Born William Henry Quilliam in Liverpool, he converted to Islam when he was 31 after travelling to Morocco. He was one of the earliest native English converts. Due to his large roll in Muslim life in Victorian Britain, he was given many titles, including Sheikh al-Islam for the British Isles by Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hameed II.

 

With assistance from Prince Nasrullah Khan of Afghanistan, Quilliam built the first mosque in the United Kingdom along with an orphanage and hosted classes for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Sadly, Quilliam eventually had to leave England after facing persecution, causing the mosque and community he built in Liverpool to fade away. He would return to the UK in 1914 under a new name, Henri Mustapha Leon, but would never return to Liverpool and passed away in Bloomsbury, London.