A Talib's Tale: The Life and Times of a Pashtoon Englishman

How does an Englishman who began his journey as a hippie end up becoming the first westerner to graduate as an Islamic scholar, or alim from the religious seminary of Deoband in Northern India? This book tells that very story. This honest account is filled with both funny and life-threatening experiences as John Butt takes us through his life as a talib, or seeker of knowledge. The title talib is cherished and honoured in the Islamic intellectual tradition and has the same linguistic root as the now infamous Taliban. For Butt, the craft is to distil this difference between the two, and he shows how learning takes place outside of the classroom as much as within it. Bringing together a dizzying array of characters across time and space he paints an account of Pashtoon society, and that of Afghanistan broadly, where the tension between conservative and secular strands of its society are brought to the fore. It is the resolution of this conflict that lies at the heart of his message (pg. 307).Throughout the book, Butt narrates his journey through people he meets as he converts to Islam and becomes part of Pashtoon society. His conversion is only part of the story. What makes the book unique is that he gives voice to those who are all too often spoken about and marginalised. This honesty, he elaborates, comes from the confluence of his own madrasa education and work in the media. He reminds us that within Hadith studies, that is reports of the Prophet, it is imperative to relay news accurately. He applies this moral teaching in his role working for the BBC as a journalist many years later.The author begins his story when he first arrived in Swat in 1970, a popular hippie destination. His description of people and places forces one to search google images for what places like Swat or the Gilgit valley look like. Such breath-taking images do not disappoint. While doing this, Butt is ever conscious to educate readers about Islam. Being a convert perhaps makes him particularly attuned to the reader’s needs. For example, in relating how he purchased a copy of the Quran in English he is careful not to refer to it as a translation. This is simply because it cannot be translated from its original Arabic. His conversion to Islam is interesting too. He provides a moving account of how during the month of Ramadhan he was on a bus in Swat. All the passengers got off the bus to break their fast while Butt, not fasting nor a Muslim yet, stayed on the bus. Rather than being condemned, a random stranger, thinking he had no money for food, offers him dates and pakoras. It was this act of generosity that led him to Islam (pp.31-32). At other places the book is funny. For example, after his conversion, a friend insisted that he proves that he had been circumcised. Of course, there was only one way to prove it! (pg. 37). For the rest of the book, Butt takes us through a panoply of experiences that shows how he is intimately familiar with the life and culture of his new home. This includes being a farmer, becoming a journalist for the BBC locally, and even being held as a captive prisoner in Kabul. His imprisonment occurs in 1974 as wider political uncertainties grip the country. As pro-soviet power take hold, he is accused of being a British spy. His identity as both an Englishman and a member of the religious elite, the ulama, or as they were alternatively often referred to, the Mullahs, did not help. This was because of a persistent myth that they had worked with the British in overthrowing the secular progressive Amir Amanullah Khan in 1929. However, in prison Butt was able to continue his learning with the ulama. Here we see why the title of the book is significant. Butt is continually learning both with the ulama and through his life experiences. In other words, he embodied what it meant to be a talib.Butt mentions in intimate detail his move to Deoband in North India 1978, a favourite location for Pashtoon talibs at the time. He recalls how they “excelled in piety, zeal, hardwork, and in their Islamic character. They were quick to endear themselves to their teachers” (pg. 163). While a talib, the author continues his cross-border trade between Pakistan and India, taking advantage of his Commonwealth passport that allowed him visa-less movement between both places. At Deoband, he describes one of the senior lecturers, Mufti Mahmud al-Hassan as embodying the Deobandi spirit: “deep piety and gnosis, allied with encyclopaedic knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence” (pg. 78). In those days, Butt recalls, being an English student meant being gifted with a scholarship from the Indian government for studying in Deoband. Such was the cordial relationship between the state and the religious seminary then.The centenary celebrations at the seminary had to be delayed by 15 years because of a rift that took place between two camps (pp.170-173). For Butt, this affected his learning where he sought a spiritual guide, a murshid, in Maulana Wahiddudin Khan (pp. 188-194). The Maulana’s key message was to urge Muslims to acquire modern scientific thinking and to take it forward, and to make a positive contribution to the world (pg. 195). Butt’s predilection was towards scholasticism and spirituality – the latter not surprising for a hippie! As much as there is admiration for this tradition, Butt remains a critical friend. For example, while highlighting the success of the “between-Muslim” revivalist movement that emerged out of Deoband, the Tablighi Jama‘at, he is concerned that it appears to be morphing into a “parallel Islam alongside real Islam” (pg. 180). With this concern he was in in good company with one of the most prolific authors and Sufi sages of the Deobandi tradition, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi. It was the latter’s successor, Maulana Maseeh-Ullah Khan who had inherited his khanqah, a sort of monastery. Butt would frequent there. Here he mentions my hometown of Blackburn here in the UK, and one of my teachers, Mufti Inayatullah, who had been described by Maseeh-Ullah Khan as a diligent student who focused on his studies to the exclusion of all else (pp.182-183). At Deoband, Butt mentions an anecdote of Maulana Saeed Palanpuri who passed away recently on the 19th of May 2020. Maulana praised his Urdu writing skills, and Butt describes Maulana’s scholasticism as being filled with “deep understanding and original thought” (pg. 174). A fitting tribute to another fellow Maulana.This book is rich in description. Though it is easy to read there are many characters introduced in the text. The current edition does not have a dramatis personae, neither a map, nor an appendix. I have been told that this will be reflected in a new edition soon to be released by Kube publishing. My recommendation is to await that copy. The broad appeal of this book makes it an enticing text. It is not academic yet insightful and should be read by journalists and policy makers. It complicates the stale narratives that have too often found their way into popular media. Written by a journalist they are in good company. However, Butt’s honesty avoids the pitfalls of romanticising his experiences of Afghan society or the Deoband madrasa. This book is a deeply sympathetic, frank and funny account of a seriously important part of the world.

This book is a real gem to read. John Butt describes with great love his travels and his life in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India.He was born to British parents in the West Indies, went to a Catholic school in England and made his way, hippie-style, to Afghanistan. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he totally immersed himself into local life wherever he was, learnt the regional languages, cultures and, above all, Islam. He studied the Holy Quran at the feet of the greatest Islamic teachers and has become a devout Muslim. You get the feeling that he knows everyone and everyone knows him: he portrays the locals in wonderfully evocative detail.Butt is not only a great scholar of the Quran, a philosopher and talented peacemaker, but clearly a true adventurer, who is always able to laugh at himself. Story-telling is in his blood – and it is not surprising that one of the highlights of his career was the setting up of an Afghan Archers programme, though one would probably not go to him to learn about handling a grumpy buffalo. Anecdotes are liberally sprinkled throughout the book.John Butt is someone who carries his wisdom lightly, ensuring that we learn about Islam, as well as life, politics and history of the region in a thoroughly enjoyable way.I loved this book very much and shall pick it up again and again. There is so much detail that it certainly warrants re-reading.Hugely recommended.