Acknowledging Allah’s Blessings In Manchester and Hoping for More

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allah, The Exalted, says:

وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ

Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness, and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. [Al-Ma’idah. 2]

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

This verse encompasses all the Masaalih (welfare and wellbeing) for the servants of Allah in their worldly matters and the Hereafter – whether it be in their interactions with one another or in their relationship with their Lord. This is because every servant of Allah is faced with two responsibilities and duties – either fulfilling the rights owed to Allah or fulfilling the rights owed to Allah’s creation. Regarding the responsibilities towards creation, they encompass righteous companionship, mutual assistance in what Allah loves, and obedience to Allah which are the ultimate purpose for seeking happiness and success in the hereafter. [1]

Concerning Dawah Salafiyyah in Manchester, Shaikh Abu Khadeejah, may Allah safeguard him, stated:

“Manchester has a long history of Salafi Da’wah, māshā Allāh Allāhumma bārik. Dr. Faisal Malik and myself were living in Rusholme — and Abu Iyaad (who was in Essex Uni at the time doing his Phd) would visit us. And we would visit him in Essex. Abu A’ishah (my elder brother who was doing his PhD in Manchester Uni) set up the Quran and Sunnah society because the Islamic ISOC was run by Ikhwanis. Murad Al-Jazā’irī was around in those days — and within months, he started fighting us and gathering his “files”. Then he had a change of heart after a few sittings, followed by several bouts of toing and froing between us and Jimas and Brixton causing corruption. Very active period: regular lectures at Ambrose (Manchester Uni prayer hall, a converted church building), also at Salford Uni and UMIST. A lot of battles on campus with Fosis, HT, Ikhwanis, takfīris, etc. It was in this period (late 1995 and early 1996) that we split from Jimas (after the Ali Tamimi visit) and we set up Oasis, which was dissolved in the same year (1996) after the Oasis conference in Birmingham. Then after that, we set up Salafi Publications: Myself, Abu Iyaad, Abu Talhah (rahimahullāh) along with our brother Abu Hakeem who was in Madinah. Dawah spread through the website, yahoo email groups, book publications, translations, audio, the “Blazing Meteor” series, etc. That was the era of Ibn Bāz, Al-Albāni, Ibn Uthaimīn, Muqbil, Rabee, An-Najmi, Ubayd, etc — visits from Abdus-Salām Burjis, etc Foundation years: from 1993 to 2001, I’d say. A lot of the brothers who stood firm are still around, although some have died since, may Allah protect the living and have mercy on the deceased”. [End of quote]

Since the departure of Shaikh Abu Khadeejah and others from Manchester – may Allah bless and reward them for establishing the foundation as much as they could, Salafiyyah has remained evident and clear through the various challenges posed by the Mubtadi’ah and the Hizbiyyoon. This is our current situation, and one must ask Allah for safety until we meet Him, Amin. Currently, one must express gratitude to Allah for the following blessings: a masjid, a bookstore, employment opportunities for some brothers and sisters, three lessons each week from the works of major scholars, Al-Allamah Ahmad An-Najmi and Al-Allamah Ubaid Al-Jabiri, may Allah have mercy on them, as well as all the scholars who have passed away, and our parents; the books of Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, as taught by Ustaadh Abdul Hakim, may Allah preserve him.

Additionally, there are visits from students outside of Manchester and the organised conferences with the local Mashayikh whenever possible, supported by numerous volunteers in the community. There is a Quran school at the masjid and the bookstore, the weekend school at the masjid, and the Tuition club for primary to GCSE years, as well as Arabic and Quran classes for both men and women, along with online education and tuition. All of these are purely the blessings of Allah. May Allah grant everyone the Tawfeeq to continue and to bring others along, through whom our Lord bestows even more blessings, fostering cooperation in Bir and Taqwah, brotherhood for the sake of Allah, and striving for all that is beloved to Allah, Amin.

As youth back in 1995, we never expected these blessings. Yet, a believer should always maintain a positive expectation of their Lord while doing their utmost, asking for forgiveness due to our numerous shortcomings and thanking Allah for His blessings. We look forward to more blessings, InShaAllah, especially with many young people returning from their studies to serve their communities, and others who are still pursuing their education abroad. InShaAllah, they will bring back the knowledge gained from the scholars, and we happily join them to visit our local Mashayikh in seeking guidance on how to enhance Dawah in our communities. The youth are the future bearers of Dawah, so they must be supported, shown kindness and embraced, and together we seek advice from the scholars and our local Mashayikh to pursue everything that will protect our Aakhirah. May Allah grant them success in completing their studies and returning to benefit all communities across the country, Amin.

Truly, my Mancunian brothers and sisters, the issue at hand goes beyond the length of a person’s stay, the impact of their efforts, or how quickly they surpass others in learning and Dawah. What is truly important is the ongoing supplication to Allah for Tawfeeq to fulfill one’s acts of worship, striving to gain knowledge to the best of one’s ability, and keeping a watchful eye on one’s intentions until we meet our Lord. May Allah bestow upon us Tawfiq, Ikhlas, Thabaat, and Husnul Khatimah.  Only Allah is aware of how much time each person has in this life, so we should support each other, offer advice to one another, and take actionable steps to empower one another in everything that is pleasing to Allah. Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: Whoever advises his brother to rectify affairs related to his religion and gives him insight into a worldly affair has perfected their relationship and fulfilled his obligation of (brotherhood) to him”. [2]

The feelings shared in this post are entirely my own, yet I am aware that many other brothers in their mid fifties, like myself, resonate with these thoughts. This includes my beloved Salafi brother, close companion, confidant, and colleague in the education sector, Ustaadh abu Tasneem Mushaf Al-Banghali. May Allah protect him and guide us all towards what is beloved and pleasing to Him. Amin.

Abu Mu’aawiyah/Abu Abee Bakr [Abdullah Jallow, Al-Fulani Al-Gambi]

[1] An Excerpt from “Bada’i at-Tafsir Al-Jami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah. 1/307. Publisher: Daar Ibn Al-Jawziyyah 2nd Ed, 1431AH

[2] Tarikh at-Tabari 6/572