abdullah quilliam _ the woking muslim mission, england, 1913-1960s

8/10/2019 Abdullah Quilliam _ the Woking Muslim Mission, England, 1913-1960s

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10/5/2014 Abdullah Quilliam < The Woking Muslim Mission, England, 1913-1960s

http://www.wokingmuslim.org/pers/quilliam/

Woking Muslim Mission, England, 19131968

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Abdullah Quilliam

as mentioned in contemporary Ahmadiyya and Woking

Muslim Mission literature

As is well-known and documented in several sources, William Henry Quilliam (b.1856, d. 1932), a Liverpool solicitor, converted to Islam in the 1880s after a visit toMorocco, and upon his return began to preach Islam in the Liverpool area, gaining asmall community of converts. He founded the Liverpool Muslim Institute, withinwhose building was a prayer room known as the mosque. This mosque is widelydescribed as the first mosque in the U.K. He published two periodicals The CrescentWeeklyand The Islamic World Monthly. This movement remained active from theearly 1890s to 1908, when Quilliam left England for reasons that are not clear. Thework of his mission then came to an end.

Note:The following are some links to pages on websites containing information about Quilliam.

The Muslim News, 31 October 1997

BBC Legacies webpages(two pages)

The Muslim Council of Britain

Quilliam in Ahmadiyya sources

Quilliam and his work is mentioned in contemporary Ahmadiyya sources of histime. The Ahmadiyya Movement, founded in the 1880s by Hazrat Mirza GhulamAhmad (d. 1908) in Qadian, India, regarded it as a vital part of its mission to

propagate Islam in the West. Hence it established contacts with converts to Islam in

the West such as Quilliam in England and Alexander Russell Webb in the U.S.A.

TheReview of Religionswas an English-language monthly started from Qadian atthe direction of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who appointed Maulana MuhammadAli (later famous as translator of the Holy Quran into English) as its first editor. This

periodical was regularly sent to Western countries. Following are three articles in theReview of Religionswith reference to Quilliam:

Letter by Quilliam to theReview of Religions,1905, and advertisement of hismagazines.Death of Lord Stanley of Alderley reported in theReview of Religions fromQuilliams paper

Account of Quilliams work by an English convert, who knew him well, in theReview of Religions,1912

The Woking Muslim Mission and The Islamic Review

After Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din founded the Woking Muslim Mission and The IslamicReviewin 1913, some persons earlier connected with Quilliams mission nowbecame associated with the Woking Mission and began to write for this magazine. InThe Islamic Reviewfor May 1914 Yehya-en-Nasr Parkinson (the man mentionednear the end of the last account above) wrote an article entitled The Liverpool

Muslim Movement.Parkinson had been connected with Quilliams movement.


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The article The Liverpool Muslim Movement, The Islamic Review,May1914

In 1929 a brief bookletIslam in Englandwas published, written by Sheikh MushirHosain Kidwai of Gadia, who was closely involved in the Woking Muslim Mission.Kidwai was living in England during the latter part of Quilliams Liverpool activitiesand afterwards, and had met him.

Excerpt about Quilliams mission inIslam in England,1929.

Convert mentions attending Quilliams mosque

In the March 1940 issue of The Islamic Review,there is an article by a Mr. FrederickHameedullah Bowman of Liverpool about his acceptance of Islam. He writes in it:

When I was at school, there was a Muslim mosque in Liverpool and Iattended many services there with my mother. So interested did I

become that I even tried to emulate the local Sheikh, and, in a home-made robe, I mounted a box at home to address my own meeting ofneighbours and spread the truths of the Muslim Faith. The mosqueeventually closed, and, for some time, I was out of touch with theFaith. (See this link for the full article.)

Quilliam as Professor H.M. Leon

It is believed that Quilliam returned to England and used the name Professor H. M.Leon. There are several articles in The Islamic Reviewby Prof. Leon. His initialsH.M. usually stand for Haroun Mustapha, although his name appears sometimes asHenri M. Leon.

See here his address to the first meeting of the British Muslim Society,

December 1914

See here for a brief report of the visit to the Woking Mosque in March 1920by the Indian Khilafat Delegation,led by the famous nationalist leaderMuhammad Ali Jauhar, when a meeting was held presided over by Prof. Leon.There is a short, silent newsreel film clip of this occasion available, in whichProf. Leon can be seen. This may be the only moving film clip of Quilliam.

We find learned articles by Prof. Leon regularly appearing in early issues of TheIslamic Review.A list of his first few articles and the issues in which they appearedis as follows:

1. Acrimu-al-Hirrah! Respect the cat.A poem. December 1914 issue, p. 546547.

2. Islam, A Rational Faith.January 1915, p. 2425.3. The Prophet and the Jew.A poem. February 1915, p. 7374.4. The Second Pledge of Akaba.April 1915, p. 182187.5. Review of Leaves from Three Ancient Qurans.May 1915, p. 239250.6. In praise of the Prophet.A poem. June 1915, p. 286.7. Islam and Temperance.A lecture delivered in London on 10th April 1915.

Part 1 in June 1915 issue, p. 310321.8. Islam and Temperance.Part 2 in July 1915 issue, p. 368378.9. Id-ul-Fitr in England.Report of Eid at Woking in August 1915, in the


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September 1915 issue, p. 445447.

The article The Second Pledge of Akabalisted above, in the April 1915 issue, isheaded by a note from the Editor containing some biographical details about theauthor. Its scanned image is displayed below:

From The Islamic Review,April 1915, p. 182

It is evident from the biographical details provided in this note that Prof. H.M. Leonwas the same person as Quilliam.

Attends Id-ul-Adhaprayers at Woking a month before his death

Only a month before his death, Quilliam attended the Id-ul-Adhaprayers at Wokingheld on 16th April 1932. See report of the occasion here,which mentions in the last

paragraph, Among those present, the name Prof. Haroun Mustafa Leon.

Report of death of Quilliam in Lahore Ahmadiyya Urdu organ

Paigham Sulh

The Urdu organ of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement,Paigham Sulh,published inLahore, also used to carry Woking Muslim Mission news. The issue for 27 May

1932 carries the news of the death of Quilliam as the main news on the front page.

Click here to view that page as a pdf file.

The translation of the article is given below:

Death of Shaikh Abdullah Quilliam

Famous English Muslim convert who used a different name for 24 years

It is learnt by post from England that Shaikh Abdullah Quilliam has died at NewtonStreet, Gordon Square, Holborn, London.


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Forty years ago the whole of the Islamic world was echoing with the fame of ShaikhAbdullah Quilliam. His original name was Mr William Henry Quilliam. He was bornon the Isle of Man and was educated in Liverpool. In 1878 he became a solicitor.After becoming a Muslim, he went to Iran in 1879, where the Shah treated him as hisown guest. In 1890 Sultan Abdul Hamid called him to Constantinople and later theAmir of Afghanistan invited him. In Liverpool he served as vice-consul of Iran. Hevisited Turkey several times. He had such close relations with Sultan Abdul Hamidthat during the war someone said that if the Sultan had not been deposed, the effortsof Abdullah Quilliam would probably have prevented the war. He had

comprehensive knowledge of eastern religions. Usually he dressed very simply.During his lectures he was like a river of knowledge and learning.

He knew the French, Spanish, German, Arabic and Turkish languages. He was aspecialist in theology, physiology and ornithology.

Change of name

Probably in 1908 a revolution occurred in his life and he changed his name. Hebecame Dr Henry Marcel Leon. It is not known why he changed his name. Some sayit was to benefit from a will. Some say that Dr Leon was the name of a French friend

of his, who died in his arms, so in memory of his friend he took his name. Anyhow,during the past 24 years no one heard the name Quilliam and it came to be generally

believed that Quilliam had died. In fact, Quilliam had become Dr Leon. At the timeof his death, Shaikh Quilliam was the Dean of the London School of Physiology.

Islamic work

TheNews of the Worldwrites that during the war Quilliam conveyed top secretinformation to the British government. The accuracy of this report is not known. TheShaikh was a fervent Muslim. As Quilliam he regularly led prayers in the mosque inLiverpool, and brought about two hundred English persons into the fold of Islam.After becoming Dr Leon too, he continued to take part in Islamic activities. Hemaintained connection with the Woking Muslim Mission, and participated in Islamiclectures and prayers. He had an intense interest in reading. He was one of the

permanent readers of the world famous British Museum Library.

The Shaikh had a wife named Maryam, an elderly, dignified lady. We have noinformation about her.

It is our heart-felt prayer that Allah the Most High grant the late Shaikh a place inHis mercy.

Footnote by Website Editor:The war referred to in the above article was the FirstWorld War, 19141918.

This website is created and published by the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore (U.K.),Wembley, London,

the successor of the Woking Muslim Mission.

abdullah quilliam _ the woking muslim mission, england, 1913-1960s

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