The year was 1832, they say. And a child was born in England whose parents named him William. The family name was Quilliam.
Evidently, from good British home and all that, the boy grew up and went on to become a solicitor.
Queen Victoria was on the British Throne. And India, that now comprises three countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Caribbean, and much of the rest of the world, was all one huge British Empire.
Colonies and subjects of the British Crown, as folks sometimes called them.
And among Queen Victoria's subjects around the world were millions upon millions of Muslims.
As it happened, one day, the young British solicitor Quilliam accepted Islam and became a Muslim and began to call himself Abdullah. They say it was around 1887 or so.
Such are the ways of Islam -- and Allah.
Abdullah Quilliam then went on to establish the first mosque in England, in a place called Liverpool, and founded an Islamic Center.
Mr. Abdullah, Allah bless him, then more or less devoted his life to preaching Islam to his fellow Englishmen.
Evidently, Mr. Quilliam knew the meaning of the expression Shahaadah: to tell the whole world about La Ilaha Illallah, Muhammad Rasulullah.
And to invite them all to Allah and to Islam.
May Allah shower his blessings upon his slave Abdullah Quilliam, and bless his descendants and countrymen and countrywomen in every way, including guiding them to Islam, as he guided Abdullah Quilliam to Islam nearly 200 years ago.
And may Allah guide present-day British Muslims, the way he guided the Victorian Muslim Abdullah Quilliam, to preach Islam to the British People of their own time and era, and invite them to Allah and his Deen of Islam.
As did Mr. Abdullah Quilliam, Allah bless him.
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