Khalid Mahmood (cleric)
Dr Allama Khalid Maḥmūd (17 October 1925 – 14 May 2020) was a Pakistani Sunni Islamic scholar who served as Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He established the Islamic Academy and City Jamia Masjid in Manchester, England and was best known for his works related to Finality of the Prophethood. Education. Maḥmūd studied Islamic Sciences from Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi, Shamsul Haq Afghani, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani and Maulana Badre Alam Meerthi. He received his PhD degree in 1970 from University of Birmingham. He also completed master's degrees in Arabic, Persian, Philosophy & Theology, also achieving a LLB  in Law. Career. He served as a senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (Shariat Appellate Bench). He was also director of the Islamic Academy of Manchester UK. He founded a purposed built mosque, CITY JAMIA MASJID in Manchester.He was known for his knowledge on fiqh issues and comparative religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and many others. He was an expert in many fields of Islamic knowledge, including Jurisprudence (fiqh), hadith, logic, debate, and many more. He also held a number of positions on the Shariah Boards of prestigious Islamic institutions, and was one of the most  influential Islamic scholars outside Pakistan. Dr Mahmood was famed for his unique insight, sharp mind and piercing intellect. However, not many know that he was also endowed with a photographic memory. Dr Allamah Khalid Maḥmūd was the Shaykh-ul-Hadith of Jamia Ashrafia, Lahore and the head of the Islamic Center Manchester. In the UK during the 1960s, he worked with great personalities such as Shaykh Asif Husain Farooqi and Moulana Yusuf Motala and worked alongside him (before establishing Dar-ul-Uloom Bury). He travelled to over 50 countries in his lifetime in regards to his Islamic works, focusing on  establishing the message relating to the Finality of the Prophethood. It is well known that Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Chinioti accompanied Dr Mahmood on many of the travels relating to these works; most notably spending a 6-month period in South Africa in the 1970s whilst contention relating to Khatm-e-Nabuwwat was rife - soon after the opposing view began to be spread in these areas. Throughout his lifetime, Dr Mahmood established many Masājid and Islamic centres across the world, especially in poverty-stricken areas - for example within Ghana, Gambia and many throughout South-East Asia, whilst also setting-up many  other charities in these areas to provide aid in the form of orphanages, health centres, and food banks. Amongst the legacy he leaves behind is his special student (and now senior Americanʿālim) Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia of Chicago, USA with regards to whom he stated publicly: “I have written a book of knowledge. If you would like to read it, it is Mawlānā Amin.” Literary works. Dr Khalid Mahmood authored over 50 books, including: Death. Khalid Maḥmūd died on 14 May 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom; his death fell during Ramadhan. He died of a respiratory illness he contracted whilst  he was recovering in hospital from a hip bone operation. It was later seen that his index finger was still pointing upwards upon the time of the funeral ghusl (bathing the body of the deceased), which corresponds to the Islamic belief of Tawhid - often affirmed when one raises their finger, reciting the Shahada (declaration of faith).