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GLIMPSE OF FRIDAY

30 April’ 2004
Many people are naturally intrigued to know how a pop star ends up becoming a Muslim, hanging up his
guitar, changing his name and running a network of charitable institutions. Certainly it raises a lot of
questions for those dedicated friends and fans that followed Cat Stevens’ career and life’s work. This
short autobiographical booklet won’t answer all of those questions, but it may fill in some of the gaps left
behind by that monumental change.
I had quite an amazing youth and background. I was born in the heart of the London’s West End. At one end
of my road stood Piccadilly Circus, buzzing with neon lights, busses and black taxis: my playground lay
somewhere between Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square and the British Museum. As far as education was
concerned, I received quite a strict Christian upbringing in a Catholic School called St. Joseph's, off Drury
Lane, in the heart of Theatreland. I remember looking at the choice life offered me. Religion was
constantly warning me about immorality and dangers of this fleshly life, represented in clear pictorial
terms by the Devil, depicted with two horns; the temptation of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit; and
Jesus on the Cross, representing the key to salvation. But balancing those kind of fearful images with what
was going on outside the doors of the Church: God forgive me! I found that the attraction of the world was
too much to bear.
So it was not surprising, perhaps, that art and the entertainment world was an easy option for me. In the
beginning, in fact, I had wanted to be a cartoonist, following the general footsteps of my uncle in Sweden
who was an artist. But then, gradually, I realised that many painters were poor and this society did not give
much credence to people who were poor. Everything in this society was geared towards 'making it'. The
American image of the good life was projected everywhere: films and television were just flooding in. The
emphasis was to be on top get rich, be young, healthy, wealthy and street- wise. Indeed, I was street-wise
and eventually made it at the grand old age of eighteen! That's when I began my professional career as a
singer. It seemed that music was the fastest way to make a million, the Beatles had proved it, and that
inspired me; suddenly there was a big new window of opportunity for us youngsters. It wasn't long before I
had my first couple of hit records; my name and photo was splashed all over the media, and I was on the
road.

But that very short and speedy period of exposure to success had its pitfalls. Although I was basically an
introvert and extremely shy, my publicists were busy at work, making me larger than real life.
The public then expected me to live up to this image, so the only way was for me to resort to intoxicants. I
lost control. Staying up late, drinking, partying, smoking endless cigarettes - I fell sick and contracted
Tuberculosis. Within a year I found myself in hospital lying on my back. The pop business was whizzing past
me and I was left there to think: 'What happened?'

I became aware of my own mortality and the inevitability of death. As I lay there, in a Sussex hospital
deep in the country, surrounded by doctors, a lot of important questions came into my mind. That was a
very important stage of my life. At that time there was a great interest in things eastern, things
transcendental: so I turned towards Peace and ‘Flower Power’. Somebody had given me a copy of a Buddhist
book called 'The Secret Path'. That was the beginning of my ardent search for answers - clear answers,
about the meaning of existence and where it was all leading. I covered all the mirrors of my hospital room
with paper in an effort to subdue my ego, began meditating and I tried to forget the outwardness of this
world. Soon, I had grown a beard.
After I came out my convalescence, about a year in fact, I came back to the music business with a new
insight. A lot of my songs were now much more reflective and personalised. I didn't need any session-man's
interpretation of my music: now I began to take over myself. I wanted to get my songs, like my demos, to
sound as acoustic and natural as I could. A few people were interested in this new style. I finally found a
new manager and we secured a fresh recording deal.

My second career took off in a way we never expected, especially in the States. This happened at a time
when there was a broad appreciation for more gentle reflective songs. These were the blossoming 70's and
the whole thing suddenly skyrocketed. Throughout the whole experience, one of the most important
aspects - emphasised in my lyrics, particularly - was a sense of 'searching'. I suppose if you look back into
those albums, Tea for the Tillerman, Teaser & the Firecat, Catch Bull at Four and so on, a person today
would see quite clearly that there was a man who was not really comfortable; looking for something higher,
better and more real. In a rather ‘unorthodox’ way, I was trying to find out the truth whilst still being a
so-called ‘superstar’. That, of course, wasn't going to be easy!
The themes I was writing about were questions which remained with me and which were persistently
knocking at my conscience:
‘I wish I could tell, I wish I could tell:
What makes a heaven and what makes a hell;
And do I get to ring my bell?
Or land up in some dusty cell?
While others reach the big Motel?

So religious images were still very strong in my mind. I knew there was a difference between right and
wrong; I somehow believed in a higher Presence, but was violently opposed to rituals and dogma. I didn’t
like the idea of being told exactly what to do and felt there must be another way: so I wrote ‘Peace Train’.
Where it would actually end up? I didn’t know. The train was just rolling on ‘the edge of darkness’; that was
the spiritual track I was on. Many of my generation, associated with that.

I started studying different religions, I looked into Buddhism and other forms of eastern mysticism. I
threw the I-Ching and studied Hinduism and Zen. At one time I tried to look back into my Greek heritage
and I came across Pythygaros, I thought perhaps he had the answer: that everything can be worked out by
numeric formulas, just like one universal-sized mathematical puzzle. I also flirted with Astrology, studied
the signs of the Zodiac; threw Tarot cards, burnt incense - everything you’d expect in those days and in
that kind of era. But I still wasn’t satisfied. There were still doubts. A lady from Australia introduced to
Sufism at one point, and read some poems of Rumi: I was very impressed - but I still wasn’t there.

I remember one of the incidents which happened to me. It was a major turning point although I didn't
realise it at the time. I was somewhere in Malibu, which is in the Los Angeles area, the famous strip of
beach where millionaires live. I was at the house of my record chief, Jerry Moss, and decided to take a dip
in the ocean that particular day. Unknown to me, of course, this was a very dangerous time to go for a
swim. I didn't realise when I looked out that there was nobody else around in the sea that day,
nevertheless, that was 'my style'. I went in for a dip.

After swimming for a while, I'd had enough and tried to return back to the beach. That was when I
realised this was the wrong time to go swimming!
I felt the current moving me out and away from the shore. My body was absolutely powerless. I saw my
manager standing there thinking everything was all right, but I could not communicate to him.
Finally, in a split second, I realised I had no other help and I shouted out, "O God, if you save me, I'll work
for you!" and at that moment, a wave came from behind me and pushed me forward. Suddenly, with all the
energy that I needed, I was swimming back to land and within a few minutes, I was there: safe and alive.
That was a moment of truth.
I knew that God existed and, in a way, I renewed my relationship with Him at that moment. But as usual,
what happens with the human being after he is saved and everything comes right, he then starts to forget
his promises. I started going about my usual business again. But, of course, a promise is not forgotten with
God.

My chance to fulfil it came when my elder brother, David, took a trip to Jerusalem in 1976. When he went
to visit the Holy Places and the surroundings in the Holy City, he came across a golden domed Mosque that
lies at its centre and he asked himself, "What is this religion?" Islam was relatively unknown to us in the
West, but he was brave enough to go and step inside. The peace that he felt walking around the Mosque
and seeing the way that Muslims worshipped: no statues, no pictures, just pure prayer. This impressed him
so much. When he came back to the UK, London was hosting the Festival of Islam. David saw a copy of the
Qur'an in one of the shops and said, 'This is the Holy Bible of the Muslims', and since he knew that I was
an avid collector of such mystical books, he bought it for me as a Birthday present. And that was the
beginning, if you like, and my final opportunity to fulfil my promise which I made out at sea.

It took me over a year to read the Qur'an. The first thing I consciously did was to try and maintain an
open mind: I had so many in-built negative images about Islam. My father was Greek-Cypriot, and
therefore, anything connected to Muslims and the ‘Turks’ was considered taboo; they were our immortal
enemies. That’s probably why I never even bothered to even look at Islam as a religion before. So, I said to
myself, “Look! It’s only a book, it’s not gonna hurt me”.

So I proceeded to read. The very first lesson that I learnt from the Qur’an, was the Name of God: it
began:

Bismi Allahi, al-Rahmani al-Raheem. Al-hamdu li-Allahi Rabbi al-‘alameen

The translation read:


‘In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Gracious. All praise be to Allah, Lord of the Universe.’

The first surprise was that I never knew Muslims believed in a God! I had some kind of idea that, maybe
like Christianity, they worshipped Muhammad or perhaps had something to do with mountains, crescent
moons and astral bodies - I had no idea.

This was to mark the start of my real education.


The more I read the Qur’an, the more it struck me, deep down. This was not that foreign religion which I
had expected. First and foremost it was talking about belief in One God for all people, talking about
humanity as one family. The verses talked about Prophets as brothers preaching the same message of unity
to mankind, trying to put man back on the track of righteousness. I saw the names of Jesus, of Moses, of
Abraham, of Jacob, of Noah and of course, importantly, the name of this last messenger, the last Prophet
of God, Muhammad (peace be upon them): All mentioned with the same honour and respect as Prophets of
the one and only God. It said:

‘O mankind worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may become God-conscious’.

I’d never heard anything like that before. Now what did the word Islam mean? Oh, it comes from the word
salaam, which means ‘peace’. Hey! Didn’t I once write a song called Peace Train? It was fast becoming clear
that I was now being confronted with something much greater than I had originally anticipated: possibly -
the Truth! I started to feel challenged. So I began to look for mistakes, ‘Come on there’s something wrong
with this.’ I thought to myself, ‘It’s too good, too perfect!’ But the more I looked, the more my eyesight
came back to myself: I found that it was right, and it was I who was wrong.

All this took time for me to absorb. Perhaps one of the great moments came when I read the story of
Prophet Joseph. It's very similar to the story we find in the Bible. As I came to the end of that chapter,
my heart suddenly opened and tears filled my eyes; I knew that this book could not have possibly been
written by a human being. It was truly a Revelation. From that moment I realised that there was nothing
left for me to do but to be a Muslim - and that was my next step.
Eventually, I met a Muslim lady who told me that a new Mosque had just opened in Regent's Park. In fact,
I'd walked through that Park so many years of my life, I'd never seen anything there apart from trees,
ponds and grass. Now, out of the greenery, I saw this golden dome which was never there before. That was
in a way the epitome of everything that I was discovering about Islam: suddenly it was there - where it
wasn't there before. On a winter Friday in 1977, I took that dramatic step and I walked to the Mosque to
declare my belief. That's where I made the Testimony of Faith, which is the first thing one must do to
enter Islam. I declared one sentence: 'There is no God but Allah (the One God), and Muhammad is His
servant and messenger'. Now I was a Muslim.
I knew that it would have a big impact on my family, on the public, on my friends. But the most important
thing at that moment was not what other people thought - it was what God had destined for me (ma sha
'Allah). Like going back to your inner nature. If you really listen to the voice of your conscience you will
know when to do something and when not to. For so long I'd been listening to other people telling me to do
things which they expected. This time I was listening to my own conscience, and I knew then that that
God’s Voice was the only one I had to obey. That was the major turning point.

That’s how it began. In the final analysis I knew I was as human as anyone else. The whole image of the
‘Super-Star’, I helped to create. It was also therefore, possible for me to change it or destroy it. Today,
people still reflect on an image they want to see, but Cat Stevens was never really there; he was a part of
so many things which came together. The artist however, was there; there was a person behind that art.
But most importantly, there was an identity seeking to be fulfilled. That is the soul’s identity which I think
everybody needs to come to terms with. We are born not of our own calling, but through Grace we are
given life. We have to then acknowledge the Power that gave us that life, to be thankful, and to make our
life in accordance with the will of our Loving Creator in order to be happy. The moment I became a Muslim,
I became happy. It is very difficult to explain beyond that.

My family initially were shocked, although they had seen me going through fads, trends and fashions
before. Maybe they were thinking that this is just a passing phase. But not this time. They also knew me as
being quite serious especially when I had decided to do something. I explained my faith to my mother and
to my brother and sister and they all accepted Islam to one degree or another. My father declared that
there was no God but Allah two days before he died - legally, therefore, he is considered a Muslim. My
mother also made the Testimony of Faith (may Allah Have mercy on them both), as did my brother and my
nephew.
There was great acceptance in my family once they understood what this religion was all about from the
inside rather than the outside.
My friends were perhaps a little bit more difficult, because they knew that this spelt the end of my
career. In a way, that's when I discovered who my friends really were. There came a great decisive
moment while I was sitting together in a restaurant with some buddies. I had stopped drinking at that
time; they were indulging in some wine, all of them were getting more and more oblivious and drunk.
Suddenly they started swearing and one said, 'Hey! Here’s to the blood of Jesus.' I became extremely
upset, "Look! Please, he is our Prophet." I said. Then my best friend lunged out and struck me in the face
and cut my lip. From that moment, I said to myself, 'That is the line between my past and my present and I
don't have to put up with it'. That made it very easy for me after that to know which way to go.
Miraculously, that very same guy became a Muslim some eighteen years later. Now we’re seeing each other
and working together again.

Interestingly, I didn’t read anything in the Qur’an directly about music; it didn’t say music was forbidden.
But there were many things that were forbidden or clearly immoral such as fornication, such as
drunkenness, idols, competition, greed and selfishness among other things. Then it started I to analyse.
‘Hang-on,’ I thought to myself, ‘the music business is full of that stuff, how can you really develop as a
Muslim if you stay in that kind of an environment?’ I found it very difficult. So one day I approached the
Imam in the Mosque and asked, ‘Should I give up music?’ He said ‘No, no, keep playing music, making
records, but stop performing shows.’ I thought there’s logic in that, because it’s a form of idol worship. It
says in the Qur’an that some people love ‘them’ (the idols) more than they love God. And that was an
indictment because there is only One that we must worship and idolise, and that is the God who created us.
That made absolute sense. So, I stopped my music career at that point. Many people thought I’d gone off
my rocker. However, there was no craziness in me, I knew exactly what I was doing. But, the problem was
that I wasn’t able to explain my reasons at the time. In those days I just simply wanted to get out. I left a
vacuum which the media filled in its own uninformed and sensational way.

There's so much news about Islam today. People are looking at it from so many different angles. But if we
simply isolate political events in the Muslim world and magnify them, as the media often does, we will never
understand what Islam means. This is an injustice to Islam, to Muslims, and to the general intellectual
understanding of religion. The real important thing is to read the Qur’an and look at the life of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him), because these actually embody the whole Message of Islam.
It took me almost seventeen years to come back round to the idea of recording again. But I wasn't about
to go back and make a record of Islamic songs, I didn't want to be known now as an 'Islamic singer'. For me
the most important thing was to choose a medium and subject that I would be happy with and would
contribute to the understanding of Islam in a pleasing and entertaining way. That's when I started thinking
about the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him). I began researching, looking into the subject and I
found that there was a lack of material which I could pick up and give to a non-Muslim friend. In fact,
interestingly, the event which gave me the final jolt to record The Life Of The Last Prophet (peace be
upon him) came while I was speaking to a non- Muslim. This particular man was under the impression that
Muhammad was born sometime before Moses. I said, "Before Moses!" At that moment I thought, "If he
doesn't know anything even about the era he was born, then what is he going to know about the details of
his message and the amazing nature of this religion?" It was clear from that statement that this was the
subject I had to work on, so that people would no longer be ignorant about the life of this great man.

It is so strange that the Islamic faith was almost entirely veiled from the West. All we had for so long
were orientalists holding up for us glimpses of what you might call 'Islam', or what some of them insultingly
termed 'Muhammadanism' (which is actually a misnomer and complete distortion of this actual religion).
Today, the great difference is that we have not only journalists writing about Islam, we now have home-
grown Muslims. I am such a Muslim trying to convey the message of Islam in English, the tongue with which
I was born. I think that this is important. We have started a new label called Mountain of Light to convey
the correct message of Islam to people who were like me, who know very little about it except for what
they saw on the news or heard second-hand.

One of the things that we are careful is to follow the basic guidelines of Islam regarding sound and use of
musical instruments. The common orthodox view is that the Prophet disapproved of the use of musical
instruments, some say that they were actually prohibited, although there are counter arguments and
evidence in favour of the allowance for some types of percussive drums, but that is about it. The main
focus of Muslim traditional music has always been the voice, as the voice is the carrier of the Message.
The highest expression of ‘melodization’ in Islam is, therefore, considered to be the recitation of Qur'an.
Following that comes the Adhan, the call to prayer. When you are going and travelling in Muslim countries
you will hear it about 4 o'clock in the morning as a distant call to prayer.
It has always been a symbol of the sound of Islam. Then you have the traditional songs, which
emanate naturally from weddings, celebrations and festivals. One of the songs which is included
on The Life of the Last Prophet - which I would say is one of the most popular songs in the Muslim
World - is that song which was sung when the Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated from Makkah
to Madinah. All the children rushed in a loving outpour to meet and greet him and they sang
spontaneously the song called Tala'a al-Badru 'Alayna, which means 'The White Moon Has Risen
Over Us'. That is a very important element of The Life of the Last Prophet, to show how much joy
there is in Islam, through culture and music - but within limits.
listen to the wind
To the wind of my soul
Where I'll end up well I think Only
God really knows
I’ve sat upon the setting sun
But never, never, never,
never I never wanted water once No never, never, never

I listen to my words But they fall far below


I let my music take me
Where my heart wants to go
I've swam upon the devil's lake
But never, never, never, never
I’ll never make the same mistake
No never, never, never

PARTS OF THIS ARTICLE ARE EXTRACTED FROM THE VIDEO BY YUSUF ISLAM ENTITLED
'THE MAKING OF THE LIFE OF THE LAST PROPHET'
 
Morning Has Broken

Morning has broken, like the first morning


Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven


Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning


Born of the one light, eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day
(One of Cat Stevens’s Hit Song)
 

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