مسلمانوں کا نیوٹن ۔ ڈاکٹر عبدالسلام — Page 417
407 Biographical memoirs Abdus Salam Freeman J Dyson The following article was published in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 143, pp 345-350( 1999)۔Abdus Salam was one of the great spirits of our time, great as a scientist, greater as a organizer, greatest as the voice of conscience speaking for the advancement of science among the poorer two thirds of mankind۔I met him first in England when he was 24; a student recently arrived from the turmoil of newly independent Pakistan۔I was then supposed to be a leading expert on the theory of quantum electrodynamics۔I quickly found out that Salam knew as much about that subject as I did۔He asked me for a topic for his research۔I gave him the topic of overlapping divergences, a highly technical problem that had defeated me for two years۔He solved it in a few months۔I met him a year later in Zurich۔He came with a completed paper, a pioneering piece of work on scalar electrodynamics۔He asked me to introduce him to Wolfgang Pauli, at that time the leading European expert on quantum field theories۔I told Pauli who he was, and Pauli agreed to see him۔After the formal introduction, Salam said: Professor Pauli, could you please be so kind to look at this paper and let me know what you think of it۔” Pauli said," I have to be careful not to use my eyes too much۔I will not read your paper”۔That was the end of conversation۔Salam thanked Pauli and left the room, showing no trace of anger or disappointment۔He knew his own worth۔When I apologized for Pauli's rudeness, Salam said he was sorry for Pauli, not for himself۔Pauli had missed the chance to learn something interesting۔When he visited Zurich, Salam was wrestling with the question, whether or not to return to Pakistan۔His studies in England were almost finished۔If he should decide to stay in England or America, a brilliant research career awaited him۔He was at the height of his intellectual powers, an outstanding talent among the rising generation of physicists۔But his conscience would not allow him to stay۔He felt a compelling duty to go home and do whatever he could to help his people۔Pakistan, inspite of its poverty, had paid the expenses for his living and studying in England۔Now it was his turn to repay his debt to Pakistan۔He discussed his dilemma with me۔I advised him strongly to come to America, to plunge into research for five years first, and then help his people afterwards۔He thanked me for my advice and told me he was going home۔Physics could wait, but his people could not۔Returns to Pakistan Salam returned to Lahore in 1951 and stayed for three years۔Those were years of deep frustration۔The academic hierarchy in Lahore had no wish to be helped by a 25-year-old genius from London۔Salam had hoped to inspire the young people of Pakistan to learn science and modernize their society, to launch a wave of scientific progress۔