He converted to Islam at the age of 19 and studied at the University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia in the mid to late 1980s where he acquired fluency in the Arabic language.
[3] Burbank, along with Abu Khadeejah Abdul Wahid[1] led the side that remained quietist towards the government of Saudi Arabia, temporarily creating an organization called ‘Organization of Ahl al Sunnah Islamic Societies’ (OASIS) which quickly became Salafi Publications.
Burbank "translated many Arabic texts" in this time that reinforced their objective that "correcting religious belief and practice among British Muslims was more important than political reform".
[4] According to the Salafi Mosque director, Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wahid, Burbank "was well known and probably the best Arabic to English language translators in the entire West.
[5] Burbank and his wife, Khalida Begum Dost, died on 1 November 2011 when the coach bus they were travelling on from Jeddah International Airport to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia caught fire.