Renowned Scholar A renowned scholar Dr. Israr Ahmad spent his last four decades in reviving Qur'an-centred Islamic philosophy and staunchly believed in the establishment of an Islamic political system in his country. The founder of several organisations including Anjuman-i-Khuddamul Qur'an, in 1972, Tanzeem-i-Islami, in 1975 and Tehrik-i-Khilafat, in 1991, Dr. Israr had followers in Pakistan, India and Gulf countries, especially in Saudi Arabia. He later joined the Jamaat-i-Islami but developed differences with the party's chief and founder, Maulana Abu al-A'La Mawdudi (one of the most influential Islamic thinkers of the twentieth century), when the latter opted for electoral politics in 1957. Author of over 60 books on different aspects of Islam and religion, nine of which have been translated in English, Dr. Israr had wide audience. He was popular for his lectures and debates on television over burning religious issues. He turned into a household name during the early '80s thanks to a PTV programme, Al Huda. His followers spread all across the world particularly in the sub-continent, Middle East, Europe and North America. A critic of modern democracy and the electoral system, Dr. Israr believed that the head of an Islamic state has power to reject majority decisions of an elected assembly. A familiar refrain in Dr. Israr's writings is that the spiritual and intellectual centre of the Muslim world has shifted from the Arab world to the subcontinent and that conditions are much more congenial for the establishment of Khilafat in Pakistan than in other Muslim countries. Dr Israr kicked up a storm in 1982 when he asserted that women should be barred from all professions except medicine and teaching. Dr. Israr Ahmad was awarded with Pakistan's Sitara-e-Imtiaz, in 1981, for his services in the filed of religion. Born in Hisar, Haryana, (India), Israr Ahmad graduated from the King Edward Medical College, Lahore, in 1954. He received his Masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Karachi in 1965. Dr. Israr Ahmad passed away in Lahore after prolonged heart disorders.