Hamza Yusuf

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with the Scottish politician Humza Yousaf.
Hamza Yusuf
Aqida, Fiqh
, Islamic Eschatology
Education
Occupation
Ash'ari
MovementIslamic neo-traditionalism
Websitesandala.org

Hamza Yusuf (born Mark Hanson; 1958)

Islamic scholar, neo-traditionalist,[5][6][2][7] and co-founder of Zaytuna College.[1][8] He is a proponent of classical learning in Islam and has promoted Islamic sciences and classical teaching methodologies throughout the world.[9]

He is an advisor to both the Center for Islamic Studies at the

Abdallah bin Bayyah.[13][14] He also serves as vice-president of the United Arab Emirates-based Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, where bin Bayyah also serves as president.[15] The Forum has attracted huge controversy for its close ties to the UAE government, Yusuf's personal support for authoritarian leaders since the Arab Spring, and Yusuf's support for the Abraham Accords between Israel and the UAE.[16][17][18][19]

Yusuf has been listed in the top 50 of

Palestinian-Israeli conflict.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]

Early life and education

Yusuf was born as Mark Hanson in

Irish Catholic Christian and attended prep schools on both the East and West coasts. In 1977, after a near-death experience in a car accident and reading the Qur'an, he converted to Islam.[1][30] Yusuf has Irish, Scottish and Greek ancestry.[31]

After being impressed by a young couple from

fiqha) and theology (aqidah) among other classical Islamic disciplines.[33]

In 1984, Yusuf formally disassociated himself from as-Sufi's teachings and moved in a different intellectual direction, having been influenced by a number of Mauritanian scholars residing in the Emirates. He moved to North Africa in 1984 and studied in Algeria and Morocco, as well as Spain and Mauritania.[36] In Mauritania he developed his most lasting and powerful relationship with Islamic scholar Sidi Muhammad Ould Fahfu al-Massumi, known as Murabit al-Hajj.[33]

In 2020, Yusuf completed his Ph.D. at the Graduate Theological Union. His dissertation was titled, "The Normative Islamic Tradition in North and West Africa: A Case Study of Transmission of Authority and Distillation of Knowledge in Ibn Ashir’s Al-Murshid al-Mu’in (The Helpful Guide)." Yusuf previously earned an associate degree in nursing from Imperial Valley College and a bachelor's degree in religious studies from San José State University.[37]

Scholarly career

Zaytuna College

He and other colleagues founded the

Zaytuna Institute in Berkeley, California, United States, in 1996,[1] dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and the sciences of Islam.[38] He was joined by Zaid Shakir and Hatem Bazian in establishing what was then Zaytuna Institute. In fall 2010, it opened its doors as Zaytuna College, a four-year Muslim liberal arts college, the first of its kind in the United States.[39] It incorporates Yusuf's vision of combining the classical liberal arts—based in the trivium and quadrivium—with rigorous training in traditional Islamic disciplines. It aims to "educate and prepare morally committed professional, intellectual, and spiritual leaders".[40] Zaytuna College became the first accredited Muslim campus in the United States after it received approval from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.[41][42] Yusuf stated that "We hope, God willing, that there will be more such Muslim colleges and universities to come".[41]

Interfaith

Yusuf participates in the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies hosted by the UAE. He praised the UAE for its increasing tolerance and its adoption of multi-faith initiatives and plans to build a multi-faith centre in Abu Dhabi.[43]

Views and influence

Ibrahim Kalin.[44] Additionally, Journalist Graeme Wood has referred to Yusuf "one the two most prominent Muslim scholars in the United States today".[46]

Yusuf has taken a stance against religious justifications for terrorist attacks.[47] He described the 9/11 attacks as "an act of mass murder, pure and simple". Condemning the attacks, he also stated that "Islam was hijacked ... on that plane as an innocent victim."[48]

Yusuf is one of the signatories

terrorist organization.[50][non-primary source needed
]

Hamza Yusuf has been involved in controversies in recent years on issues of race, politics, and the Arab revolutions, including as a result of his support for the Abraham Accords and UAE government, and for "positing blame on the Palestinians for their suffering".[21][22][23][24][25][26][18][27]

Comments on the Syrian Revolution

In 2019, in reference to Arab Spring protests against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, Yusuf criticized the Syrian Revolution, stating that "If you humiliate a ruler, God will humiliate you." Although some viewed these comments as supportive of the

Syrian regime, this has been rejected by Yusuf, who made a statement of response.[23][51][52][53]

2016 Black Lives Matter comments

In December 2016, Yusuf made comments that were perceived as critical of the tactics employed by the Black Lives Matter movement. He argued that, "The United States is probably, in terms of its laws, one of the least racist societies in the world." He also stated that, “We have between 15,000 and 18,000 homicides per year. Fifty percent are black-on-black crime, literally." He added, "There are twice as many whites that have been shot by police, but nobody ever shows those videos.”[54] Yusuf was criticized for these comments, including on social media.[24][54] Zaid Shakir, co-founder of Zaytuna College, defended Yusuf, writing that "I can say with absolute confidence that there is not a racist bone in Shaykh Hamza’s body. A racist is someone who believes in the superiority of one race over another. Shaykh Hamza, like any serious Muslim, totally rejects that idea."[55]

Publications

Publications and works by Hamza Yusuf
Title Description Year Type
Agenda to Change our Condition[56] Co-authored with Zaid Shakir 1999 Books and Pamphlets
Imām al-Zarnūjī, Instruction of the Student: The Method of Learning Translated by G.E. Von Grunebaum. 2001 Books with a foreword or introduction
Beyond schooling: building communities where learning really matters[57] Also includes essays by
Dorothy L Sayers
and Nabila Hanson. Re-edited in 2010 as Educating Your Child in Modern Times: How to Raise an Intelligent, Sovereign & Ethical Human Being. 		2003 Books and Pamphlets
Imām Busiri, The Burda: Poem of the Cloak[58] Includes a CD of performances by The Fez Singers feat. Bennis Abdelfettah. 2003 Translations
Mostafa Al-Badawî, The Prophetic Invocations 2003 Books with a foreword or introduction
Shaykh Al-Amin Mazrui, The Content of Character Foreword by Ali Mazrui, son of the author. 2004 Translations
Imām Mawlūd, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart[59] Translation and commentary of the poem Maṭharat al-Qulūb composed by a 19th-century Mauritanian scholar. 2004 Translations
Imām Ṭaḥāwī, The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi 2007 Translations
Caesarean Moon Births: Calculations, Moon Sighting, and the Prophetic Way[60][61] Available in 2008 Books and Pamphlets
Climbing Mount Purgatorio Archived 2014-09-05 at the Wayback Machine 2008 Papers
The Prayer of the Oppressed by Imām Muhammad bin Nasir al-Dar'i [62] Includes a CD of performances by The Fez Singers. 2010 Translations
Joseph Lumbard, Submission, faith and beauty: the religion of Islam Co-edited with Zaid Shakir. 2009 Edited Books
Hamza Yusuf, Walk on Water: The Wisdom of Jesus from Traditional Islamic Sources[63] 2010 Article
Reza Shah-Kazemi, Common Ground Between Islam and Buddhism: Spiritual and Ethical Affinities 2010 Books with a foreword or introduction
Hamza Yusuf & Robert P. George, Pornography, Respect, and Responsibility: A Letter to the Hotel Industry[64] 2012
Hamza Yusuf & Robert P. George, Hotels and the Pornography Plague: An Example of Moral Responsibility from Scandinavia [65] 2013
Asad Tarsin, Being Muslim: A Practical Guide 2015 Books with a foreword or introduction
Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui, The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ[66][67] Translation and Introduction by Hamza Yusuf. Collected by Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui 2015 Translation and Introduction
Edwin Arnold, Pearls of the Faith[68] 2017 Edited and Prefaced
Scott F. Crider, The Art of Persuasion Aristotle's Rhetoric for Everybody[69] The Zaytuna Curriculum Series 2019 Books with a foreword or introduction
Shaykh Ahmad Badawi Tayyib al-Asma, The Mindful Messenger: Occasional Supplications of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ [70] 2022 Translations

Poems

  • Spring's Gift
  • Be Like Ahmed, a poem dedicated to the Prophet Mohammed, recited at the ceremony of the Prophet's birthday on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal (9th of October 2022).

See also

References

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  4. ^ "إضاءات :. حمزة يوسف". youtube.com. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
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  11. ^ Affairs, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World. "Hamza Yusuf". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  21. ^ a b "Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson". The Muslim 500. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  22. ^ a b Bokth, Noshin (2019-07-19). "The controversy of Hamza Yusuf being appointed Human Rights Adviser to the Trump administration - TMV". Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  23. ^ a b c Hamza Yusuf under fire for comments about the Syrian revolution, 11 September 2019, archived from the original on 2021-12-12, retrieved 2019-09-28
  24. ^ a b c Hilal, Maha. "It's time for Muslim Americans to condemn Hamza Yusuf". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  25. ^ a b "Hamza Yusuf and the struggle for the soul of western Islam". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  26. ^ a b 5Pillars (2016-12-25). "Hamza Yusuf stokes controversy with comments about Black Lives Matter and political Islam". 5Pillars. Retrieved 2019-09-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ a b "Influential Muslim scholar criticised for calling the UAE a 'tolerant country'". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  28. ^ al-Azami, Dr Usaama (2019-09-15). "Shaykh Hamza Yusuf And The Question of Rebellion In The Islamic Tradition". MuslimMatters.org. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  29. ^ "American Islamic scholar Hamza Yusuf interrupted at Canada conference over Gaza remarks – Middle East Monitor".
  30. ^ O'Sullivan, Jack (October 7, 2001). "If you hate the west, emigrate to a Muslim country". The Guardian. London.
  31. ^ O'Sullivan, Jack (October 7, 2001). "If you hate the west, emigrate to a Muslim country". The Guardian. London. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  32. ^ Read Secret Practices of the Sufi Freemasons Online by Baron Rudolf von Sebottendorff | Books.
  33. ^ a b c d Grewal, Zareena Islam Is a Foreign Country: American Muslims and the Global Crisis of Authority p 160-171
  34. ^ Ukeles, Raquel The Evolving Muslim Community in America: The Impact of 9/11 p 101
  35. ^ Tariq, Aisha. "From student to honoured guest". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
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  38. ^ Daniel Brumberg, Dina Shehata, Conflict, Identity, and Reform in the Muslim World: Challenges for U.S Engagement, p 367
  39. ^ Romig, Rollo (May 20, 2013). "Where Islam Meets America". New Yorker. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  40. ^ "Zaytuna College". zaytunacollege.org. Archived from the original on 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  41. ^ a b Song, Jason (March 11, 2015). "Muslim college gains accreditation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  42. ^ "US gets its first accredited Muslim college". The Express Tribune. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  43. ^ "Plans for multi-faith centre in Abu Dhabi presented to the UN". The National. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
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  50. ^ College, Zaytuna [@zaytunacollege] (2014-09-24). "A Letter responding to #ISIS leader al-Baghdadi and signed by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf as well as 125 Sunni scholars... http://fb.me/6M9gDKUy1" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-01-16 – via Twitter.
  51. ^ "Hamza Yusuf issues apology for 'hurting feelings' with Syria comments". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  52. ^ Arab, The New (10 September 2019). "Outrage as Hamza Yusuf releases video mocking Syrian refugees". alaraby. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  53. ^ Yusuf, Hamza (13 September 2019). "Don't Curse the People of Syria". Youtube.
  54. ^ a b Green, Emma (2017-03-11). "Muslim Americans Are United by Trump—and Divided by Race". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  55. ^ "Imam Zaid Shakir". facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
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  57. ^ Gatto, John Taylor (2001). Beyond Schooling: Building Communities where Learning Really Matters. Ihya Productions.
  58. ^ "The Burda of Al-Busiri - The Poem of the Cloak". Zaytuna College Bookstore. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  59. ^ "Purification of the Heart". Zaytuna College Bookstore. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  60. ^ "Caesarean Moon Births | 2nd Edition". Zaytuna College Bookstore. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
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  62. ^ "The Prayer of the Oppressed". Zaytuna College Bookstore. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  63. ^ Team, Content (2010-01-02). "Walk on Water: The Wisdom of Jesus from Traditional Islamic Sources - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf". SeekersGuidance. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  64. ^ George, Robert (2012-07-09). "Pornography, Respect, and Responsibility: A Letter to the Hotel Industry". Public Discourse. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  65. ^ "Hotels and the Pornography Plague: An Example of Moral Responsibility from Scandinavia". Public Discourse. 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
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  68. ^ "Pearls of the Faith". Zaytuna College Bookstore. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  69. ^ "The Art of Persuasion: Aristotle's Rhetoric for Everybody". Zaytuna College Bookstore. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  70. ^ "zaytuna Publisher Publications". Issuu. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
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