The British particularly the English
were commonly known as Colonial
Masters from the time of the British
Empire when it stretched from the Far
East to the Far West in Canada .
During the Colonial Era the
Missionaries also went along with them
opening Schools Hospitals and engaged
in other humanitarian voluntary
activities aimed at spreading
Christianity all over the World.
But few could believe that there were
Muslim English converts who had been
propagating Islam in Britain for over
than 100 years. Although no one could
be precise in telling the exact time
when the British came in contact with
Islam but according to reports King
Offa in Kent was believed to have
accepted Islam or at least
acknowledged the Unity of Allah as
seen in the Coin during his Era in the
15th Century.
Any how there were lot of
Intellectuals who knew about Islam
including George Sale who translated
the first English Koran in the
Eighteenth Century. As Orientalist his
intention as seen was purely aimed at
distorting the real teachings of Islam
as Allah said in his Holy Book “As
for them, they are but plotting a
scheme and I am planning a Scheme”.
Yet it had a lot of impact on later
sincere Muslims including Muhammad
Marmaduke Pickthall who became the
best known English Muslim Convert that
translated the Quran more than 80
years back which was acclaimed to be
the best. Apart from Pickthall there
were other Intellectuals who
contributed to the development of
Islam in Britain more than 100 years
ago.
One of such people was Dr Khalid
Sheldrik who was said to have embraced
Islam in 1903 at the age of seventeen
years when he was undergoing training
in Christian Missionary Work. He
acknowledged himself that he learnt
Islam from the Books written against
Islam as brought up in a Christian
Family. His father wanted him to be a
Bishop hence he would be happy seeing
him going through religious books and
engaged in religious discussions.
But Allah in his infinite Mercy gave
Young Khalid Hidayah (guidance) after
going through so many religious books
in the Libraries which exposed him to
the teachings of Hinduism, Judaism and
Buddhism and all other Religions
except Islam. He said the Books gave
information concerning all these
Religions but mention of Islam never
passed without criticism. The sum and
substance regarding Islam was that it
is not a religion at all or rather it
was a mere blend of few sayings taken
from the Christian literature. So
Khalid became more curious and
questions started creeping into his
mind, If Islam has no real entity why
then they criticise it so vehemently
and raise hue and cry against it
opening a new vista of thinking.
Therefore he decided to study books on
Islam written by Muslims and tried to
understand Islam from it true
perspective arriving at final
conclusion that all the criticisms
against the Deen were baseless. In the
end a friend of his told him that
there was a Mosque in Istanbul then
the Capital of Turkey during Ottoman
Islamic Empire which was the Centre of
Islamic Preaching. He wrote a letter
to the Mosque giving all about his
feelings and condition which was
placed before Sultan Abdul Hameed.
The Caliph in turn instructed his
Secretary to reply the letter
instructing him to meet an English
Neo-Muslim named Sheikh Abdullah
Koilum a Barrister. You can imagine
how happy Khaled would have been
meeting an English Muslim Convert who
embraced him and later took Shahadah
and became a Member of the Muslim
Brotherhood. Single handed it was said
this Sheikh Abdullah the Barrister
converted more than five hundred
Englishmen to Islam. It was Khalid’s
utmost sincerity and tireless efforts
that brought a number of English
Intellectuals and men of learning to
the fold of Islam like him also a new
Convert. Some of the men according to
the Book Islam The Final Choice
included among others: Waleed Benstid
(1904) i.e a year after Khalid
embraced Islam. Others were Ahmad
Browning (1905) Umar Flight (1906)
Umar Richardson (1915) a Russian
General Baron Howan (1920) L.J.
Muhammad Hill also in 1920.Others were
Reverend J. Manyard of New York (1924)
Abdullah Day (1925) Bilal Andrews
(1926) Waleed Datson of the Royal Air
force in 1927.
Also in the least of those converted
to Islam by the effort of Dr Khaled
Sheldrik Included Khairun Nisa glads
Palmer the Royal Princess of Sarawak
in 1932 and Professor Kamala Shoemaker
of the Engineering College Bandung in
Java Indonesia in 1934. Dr Khaled
Sheldrik was not the only English
Muslim who embraced Islam more than
100 years back but another English man
named Dr Haroon Mustafa Leon was said
to have embraced Islam in 1882 almost
125 years back. Dr Haroon Leon who was
Fellow and Honorary member of many
Universities and American
Organisations was said to be well
versed in Hebrew Arabic, Persian
Turkish and Pashtu.
Talking about Islam he observed as a
Religion of rationality it never made
demand on it followers to freeze their
intellect and capacity of thinking and
understanding opposing faiths which
seek blind following like the Church.
Dr Leon said Islam invites to meditate
and reflect and then accept the faith
quoting the Hadith which says:
“Allah the Almighty created wisdom
first of all. He then commanded it to
come forward which it did. He then
asked it to move backward and
retreated.” Thereupon He said: “By
my Glory and Exaltedness: I have
created you most venerable. You would
become the basis of human exchanges;
you would play the deciding role with
regard to reward and punishment”.
That Dr Haroon Mustafa Leon another
English Intellectual who embraced
Islam which he described as the other
name of Truth that can be accessed to
this Truth by human’s senses and
understanding as invited by the Quran
to ponder again and again. Other
English converts mentioned in the Book
included one Muhammad Al Mehdi who
travelled extensively to Africa
including Muslim Societies were he
noticed that the Muslims were passing
a life of sincerity and discipline in
comparison to European Nations. Mr
Mehdi who embraced Islam quite
recently in the 70s compared with
others was highly impressed with the
Magnificent Mosque in Kano City in
Northern Nigeria at that time.
The sincerity and the love and
sacrifice which he experienced over
there were never seen any where before
which made him to stay with a Muslim
Community later in Sri Lanka forcing
him to soften his feelings toward
Islam and came closer to the Religion
which he ultimately embraced the
Faith. Mr Mehdi an Intellectual making
effort in the University then in the
70s was of the opinion that highly
educated class of people could play a
very significant role. Contrary to
this he observed people professing
Christianity are made to believe that
faith and not practice is essential
for achieving salvation which he
described as similar to Hypnotism.
Whenever such people step in the World
of reality and apply consciousness
they find themselves in a bleak and
barren desert where there is nothing
but mirage as he observed Christian
Missionaries unfortunately introducing
tribal concepts in Africa which are
nothing but bundle of superstitions.
Islam he noted appeals to
consciousness and reason which is
seldom accepted at first sight. Mehdi
studied Islam for Months under what he
described as his logic and argument
then discussed matters and problems
arising with Muslim friends and
acquaintances that extended their
helping hand which helped him to be
educated on Islamic creeds beginning
with the firm Faith in the Oneness of
Allah and His 99 Beautiful Names.
Then later he studied the life of
Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon Him
which gave him the understanding that
he was in fact the Prophet of Allah
and His last Messenger. He finally
studied the Quran arriving at the
conclusion that it was the Book of
Allah revealed to the Prophet which
was free from all changes and
distortions as it was revealed more
than 1400 years back. In the final
analysis we will look at other Muslim
converts including some Japanese,
Dutch, Americans, Polish, Germans
Canadians and French Austrians and
some other people from the other
Nations all converted to Islam as
briefly stated in the Book, Islam the
Final Choice.
Wa Akhiri Daawana Anil Hamdu Lillahi
Rabbil Alameen.
