By the time SalafiPubs (2005/2006) had translated and published about 40 books, Shaykh Abu Khadeejah also began translating classical Arabic texts to English which fellow teachers, Shaykh Abu Talhah Dawūd Burbank, and Shaykh Abu ‘Iyād Amjad Rafiq had been doing for nearly 15 years. Since then, Abu Khadeejah has translated 20 or more books—mostly short treaties and has also written countless leaflets propagating the Salafi Da‘wah—millions of which have been printed and distributed through universities, CCDawah stalls, community centres, social gatherings, and schools and colleges across the globe. Additionally, he has authored thousands of articles, most of which—including the leaflets, can be found on www.AbuKhadeejah.com, a website he set up in 2009 which has become a very popular portal for sourcing authentic Islamic knowledge. His site is regularly cited by ‘Western’ academics in their bid to understand the phenomenon of Salafism in the West (see Bowen 2014; Inge 2017; Shavit 2015).
In the quote below Dawud’s (2021) PhD research acknowledges Shaykh Abu Khadeejah as a main architect behind the establishment of the Salafi infrastructure in Small Heath, Birmingham, as well as a key figure on the ground for Salafis in other parts of the country:
Indeed, it would be hard to deny the centralized nature of the SP network that began to develop in the 2000s. While other SP mosques have developed around the country, Birmingham, remains the centre of this network. Likewise, while SP has several leaders, Abu Khadeejah has continued to be the main personality behind SP. His leadership has also been key to the success of SP. He is a hands-on leader, who though based in Birmingham, continues to have quite a strong hold over the London movement through regular visits to SP affiliated mosques during the weekends and regular communication with SP members in London. He is also regarded as a highly intelligent and learned individual. Even critics of SP will often concede that Abu Khadeejah is a charismatic, well-spoken, and intelligent individual. For example, one of my participants who went to university with Abu Khadeejah, though critical of SP, argued: “[Abu Khadeejah] was brilliant even when I was at university, he taught himself Arabic, he was very, very intelligent”.[1]
[1] Dawud, Iman 2021:118.
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