Biography and Thought of Hamza Yusuf - Essay Example

? Hamza Yusuf Biography Hamza Yusuf, who was born as Mark Hanson in 1959, is considered the most influential Islamic scholar of the Western world. Yusuf was born to American academics in Washington State and was raised in Northern California. In the year 1977, at the age of 18, Yusuf converted from Christianity to Islam. During his childhood, Yusuf appeared destined to become a Greek Orthodox priest. After converting to Islam, Yusuf spent 10 years studying Islam in the United Arab Emirates (specifically in Saudi Arabia), Morocco and Algeria among other Islamic nations. Yusuf often acts as a guest speaker at events coordinated by different subdivisions of the Muslim Students Association of the US and Canada. Together with Haten Bazian and Zaid Shakir, Yusuf is a co-founder of the Zaytuna College located in Berkeley, California. The college was established in 1996 and is dedicated to reviving traditional methods of study, especially with regard to the sciences of Islam (Ghazali 2011, 65). Yusuf is also a signatory of A Common Word Between Us and You, which is an open letter written by Islamic scholars addressed to Christian leaders, speaking to the need for peace and understanding. Yusuf has adopted a stance against all religious rationalizations for terrorist attacks. After 9/11, he typified the actions of the attackers as acts of mass homicide. Yusuf strongly condemns terrorist attacks arguing that Islamic is exploited as an innocent victim (Ghazali 2011, 115). Yusuf has authored an array of books and pamphlets, which seek to educate Muslims on proper and ethical conduct. Thought Yusuf is renowned for a number of original thoughts, which are aimed at assisting Muslim lead fruitful lives devoid of evil deeds. One of his most notable thoughts is that of dunya. Yusuf typifies dunya as the illusory nature of the world; it consists of aspects that delude people into thinking that they are permanent fixtures in the world. Dunya also compels Muslims to think that they can transgress since they believe they are independent from Allah. In essence, Yusuf considers dunya as the element that takes Muslims away from the akhira (the after life), thus exemplifying Satan’s game. Satan’s game, according to Yusuf (2008, 69) is aimed purposely at detracting people away from the akhira through shaytan, which means to obstruct or make distant from the akhira. Therefore, Yusuf (Yusuf and Shakir 2007, 128) believes that dunya makes Muslims feel that dunya is nearer than the akhira. Islam argues that dunya is distant and equates it to attempting to reach for grapes that are beyond one’s grasp. This is the true character of dunya; one can never get it since it always evades people. Through his teachings, Yusuf seeks to teach Muslims that dunya is unimportant. He in turn demonstrates the importance of the akhira, which is the essence of all Islamic messages. Therefore, he argues that, in all their actions, Muslims must endeavor to head away from dunya and further towards the akhira. In order to delineate the true nature of dunya, Yusuf contrasts it to normal human actions. Yusuf (2004, 89) argues that seeking food to sustain a healthy body is not considered dunya, neither is earning enough money to meet one’s obligations or spend on halal. In order to justify his stance regarding dunya, Yusuf ponders on the assertions of the Holy Prophet of Islam that if Adam’s son had a single mountain of gold, he would then desire a second mountain. The Prophet argued that the son’s mouth would never be filled, with the exception of the dust of his private grave. Yusuf takes this teaching to mean that dunya is deceptive since it compels people to desire more earthly possession than they need. Yusuf teaches Muslims to steer clear of the deluder and in turn move towards the akhira. In addition to this, Yusuf teaches that Muslims should avoid the delusion of dunya that it is possible to live both in the past and future. In turn, Yusuf believes that Muslims should always endeavor to live in the present. He argues that zikr does not signify the past, but rather being in constant remembrance of Allah and His teachings. Since Allah neither has a past nor a future, but rather is reality, Muslims should also focus on the present and ensure that they live in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Mohammad, thus remember the presence of Allah (swt) (Yusuf 2004, 114). In order to demonstrate the deleterious implications of focusing on dunya, Yusuf argues that God is faithful to the broken-hearted, therefore, when the hearts of Muslims break; it is not necessarily a bad thing. This is because the breaking of Muslims’ hearts opens them to Allah’s light. This means that since dunya is intended to break hearts, Muslims should always crush it. Yusuf believes that since all people came from God and are going back to God, they should never be in a state of complete panic because God is the greatest protector. The moment of complete panic is dunya since it leads Muslims into unacceptable behaviors and desires (Yusuf 2004, 98). Yusuf’s thought regarding the essence of the zikr is that it is the secret of living in this world. This means that if Muslims can remove their love for dunya from their hearts, then the dunya will be theirs for the taking; they can take possession of the dunya to help them advance to the akhira. Muslims will be able to gain the dunya because it will be in their hands rather than in their hearts, which should only be filled with the akhira. According to Yusuf (Yusuf 2008, 168), dunya is the lowest place imaginable; therefore, the only way out of the dunya is up. In fact, Yusuf appears to believe that even hell is a step higher than dunya since people do not forget God when they are in hell. However, the dunya deceives people into forgetting God and abandoning the teachings of His prophets. In essence, Yusuf believes that Muslims should detach themselves from dunya do to a number of reasons, including the fact that dunya is not permanent, but rather will come to an end when Allah. Additionally, dunya encompasses a myriad of tribulations. Yusuf, therefore, urges Muslims to worship Allah since He is worthy of worship (Yusuf and Shakir 2007, 233). References Ghazali, A. 2011. Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship. Leicestershire: The Islamic Foundation. Yusuf, H. 2004. Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart. Chicago: Starlatch. Yusuf, H. 2008. The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. California: Zaytuna Institute. Yusuf, H., and Z. Shakir. 2007. Agenda to Change Our Condition. California: Zaytuna Institute. Read More