere attem"ting to render the for es bet#een subatomi "arti les into a form that #ould be more feasible for om"utational stimulation& U"on hearing of this #or%! Abdus Salam stated! Edon*t forget gravity&F 'his #as the first substantial he had said in a long time! and #ould be one of the last oherent things he #ould say& .n 2ovember! he too% one more tumble! and #ouldn*t get u"& After his "assing! his body #as ta%en to 1a%istan& 2ineteen members of his family traveled #ith the body& U"on arrival! on the 2ovember 25! the body #as ta%en to an Ahmadi mosJue in Aahore& Aater the same day! the body #as ta%en to the ity of (ab#ah and buried there& )is grave is easily identifiable given that it reads! EAbdus Salam! Cirst 2obel Aaureate&F 'he missing blan% used to

ontain the #ord EMuslimF until it #as removed&<5 .t #as another insult to a man #ho #as never embra ed or su""orted by his o#n ountry& A ountry that thus far has "rodu ed only a ommemorative stam" to honor one of its greatest heroes&<?

'here are several themes #e that re ur over and over in the life of Abdus Salam& Dne of those themes is isolation& 'he Muslim in the )indu dominated s hools! the .ndian in the U= and the Ahmadi in 1a%istan& .n some #ays! it*s odd that the man see%ing to find so many onne tions #as himself full of so many se"arated s"heres and om"artments& At the same time though! "erha"s the onne tion bet#een them is #aiting to be dis overed and "rooven&

<5 Craser 2<5 <? >7-/.'D(.AA: 'he tragedy of our treatment of /r Abdus Salam7 200<@