Mahmud Saedon

Mahmud Saedon bin Othman (20 December 1943 – 24 June 2002) was a Bruneian writer and Muslim scholar. His proficiency in the legal and Islamic domains, served as the foundation for the nation's giving of diplomas in law and Syar'ie law. Additionally, he was the principal advocate for the progressive reinstatement of syariah laws as the supreme law of the nation and the Islamic Legal Specialist in the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA).

Early life and education On 20 December 1943, in Kampong Padang, Mahmud Saedon was born. Malai Marhani binti Sheikh Mahmud was his mother, and his father was Othman bin Pehin Orang Kaya Perdana Indera Mohammad Jair, a schoolteacher. His early schooling was at the Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam Malay School from 1951 to 1954 and Brunei Town Government English School in 1955. The Government of Brunei recognised his academic excellence and gave him a scholarship to study at the Kolej Islam Malaya, and then at the Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah. During the PRB's revival in 1974, he was tasked with lobbying the Indonesian government and reestablishing the political ties with Arab Embassies in order to request their material and spiritual assistance, as well as with the Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization (AAPSO), which provided political support to A. M. Azahari from 1963 until 1966. He would go on to become the first individual in the nation to have graduated from Al-Azhar University with a doctorate in the discipline of sharia.

Career Mahmud Saedon began his career at the National University of Malaysia (UKM) from 1976 to 1983, and worked as a lecturer in the Faculty of Islamic Studies until 1983, at this time he was not allowed to return to Brunei because of his association with PRB. under Tan Sri Ahmad Ibrahim from 1989 to 1994. He was also one of the people responsible for developing a thorough and integrated Bachelor of Law degree and imparting public law and Islamic law, which has advanced the area of justice in Malaysia.

A group headed by Mahmud Saedon and named the Jawatankuasa Penggubalan Undang-Undang Keluarga lslam (Islamic Family Law Drafting Committee) was established in 1995 with approval from Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. This committee's primary responsibility is to develop an Islamic Family Law; however, it has also been enlarged to include the enactment of other Islamic laws, such as procedural rules and laws pertaining to the construction of Syariah Courts, which would replace the former Kadi Courts. Subsequently, he was appointed to the Council of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). His appointment as UBD's vice-chancellor came next, in May 1999. In addition, he was given the position of professor in shariah by Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Institute of Islamic Studies (IPISHOAS), in appreciation of his proficiency in Islamic law. Up until May 2002, he served as UBD's vice-chancellor for a period of three years.

Death On 24 June 2002, Mahmud Saedon died. During a meeting of the Islamic Council of Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore (MABIM), he abruptly fell.

Honours