William Abdullah Quilliam

William Henry Quilliam (Apryle 10, 1856 – 1932), who changed his name tae Abdullah Quilliam, wis a 19t century convert frae Christianity tae Islam, noted for foondin Ingland's first mosque an Islamic centre.

Abdullah Quilliam
Born	10 Apryle 1856 Liverpuil, Unitit Kinrick
Dee'd	23 Apryle 1932(1932-04-23) (aged 76) Bloomsbury, Lunnon, Unitit Kinrick
Naitionality	Breetish
Ither names	عبد الله كويليام William Henry Quilliam Henri Marcel Leon Haroun Mustapha Leon
Releegion	Islam

Backgrund

William Quilliam wis born in Liverpool tae a wealthy Manx faimily in 1856. His faither, Robert Quilliam, wis a watch manufacturer. William wis educated at the Liverpool Institute an King William's College on the Isle o Man. He began work as a solicitor in 1878.

Conversion tae Islam

Quilliam wis brocht up a Christian but learned aboot Islam an converted, aither while visitin southren France in 1882 an crossing ower tae Algerie an Tunisie, or efter visitin Morocco in 1887. Returning tae Liverpool, he began tae promote Islam in Breetain as Abdullah Quilliam.

Quilliam established the Liverpool Muslim Institute at 8 Brougham Terrace, West Derby Street, Liverpool in 1889, openin on Christmas day. This wis Ingland's first mosque, accommodating aroond a hunder Muslims, This wis followed bi a Muslim college, headed bi Haschem Wilde an Nasrullah Warren, which offered courses for baith Muslims an non-Muslims. A weekly Debatin an Leeterar Society within the college attracted non-Muslims.

Quilliam influenced the paths o ither converts, includin his formerly Methodist mither, his sons, an scientists an intellectuals an his ensaumple lead tae the conversion o ower 150 Inglismen tae Islam. Quilliam wis influential in advancin knowledge o Islam within the Unitit Kinrick, an gained ither converts throu his leeterar wirks an the charitable institutions he foondit.

An active writer an essayist, he produced a weekly paper, The Crescent, frae 1893 until 1908. He published three editions o his The Faith o Islam, which wis translated intae thirteen leids, gainin him fame across the Islamic warld. He haed extensive contact wi Englis-spikin Wast African Muslims an toured the region's coastal ceeties on his wey tae Lagos tae attend the festivities surroonding the consecration o the Shitta Bey Mosque in 1894.

He received mony honours frae the leaders o the Islamic warld. He wis appyntit Sheikh al-Islam bi the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II in 1894 an Persie Consul tae Liverpool bi the Shah. He an aa received money frae the Emir o Afghanistan tae fund the Islamic Institute in Liverpool.

Quilliam's wirk in Liverpool stopped when he left Ingland in 1908 an the Muslim community thare dispersed.

He dee'd in 1932, in Lunnon, an wis buried in Brookwood Seemetry, near Woking. He wis buried near Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall (who each translated the Qur'an), an Lord Headley.

Wastren Muslims, parteecularly converts tae Islam, see him as a pioneer o the path thay hae taken. His legacy is maintained bi the Abdullah Quilliam Society which wis formed in 1996. The Society is raisin funds tae restore 8-10 Brougham Terrace tae re-open the historic mosque an establish an educational centre.

The Quilliam Foundation, a thinktank aimed at challengin extremist islamist ideologies, wis launched in 2008.

External links

• Abdullah Quilliam Society Archived 2011-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Abdullah Quilliam: The History of British Muslims
• Quilliam Foundation Archived 2017-01-31 at the Wayback Machine
• Forgotten champion of Islam: One man and his mosque The Independent newspaper, 2 August 2007 Archived 2007-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
• Special BBC feature on Abdullah Quilliam and his Mosque, including audio testimonials from his grand-daughter and admirers
• The Muslim Council of Britain's special biography and profile on Quilliam's life Archived 2006-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
• The Riddle of Life, poem by Abdullah Quilliam
• Quilliam mentioned in early Ahmadiyya sources and his connection with the Woking Muslim Mission under the name Professor H.M. Leon
• A brief look at Muslims in Britain from yesteryear Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine

Sources

• Lewis, Philip (1994). Islamic Britain: Religion, Politics, and Identity among British Muslims: Bradford in the 1990s. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1850438617.
• Singleton, Brent D. (2009). The Convert's Passion: An Anthology of Islamic Poetry from Late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. Rockville, MD: Wildside. ISBN 1434403548.(Includes poems bi Abdullah William Henry Quilliam, Yehya-en-Nasr Parkinson, W. Obeid-Ullah Cunliffe, Ameenah Lincoln, Amherst D. Tyssen, Valfrid Hedman, Henry Yute Jones Taylor, an others)