Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. FindPK remembers Mr Zahid Ikram (late), the software engineer, author, researcher and poet who created this directory. He was a great personality — generous with knowledge, devoted to Pakistan, and committed to placing the Holy Quran’s invitation to think at the centre of public life.
FindPK, the Yellow Pages of Pakistan, was developed by Mr Zahid Ikram (late). After his passing, the site was purchased from his family. It is now owned and maintained by CyberFolks, a website and applications development company based in Karachi. Read the About FindPK page for the stewardship of this archive.
His life and work
Zahid Ikram was a software engineer from Islamabad. His home town was Tehsil Gojra, District Toba Tek Singh. In 1998 he left a software engineering post in Singapore and returned to Islamabad to serve his homeland. He introduced information, internet and web technologies to government and local business organisations — work that became FindPK, Cyber City Online, and a generation of Pakistani web directories.
He was also an author, researcher and poet. His publications include Science in Quran, the Urdu work Behr-e-Bekraan, and the civic programme Let’s Rebuild & Excel Pakistan, which proposed a Holy Quran Exhibition Park and research centre so ordinary people could meet the message of the Quran through science, models and multimedia.
In his own words
The preface below is from his own site. We keep his voice here, in tribute.
Respected audiences, السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته,
اللّٰھُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلٰی آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ کَمَا صَلَّیْتَ عَلٰی اِبْرَاہِیْمَ وَعَلٰی آلِ اِبْرَاہِیْمَ اِنَّکَ حَمِیْدٌ مَّجِیْدٌ. اللّٰھُمَّ بَارِکْ عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلٰی آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ کَمَا بَارَکْتَ عَلٰی اِبْرَاہِیْمَ وَعَلٰی آلِ اِبْرَاہِیْمَ اِنَّکَ حَمِیْدٌ مَّجِیْدٌ
This is Zahid Ikram, a software engineer, author, researcher and poet from Islamabad, while my home town is Tehsil Gojra, District Toba Tek Singh. In 1998, I left my job as software engineer in Singapore. I returned to Islamabad in order to serve my homeland. I introduced information, internet and web technologies for government and local business organisations.
Once I observed the meaning of this ayah of the Holy Quran from Surah Ḥā Mīm Al-Sajda / Fuṣṣilat 41:53, where Allah said:
سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْـَٔافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ ﴿٥٣﴾
We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things? (41:53)
This ayah touched my heart and soul and I started research in finding Allah’s portents in our observable universe and within ourselves. With the grace of Almighty Allah, I have observed great portents of Allah that today’s modern sciences have just recently discovered but had already been mentioned in our Holy Book above 1,400 years ago, when there was no advancement of science and no modern observation facilities.
Today most of us (Muslims) have forgotten the message of the Quran, which was full of wisdom and inviting mankind to ponder over Allah’s creations. Have you ever thought about the fact that you did not exist before you were conceived and then born into the world, and that you have come into existence from mere nothingness?
Unfortunately, most of us do not ponder. By the grace of Almighty Allah, I have been doing research on the horizons (the observable universe) and within ourselves and have published my research work as “Science in Quran”.
Allah said in the Quran at Surah Al-A‘raf 7:185:
أَوَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا۟ فِى مَلَكُوتِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍۢ وَأَنْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ قَدِ ٱقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَهُۥ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١٨٥﴾
Have they not considered the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and what things Allah hath created? and that it may be that their own term draweth nigh? In what fact after this will they believe? (7:185)
Guest of honour at Masjid-e-Nabwi
By the grace of Almighty Allah, on 15 April 2017 he was invited to Saudi Arabia as guest of honour by the Holy Quran Exhibition and the Asma-ul-Husna Exhibition, both at Masjid-e-Nabwi (peace be upon him), Madinah Munawwarah. The official Urdu Facebook page of نمائش مسجد نبوی published his visit and introduction.
During that ziyarah he formed the plan of a Holy Quran Exhibition — research and development project for Pakistan: a place where a common person could enter to understand the message of the Quran, with 3D modelling, holograms, multimedia, touch screens and explanations in English, Urdu and other languages. His mission, in his words, was “to convey the message of the Holy Quran by all means to common men.”
اردو تعارف
میں ہوں زاہد اکرام، ایک سوفٹ وئیر انجینیر، مصنف، محقق اور شاعر، اسلام آباد سے، جبکہ میرا آبائی شہر تحصیل گوجرہ، ضلع ٹوبہ ٹیک سنگھ ہے۔ اپنی مادرِ وطن کی خدمت کے لیے میں ۱۹۹۸ میں سنگاپور سے اپنی سوفٹ وئیر انجینیر کی ملازمت کو خیر باد کر کے اسلام آباد آ گیا۔ میں نے انفارمیشن، انٹرنیٹ اور ویب ٹیکنالوجی پاکستانی گورنمنٹ اور لوکل بزنس آرگنائزیشن میں متعارف کروائیں۔
علاوہ ازیں نمائش قرآنِ مجید پارک اور تحقیق و ترویج سنٹر کے منصوبے کے لیے میں نے ’آیئے تعمیرِ نوع کریں ایک برتر پاکستان کے لیے!‘، ’سائنس اِن قرآن‘ اور ’بحرِ بیکراں‘ بھی تصنیف کی ہیں۔
A continuing trust
FindPK remains his public work: a national directory built so Pakistani businesses, exporters, cities and civic institutions could be found on the web. CyberFolks now keeps that trust — rebuilding the site, caring for the archive, and listing CyberFolks itself as a website and applications development company so visitors can reach the present owners.
May Allah grant him the highest ranks in Jannah. Ameen.
Visit cyberfolks.pk · CyberFolks on FindPK · About FindPK