They say we civilised Africa. As if there was no
education in that continent.

This is Ayuba Suleiman
Diallo (aka Job ben Solomon). He came from a very
educated family in the Senegal region. His
grandfather converted to Islam and for that reason
Job had received education in Arabic and Islamic
sciences. He was a scholar par excellence.

He was
abducted by European slavers in 1731 and was duly
taken across the Atlantic. He attempted to escape
from slavery and was caught by his "master".

He
wrote a letter to his in father in Arabic but instead
of making its way to west Africa, the letter ended up
in London in the hands of some English gentlemen.


He was bought and subsequently brought to
London in 1733 to translate Arabic books. He wrote
the Quran from memory, as one can be seen
hanging in his neck in the portrait. He returned to
his native land, having been freed, to find his father
dead in a battle and his wife married to someone
else.

Ayub bin Suleiman was one of the very few
slaves to return home after slavery and was indeed
one of the even fewer who were educated enough
to free themselves. Islam had enabled Ayub to be
firm and never loose hope, as he never lost his
faith.

The Oxford University Press published a
biography of Ayub authored by Douglas Grant.
Islam gives hope to the Africans today just like it
did to Ayub then. Please help us bring Islam back to
the people of Africa for greater education, harmony
and peace.