A Brief History of Dawah Salafiyyah In Manchester
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. [Surah Al-Ma’idah. Ayah 2]
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim [may Allah have mercy upon him] said:
This verse encompasses all the Masaalih 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 sets of responsibilities and duties – either fulfilling the rights owed to Allah or fulfilling the rights owed to Allah’s creations. 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. To achieve happiness in the afterlife, Bir (righteousness) and Taqwa (piety) are essential, as they form the foundation of all religious matters. A deed can only be considered an act of obedience to Allah and a means of drawing closer to Him if it is rooted in Iman (faith). Therefore, any action that leads to the performance of such a deed should be solely motivated by Iman, without being influenced by un-Islamic customs, personal desires, the pursuit of praise or status, or any other worldly factors. The sole intention behind these actions should be to attain Allah’s reward and seek His Pleasure. (1)
We ask Allah to bestow upon us and all Muslims all that is commendable and linked to the aforementioned Ayah. Aameen.
Secondly, with regards to Dawah Salafiyyah in Manchester, Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allah preserve him] stated two years ago: 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 our brother Abu Hakeem who was in Madinah. Dawah spread through the website, yahoo email groups, book publications, translations, audios, “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]
After Shaikh Abu Khadeejah and others departed from Manchester, Murad [may Allah rectify his affair] continued teaching and was protected from many trials of the Mubtadi’ah alongside the other Salafis. However, when the trial of the Mubtadi Yahyah Al-Hajuri emerged, he chose the path of falsehood and supported Al-Hajuri. After thanking Allah first and foremost for guiding and safeguarding us to this day, we are grateful to all of our teachers and we ask Allah to preserve and safeguard them. It is a great blessing that many of our senior teachers are still alive [may Allah prolong their lives with everything beloved to Him], and they have been joined by younger teachers [may Allah preserve them and prolong their lives upon goodness] in the various Masaajid and Maraakiz.
It’s heart-warming to see how the older generation passed down knowledge, wisdom, and experience to the younger ones, who not only learn from scholars but also receive valuable advice on Dawah in the UK. Elder and younger teachers alike in the UK show great respect for scholars in Muslim countries, studying their works and seeking guidance from them during challenging times. We remember a recent incident where certain people in the biased mainstream media highlighted that in the UK, it is against the law to separate boys and girls in secondary education unless they are taught in separate buildings, otherwise, they cannot be segregated. Because of this difficult situation and a lack of resources to provide enough space, some of our elder teachers sought advice from Al Allaamah Ubaid Bin Abdillah Al-Jaabiri. However, he declined to answer the question and directed them to Al Allaamah Salih Al Fawzaan, who also refused to respond and suggested that they reach out to the Lajnah Daa’imah (Saudi). Thankfully, Allah, in His great mercy, made it easier when the females were facilitated with the means to carry on being segregated from the males. This incident happened not too long ago when Al Allaamah Ubaid [may Allah have mercy upon him] was still alive. The senior Salafi teachers involved in this matter didn’t rush to mix those teenagers in with the rest of the students and claimed, “We understand our situation better than the Scholars.” They also didn’t resort to the principle of “the lesser of two evils.” Instead, they sought guidance from the Senior Scholars of the Ummah and patiently waited for Allah to make things easier. Furthermore, our Salafi teachers, both senior and junior, at the Maraakiz, do not hinder anyone from seeking guidance from scholars or insist on being consulted before reaching out to them. Rather, what they advise and remind us constantly is that we are honest in every affair we pursue from the Scholars. Therefore, the phrase “return to the scholars” should not be employed as a means to cherry-pick fatwas or to solidify one’s positions solely based on the alleged existence of differing opinions, while disregarding clear proofs.
Returning to the scholars has always been the norm in the Uk among the Salafiyyoon. In 2004, Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allah preserve him] wrote:
“Over the last year or so we have been making every effort possible to unite the ranks of the Salafees in the UK and other places. We have been in contact with Ahlul-Ilm in various Islamic countries, seeking their advice and guidance throughout. Our unity has as its basis adherence to the Book and Sunnah with the understanding of the Salaf. Ash-Shaykhul-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadee’s advice was listened to, absorbed, and acted upon. He has requested that the Salafees be gathered and not be separated. That they should cut off all the avenues of iftiraaq and separation, not get involved in disputes, and overlook the shortcomings of their Salafi brothers. That advice is to be offered to those to whom issues of Manhaj and innovation are unclear. Not to drive them away, but to clarify for them and to explain to them the rulings of the Scholars, hoping that they will accept.
Harshness is to be applied (to those deserving) if and when the scholars apply harshness in the matters they apply harshness and in the manner they apply harshness in accordance with wisdom they perceive, weighing up the relative benefits and harms. So we spent many months implementing these pieces of advice. We aimed to unite our ranks so that ahlul-bid’ah could not come and destroy us and plant suspicion and hatred within us and weaken our strength. So we gathered together in the various places putting past differences behind us. We advised each other with mildness and gentleness and moved forward.
So we are gathered together and united, walhamdulillaah, with our brothers from various towns and cities: Our brothers at al-Maktabah al-Athariyyah in East London, Al-Baseerah in Leeds, Bradford, and Yorkshire, also our brothers in Middlesbrough in the North East of England, likewise Rochdale and Manchester in the North West, also our brothers in Harrow in North London, the Slough brothers near London, Masjid as-Sunnah Hounslow near Heathrow, Salafis of Wales in Cardiff, Leicester in the East Midlands and Coventry near Birmingham. So now we are united with true brotherhood and cooperation upon righteousness and piety. So let the message be disseminated that Ahlus-Sunnah are one and are strengthening their ranks; that we are learning, educating ourselves, and benefiting from the scholars. We are united with our Ulamaa and we are their sons in need of their advice and guidance. We have and will continue to take their positions upon those who deviate, whilst maintaining love, brotherhood, and affection between ourselves as Salafis. And there is no contradiction in this at all.
So we were with the likes of Shaykh Ibn Baaz, Shaykh Al-Albaanee, Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, Shaykh Muhammad Amaan al-Jaamee, Shaykh Muqbil (rahimahumullaah), Shaykh Al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Rabee, Shaykh Abdul-Azeez, Shaykh Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad, Shaykh Ubayd Al-Jaabiree, Shaykh Ahmad an-Najmee, Shaykh Zayd Al-Madkhalee and other than them in their positions against the likes of Syed Qutub, Safar al-Hawaalee, Salmaan al-Awdah, the various terrorist and Jihaadee groups upon the evidences that were presented and clarified by the Ulamaa. So likewise today we remain with these scholars and those who inherited the legacy from those who passed away – we propagate their rulings and positions based upon evidences and knowing that they are well-grounded in the Islamic sciences and Usool. So we all take from them the detailed evidences that they have provided in the issues such as that of Al-Maribee, Ar’oor, and others than them who have strayed from the Salafi Manhaj and ‘Aqeedah.
I would like to make some additions to that which has been stated above at the request of some of our brothers overseas. In the last few years, we have also made several trips to various lands overseas as our brothers have to us, likewise. Allaah knows that we did not wish to travel nor did we regard ourselves to be worthy of traveling to those lands to disseminate the small portions of knowledge we have. Rather, we have encouraged the brothers of many of those lands to attempt to invite the scholars and Shaykhs as they have more right over and above ourselves. Their reply was: firstly, that the Shaykhs are stretched and cannot make themselves available for these journeys as they find it difficult to leave their commitments of dawah they are involved in. Secondly, that they need someone to first come and connect the masses to the scholars and instil in the hearts of the people love for the scholars in the English language. Thirdly, that once we have established this reference point to the ‘Ulamaa, we can inform the scholars and connect them to the people of the land visited, thus removing ourselves from the ‘equation’. So, we have been traveling and carrying out these efforts to the various predominantly English-speaking audiences, though still reluctantly. By Allah, this is what we have done. And I am sure that our brothers in Germany, Sri Lanka, the USA, Canada, and Barbados, etc., will bear witness that we have always been extremely reluctant to travel as we did not see ourselves as worthy, and myself more so unworthy! To the extent that those brothers to whom we have not travelled will likewise bear witness that we refused to travel to them and have been reluctant to agree, like our brothers in Atlanta Georgia, India, Texas, New York, etc. The brothers in Sri Lanka and the USA had to try for close to a year to convince us to come. Our brothers in India insisted on us coming and we continually refused and eventually, the visa situation was sufficient to prevent us. Our brothers in Germany, likewise, had to try over and over again before we agreed. All this, so that it is not said that we are putting ourselves forward in the da’wah. And Allah knows what lies in the chests.
Adding to the above – there is hardly a lecture we deliver, except that we connect the people to the ‘Ulamaa and mention to them the importance of connecting to them directly. Our taped lectures from the various lands bear witness to this. Our tapes are filled with the praises and encouragement of taking from the Ulamaa, the likes of Ash-Shaykh Al-Fawzaan, Ash-Shaykh Rabee’, Ash-Shaykh ‘Ubayd, Ash-Shaykh An-Najmee, Ash-Shaykh Abdul-Muhsin, Ash-Shaykh Abdul-‘Azeez, Ash-Shaykh Zayd Al-Madkhalee, and other than them. So our call is not and never has been (as the taped lectures show) to ourselves, but to the guidance and knowledge of the ‘Ulamaa. Their fatawaa are constantly quoted and referred to in talks and pieces of advice. The brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka, Germany, etc, can and will bear witness to what has been stated. Wallaahul-musta’aan!
So the point of all of this is that we have established unity between ourselves and our brothers in the various lands that have been mentioned in accordance with the Book and Sunnah, upon the way of the Salaf and the guidance of the Salafi Shaykhs. So we are in contact with, and in cooperation with our brothers in the various mosques and Islamic Centers in Toronto Canada, Philadelphia, New York, Jersey, Washington, Florida, Atlanta, Trinidad, Barbados, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, etc. – us and them making our reference point for knowledge the ‘Ulamaa, the likes of those whom I have mentioned. We were not, are not, and cannot ever be independent of Ahlul-Ilm. And Allaah, Subhaanahu Wa ta’aalah, knows best”. [End of quote]
Back when efforts were being made in the field of Dawah and unity, some of us hadn’t even been born yet, and some of our older children were just 9 years old. Among our Salafi brothers, some were in their 20s and 25s, while others were between 32 and 50. Some of us had recently discovered Salafiyyah, while others had already gone to Yemen to study under Al-Allaamah Muqbil and were still there. There were those of us who were already studying at Madina University and others who were just starting their 6-year degrees and hadn’t yet gotten involved in any Dawah activities in the East or the West. On the other hand, some had already taken on the responsibility of managing a Markaz in 2002 under the guidance of Al-Allaamah Muqbil, Al-Allaamah Rabee, and Al-Allaamah. And even before that, some of us were already actively engaged in Dawah, like Shaikh Abu Iyaadh, Shaikh Abu Khadeejah, and others. Therefore, whenever someone younger or older than our elder teachers comes along, whether they’re from the East or the West, and reminds us about the importance of Scholars, unity, and knowledge, we appreciate their reminder and pay close attention. However, we are not fooled by anyone in the West who tries to patronise us or rewrite history by saying “Return to the scholars,” as if we have abandoned them!
We ask Allah for Ikhlaas, Sidq, Thabaat, and Husnul Khaatimah.
اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي
وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ
وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ
O Allah! Rectify my religion for me, which is the safeguard of my affairs; rectify my worldly [affairs], wherein is my livelihood; and rectify my Afterlife to which is my return, and make life for me [as a means of] increase in every good and make death for me as a rest from every evil. [Saheeh Muslim Number: 2720]
