How My African Ancestors LOST ISLAM and Came Back! Ustadh Mustafa Briggs

From the coasts of Senegal to the streets of London, Shaykh Mustafa Briggs shares a journey that weaves together ancestry, faith, and identity. Raised in a Christian household by his Gambian grandmother, he later discovered Islam through the deep spiritual traditions of West Africa — where faith is lived, not performed. In this powerful episode of the OnePath Network Podcast, Mustafa unpacks the legacy of African scholarship, the story of Islam’s spread through trade and teaching — not conquest — and the personal transformation that led him back to his spiritual roots. A conversation on heritage, history, and the living light of Islam across generations. 00:00 | Intro 03:30 | Family Background 13:31 | Growing Up African in Britain 19:18 | Christian Upbringing & Path to Islam 22:48 | Role of Mashayikh in Senegal 26:26 | How Islam spread in West Africa 29:20 | Lessons from teachers in West Africa 36:18 | West Africa pre colonialism 38:14 | Love of the Prophet in West Africa 40:47 | Reconciling African identity with Islam 46:30 | Meeting Shaykh Muhammad Hasan ould al-Khadim 54:40 | “Beyond Bilal” criticism & why the work matters 05:14 | Black Prophets and Companions 14:10 | Words in the Quran from African Languages 17:05 | Early Black scholars after the Sahaba 21:05 | Notable contributions of African scholars 28:16 | Characteristics of African people 31:07 | Work of Allama Iqbal in a Post-colonial lens 38:44 | The concept of Khudi 41:00 | Collaboration across Muslim worlds 43:46 | Why he wrote "Beyond Bilal" 55:04 | Closing reflections 🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube to stay up to date with our latest productions. 🎉 Introducing the official OnePath Network MERCHANDISE STORE! 🏷️ 👕 👉 https://shop.onepathnetwork.com/ If you enjoy OnePath content, please consider supporting us to grow! ►https://onepathnetwork.com/dollar-a-day/?&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description Download the OnePath Network App for access to the latest and exclusive videos: https://onepath.onelink.me/mJxr/3de973bd Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQHRLH8RQIrdGWMhf5heWiA/join Facebook ►: https://www.facebook.com/onepathnetwork Instagram ►: https://www.instagram.com/onepathnetwork/ Patreon ►: https://www.patreon.com/OnePathNetwork