Abu Talha Dawood Burbank's Islamic translations are perhaps the most
widely circulated titles amongst the English speaking world. 

 Br. Abu Talha Dawood Burbank, one of the pioneers of the call to Ahl us Sunnah in the West and the translator of the most widely circulated books amongst the new generation of studious Muslims, has died. 

Posts on various Salafi forums have been releasing details as they become available. According to what has come to us thus far, both Abu Talha and his wife (while on route to Makkah to perform Hajj) were on a bus that caught fire, and both of them were killed in the fire. The post gives some solace to the reader by quoting the glad tidings that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wassallam) said:

"Death from burning is a Shahaadah (martyrdom)…"
[Declared hasan by Shaikh al-Albaanee in Ahkaamul-Janaa'iz, p.55]

 Abu Talha, of Birmingham England was the  translator of dozens of books from the leading Scholars of our time including some classical works. 'At-Tawassul' of Shaikh al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah), 'The Reality of Soofism' of Shaikh Muhammad bin Rabee al-Madkhalee (hafidhahullaah), 'The Explanation of the Three Principles' of Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen (rahimahullaah), 'The Methodology of the Prophets in Calling to Allaah' of Shaikh Rabee' al-Madkhalee (hafidhahullaah), and 'The Explanation of the Creed' of Imaam al-Barbahaaree (rahimahullaah), just to name a few.

Suffice it to say, it would be difficult to find a recent convert to Islam or English speaking Muslim who was interested in authentic Islamic Studies who does not have one of his works in his library. 

On web forums and boards, tributes have been filing in as those who knew of him and his work begin to come to grips with the loss. His colleague at Salafi publications mentioned these words in a touching tribute: 

"Abu Talhah (rahimahullaah).... never stopped calling the people to the aqeedah and the manhaj and the fiqh and the akhlaaq and the adaab of the Salaf - not for one moment have I known him to be upon anything other than that. He was firm upon the Sunnah, not compromising - if he knew something to be the haqq, he would hold to it with his molar teeth. Though he lived far from the Masjid, he would still walk miles to reach the Masjid, hoping for the reward from Allaah and a removal of sin for every step that he took, rahimahullaah. I would ask him, "Dawood, why do you not learn to drive?" He would respond, "No thank you, I'm fine walking," and we would laugh. He would not carry a mobile phone, and had no interest in having one, as he knew it would occupy him away from "more important matters". 

We at AMT are indeed saddened to hear of the death of Br. Dawood and his wife, but we smile with the thought of them being raised on the day of Judgement in their Ihram reciting the talbiyyah to their Lord. We send our condolences to his family, ask Allah to give them patience, and ask Allah to grant them Janatil firdous - the highest levels of paradise.  - ameen