Sahul Hameed s/o Kattuva

The late Sahul Hameed, Barrister-at-law, Inner Temple, London, was called and admitted to the Singapore Bar on 13 October 1971. Upon his admission, he practised with Murugason & Co, then in partnership with Yeo & Hameed, after which he set up his own firm, Hameed & Co.

He married Mdm Zafarunnisha d/o OUM Mohideen in 1973, and they have three grown-up daughters, aged 19, 22 and 24 years.

Sahul was a self-made man. Before embarking to read law at the Inns of Court, School of Law, London, he took on all kinds of work to save money and finance himself to study law in the UK.

Upon his return and having established himself, Sahul turned his attention to the less fortunate. He formed and chaired the Kadayanallur Society of Tamil-speaking Muslims, which caters to the needy, runs religious classes as well as a legal clinic. Sahul also volunteered his services as a member of a panel of volunteer lawyers with the Jamiyah Legal Clinic. In addition, he was also a member of the Legal Aid Bureau panel of solicitors, taking on assigned cases for the poor.

Sahul was a hard working counsel who practised both at the civil and criminal Bar. He maintained a very high discipline in his pursuits to acquire knowledge and to improve himself. Despite this, he was very balanced - he was an affectionate family man, devoted to his family, a good husband and father.

Apart from his immediate family, his elder sister survives Sahul. When his brother died at an early age, he selflessly took on the responsibility of caring and providing for his late brother's entire family until the last of his brother's children were married in 1994.

His caring and giving nature knew no bounds. On one occasion when he visited his village Kadayanallur in India, he met a young child who was suffering from a hole in the heart. He undertook to assist her in her operation, and sourced out funds for her successful operation.

He was a very careful and gentle person in all aspects of his life and strongly believed in fairness and punctuality in his dealings with others. He was a nature-loving person and would not injure or hurt even a tiny insect. He once even saved a cockroach and fed it food. Upon being diagnosed with his illness, Sahul did not wallow in self-pity, but took action to plan for the future. He quickly employed a young practitioner, Mr David Ng, to manage and run his firm.

I have personally known Sahul as a friend and colleague for more than 20 years. He was full of life and energy and would always help others and not think twice about going an extra mile to help another colleague.

He loved the profession so much that he told his wife that he would work and practise until he drops dead. I am saddened by his demise and was really honoured when called upon to pen words in his memory.

May the Almighty bless his soul.
Yahya Syed
Syed Yahya & Partners