In 1962 Sufi Abdullah Khan arrived in the United Kingdom and settled in Birmingham. The former NCO, recently retired from a 22-year career in the Pakistan army, was on a mission. His spiritual master ordered him to establish a spiritual path among his compatriots working in the industrial heartland of Britain. The 39-year old veteran of WW II left his family and everything he knew and built a vibrant and dynamic orthodox spiritual community while working 12 hour all night shifts at a local foundry. At a time when Paki-bashing was still prevalent among the white working classes, Sufi Abdullah fearlessly led his community out into the streets of Birmingham in a public procession celebrating the Eid al-Fitr festival, an event that has become a cultural tradition in city. Under his leadership his community built what was at the time the largest mosque in the United Kingdom. A towering figure-spiritually and physically (he was 6'6" tall)-Sufi Abdullah, through his self-sacrifice and discipline, devotion to his master and love of the Prophet, brought a spiritual intensity and love of Islam to his immigrant community that was truly transformative.
7 янв 2023
