Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam, commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, humanitarian, and education philanthropist. His 1967 debut album reached the top 10 in the UK, and the album's title song "Matthew and Son" charted at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. His albums Tea for the Tillermanand Teaser and the Firecatwere both certified triple platinum in the US by the RIAA. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and Islamic music...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionFolk Singer
Date of Birth21 July 1948
CityLondon, England
Lord, my body has been a good friend But I won't need it when I reach the end Miles from nowhere, Guess I'll take my time Oh yeah, to reach there
I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible, and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem, and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life.
If I make a mark in time, I can't say the mark is mine.
I remember when I was a kid, when I just used to love listening to something again and again and over and over. You know, everybody else got sick of it, but I loved that discovery of music and what it did to my world, to my imagination. And so I started really considering, "Yeah, I've got to do more," for kids, particularly.
I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur'an first and realized no person is perfect, Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet... we will be successful.
The very first lesson that I learnt from the Qur'an was the message of unity and peace.
Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason....When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt the only answer for me was the Qur'an and God had sent it to me.
The spiritual quest was always the predominant aspect of my life. It's always been there. But there's also an incredible passion connected to it; it's not just a dry investigative process. I have been extremely emotional about it, and that comes out in the songs.
You may still be here tomorrow...but your dreams may not.
I found a religion that blended scientific reason with spiritual reality in a unifying faith far removed from the headlines of violence, destruction and terrorism.
To be what you want to be, you must give up being what you are.
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out.
Oh I can't keep it in; I can't keep it in, I've gotta let it out I've got to show the world; world's got to see, See all the love; love that's in me
I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.