Ashfaq Ahmad, father of prominent British Muslim activist and former prisoner Babar Ahmad, passed away peacefully last night in a London hospital at the age of 91.
Ashfaq is best known for his tireless advocacy for Babar, a well-known activist who spent nearly 12 years in custody — including eight years in UK prisons without charge or trial — while fighting extradition to the United States.
When his son was arrested in 2004, the quiet Ashfaq Ahmad transformed into a tireless campaigner.
The simple family man travelled across the UK giving media interviews and lectures, attended public and private meetings, gave evidence before the UK Parliament, and visited his son weekly in prison for many years.
He fought for Babar with unwavering hope, dignity, patience, courage and dedication over the long years.
Babar’s case, which involved allegations of running websites supporting Muslim fighters in conflicts such as Bosnia and Chechnya in the 1990s, became a major civil liberties issue in Britain.
It was debated twice in Parliament, and Babar became the longest-serving British prisoner detained without trial in the UK.
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He was eventually extradited to the US in 2012, pleaded guilty to providing material support, served further time in a supermax prison, and returned to the UK in 2015.
“He fought for me like a hero. Because he was a hero. My hero,” Babar wrote in a moving tribute.
He added: “A light has gone out in the world today and the world is darker today with his passing… I feel so blessed and I am so grateful to Allah that he chose this beautiful man to be my dad. I will never heal from this loss, I will just learn to live with it.”
‘A happy, jolly, smiling man’
Born in 1934, Ashfaq outlived his wife Sabiha Ahmad (who died on January 4, 2026), all his siblings, and most of his friends. Babar described him as a “happy, jolly, smiling man” who loved joking, singing, making impressions, playing pranks, and making everyone around him laugh.
“He never complained, never spoke badly about others, never took part in gossip,” Babar recalled. “He was a simple man who was happy with little, always showing appreciation… honest and always spoke the truth.”
Ashfaq was especially gentle and loving toward children, giving them his full attention and enjoying their stories. Many who knew him saw him as a “universal father.”
Ashfaq was also deeply religious. He prayed five times a day the moment the prayer time entered — often so eager that he would pray slightly early and repeat the prayer.
He recited the Quran every morning after Fajr, kept small dua books in every room of the house, and made a point of reciting Surah Al-Kahf every Thursday after Maghrib.
Even at 91, as a heart patient and diabetic with multiple health issues, he fasted every day during Ramadan and nearly completed a full recitation of the Quran.
Final Days and a miracle
On March 28, Ashfaq fell at home and suffered an extensive brain bleed, leading to a coma. Doctors said the injury was unsurvivable.
In an update on April 9, Babar shared that by Allah’s grace and the duas of many, Ashfaq briefly opened his eyes, recognised family members, spoke their names, and recited the kalimah (declaration of faith).
Babar described a personal miracle when, three days after the fall, his father opened his eyes to him and said his name.
A later scan confirmed there was nothing more the doctors could do. Ashfaq passed away peacefully surrounded by family members reciting the Quran and making dua for him.
Funeral and condolence srrangements
Babar Ahmad will receive male visitors for condolences from 7pm to 9:30pm on Wednesday April 15, Thursday April 16 and Friday April 17 at Gatton Road Mosque (the mosque in Tooting that Ashfaq frequented for decades and where he last prayed Jumuah the day before his fall).
Ladies should contact the family for the separate condolence address.
Janazah and burial details will be shared soon although Ashfaq will be laid to rest alongside his beloved wife Sabiha.
Following Sabiha’s death in January 2026, the family launched a campaign with the Read Foundation to build a school for poor children in Pakistan in both parents’ names. Ashfaq himself donated and regularly asked about the campaign’s progress during Ramadan.
Those wishing to honour Ashfaq and Sabiha are invited to contribute via the LaunchGood page.
In his tribute, Babar prayed: “O Allah! Have mercy on my father, forgive him and gift him the rank of the shaheed for the pain he endured… Fill his grave with light and joy… and let him enter Jannatul Firdous without account with the martyrs and prophets.”
