Who was Yahya Parkinson?

Yahya Parkinson (lived 1874-1918 CE (ra) was a notable British Muslim of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. A Scotsman (of Irish ancestry) he was a poet, a writer, a critic, a newspaper editor and for much of his life a wool spinner.

Born in Kilwinning in Ayrshire, his first given name was John and it was this name he kept. When he returned to Islam (became a Muslim) around the turn of the century, he Arabised his name to Yahya (the way of saying John in Arabic).

Although generally a resident of Scotland, Yahya Parkinson was a figure associated the the British Muslim community in Liverpool and the Woking Muslim Mission in Surrey.

He became popular in intellectual British Muslim circles and among the English speaking Muslim intellectuals of British India.

An impressive author, who wrote on various subjects (including Islamic Chivalry and Imam Al Ghazali (ra), his writing and poetry were featured in several English language Muslim periodicals of the era.

He was well missed when he passed away (whist still only in his early middle age) in the year 1918 CE.

of further interest

British Muslims

Muslim Songs of the British Isles