Although the emergence of Salafism during the 1990s is mostly attributable to student activity in university Islamic societies across the UK,[1] it was not only upwardly mobile second-generation Muslim-heritage British South Asians who were attracted to this orthodox religious sect. Rather, the roots of Islamic Da‘wah activity by those who would later form Salafi Publications (SalafiPubs) can be traced as far back as the very early 1990s in the post-colonial and post-industrial city of Birmingham. Further, the demography of its initial members indicates that orthodox Islam had a universal appeal for individuals from diverse social, cultural, and religious backgrounds, including those from non-Muslim heritage families. No doubt there were myriad structural factors and personal reasons at play in its adherents’ decision to adopt the Salafi way. However, for most, it was Salafism’s overriding appeal as the unsullied truth, together with SalafiPubs’s new and dynamic approach as an overt and fearless group in defending its parameters that made it such an attractive choice in the pluralistic ‘religious supermarket’ of a modern secular society.[2]
Of the earliest from a non-Muslim heritage background to adopt Salafiyyah were Abu Fudayl Abdur-Raqeeb, Abu Junaide Yusuf Bowers, and Abu Hakeem Bilal Davis, all young second-generation African-Caribbean (Jamaican) Brummies from Handsworth who converted to Islam in 1991. Having spent their early teenage years in much the same way as most adolescents who ‘belonged’ to an otherwise disenfranchised community of post-colonial descendants, it was not until their late teens and early twenties that they took a different path and converted to Islam. No doubt, their African-Caribbean background and having been raised upon Christian ethics and morals was a significant factor which contributed to their appreciation of the pure monotheistic message of Islam and the Qur’an.[3] Soon, these non-Muslim heritage converts would go on to strengthen the Salafi Da‘wah in the city of Birmingham by calling others from backgrounds similar to their own to the prophetic and non–racist message of Islam.
Many of the early converts to Salafism recall how, for example, Abu Hakeem would stand on a milk crate outside Birmingham Central Library (and the Birmingham markets) weekly to call people to his newfound faith, and who by 1994 to 2004, went on to become a student at the Islamic University of Madinah (IUM) in the KSA. Shortly thereafter, the Salafi Da‘wah scene in Birmingham, and around the UK, would also be greatly benefitted by Muslim-heritage Abu Idrees Muhammad Khan, an IUM graduate from Birmingham; by Abu Abdullāh Bilal Hussain—a student of Shaykh Muqbil Ibn Hādi Al-Wādi (Allah’s mercy be upon him) likewise from Birmingham; by Abu Yusuf Abdul-Ilāh Lahmāmi (of Moroccan descent)—a student of Shaykh ‘Ubayd Al-Jābiri (Allah’s mercy be upon him), Shaykh Muhammad Al-Bannah (Allah’s mercy be upon him), and Shaykh Rabee’ (hafidhahullah) from London; by Hasan As-Somali who studied extensively under Shaykh Muqbil Ibn Hādi Al-Wādi (Allah’s mercy be upon him) originally from Cardiff; and likewise by non-Muslim heritage Abu Abdur-Rahmān Uways Taweel (of Nigerian descent), also an IUM graduate from London.
In this early period SalafiPubs established a strong connection to the scholars of Saudi, Yemen and elsewhere, and particularly those from the Prophet’s city of Madinah—a factor that would go on to play an important role in SalafiPubs’s success as an agent of the global message of Salafism. However, crucial to the success of SalafiPubs as a grassroots revivalist da‘wah, not just in Birmingham but around the UK, were the ongoing da‘wah efforts of those on the ground—specifically Muslim-heritage Abu Khadeejah ‘Abdul-Wāhid and Abu ‘Iyād Amjad Rafiq (discussed further below). Headstrong in their mission to admonish and invite to the Salafi Da‘wah those individuals who deemed themselves ‘lost’—especially from amongst the youth—these du‘āt travelled around the country often accompanied and aided by both non-Muslim heritage Abu Fudayl ‘Abdur-Raqeeb Francis, who studied under Shaykh Muqbil ibn Hādi (Allah’s mercy be upon him), and Abu Junaide Yusuf Bowers, who studied at IUM.
During these circuits the du‘āt aimed to offer regular duroos (lessons) and consistent guidance in the form of translated material and fatāwa (Islamic rulings/verdicts) of the Scholars, mainly courtesy of Abu Talhah Dawūd Burbank in Birmingham, and Abu ‘Iyād Amjad Rafiq in Stockton-on-Tees (North-east England). These efforts were further supplemented by Abu Hakeem during his visits home to the UK in the summer months by way of him imparting knowledge that he had learned as a student from some of the most respected scholars of orthodox Islam such as Shaykh Rabee’ Ibn Hādi al-Madkhali (hafidhahullah), and Shaykh ‘Ubayd al-Jābiri (Allah’s mercy be upon him).
[1] See author’s (2022) article, The Emergence of Salafism in the UK for a history of contemporary Salafism in the UK. Source: researchingsalafism.com.
[2] Rambo 1993:28.
[3] Abu Hakeem Bilal Davis Talks About his Conversion to Islam. (2005). Source: Salafitalk.net.
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