Mahmoud is one of Dawit's closest friends. They are together when Khaldun suggests the ritual that he wants to carry out on a select group of men so that he will have companions in his immortality. Mahmoud is the brother of Rana, Dawit's first wife. Their grief over the girl's death in childbirth seals the relationship of the two. As the two continue to live, however, Mahmoud becomes more faithful to Khaldun and the pursuit of knowledge. He is eventually appointed as the Seeker sent to search for and bring back Dawit.
