Tributes pour in after respected mosque official dies suddenly

By News Desk

Saeed Iqbal, affectionately known by community members as ‘Smiler’ due to his infectious smile, was in Pakistan with his mother when he passed away. He was an important member of the Zia-ul-Quran Jamia Masjid and Community Centre in Alum Rock.

Iqbal was a kind-hearted man who was known for helping grieving families with the bathing and burial of their deceased loved ones locally as well as internationally.

Tributes poured in on social media and shocked locals who knew Iqbal also paid their respects.

Majid Mahmood, Bromford and Hodge Hill Ward councillor, said: “I’m shocked and saddened that Brother Saeed, the caretaker at Zia-ul-Quran Mosque, who performed thousands of ghusls [purification baths], and burials on behalf of the people of Birmingham, has passed away.”

The mosque’s Public Liaison Officer, Shaukat Mahmood, said: “It is a loss not for just the whole of Birmingham, but Pakistan, as well, as he would perform burials there. He performed the ghusl and burial without any fear.

“He was a volunteer who loved doing it for the faith and serving the community.

“Anything like picking up the deceased, shrouding them, washing them, taking them to the airport burying them in a different country.

“I am going to miss everything. It feels like a light has gone out of the mosque. It is a loss to the whole community. Nobody ever had a bad word to say about him.”

Resident Haroon Iqbal reminisced: “He was a nice and humble man who was helpful and caring. He was someone who went the extra mile to support us.

“My son passed away and he was one step ahead of me, he said ‘I’m here for you’, it is a big loss for the community and the mosque. He will be missed.

“It is sad we cannot be there at his funeral. He buried people in our community but we cannot bury him.”

One person said: “Brother Saeed was the most calm and humble guy I knew. He was here for me and my family when my father and grandparents passed away.

“He was known to our family for over ten years, and I remember when my dad passed away in 2021, he came to the house and stood by my father for a long time, before taking him to the mosque.

“He allowed us to see my dad before his burial as many times as we wanted, and he was always patient and never rushed us.

“He will be very sadly missed and I hope his family take solace in the fact that he was a much-loved member of the community.”