Hamza Yusuf is the current president of Zaytuna College, located in Berkeley, California. He is an advisor to Stanford University’s Program in Islamic Studies and the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. He also serves as vice-president for the Global Center for Guidance and Renewal, which was founded and is currently presided over by Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the top jurists and masters of Islamic sciences in the world. For almost a decade, Hamza Yusuf was consecutively ranked as “The Western word’s most influential Islamic scholar” by The 500 Most Influential Muslims, edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin, (2009).

Yusuf is one of the leading proponents of classical learning in Islam. He has promoted Islamic sciences and classical teaching methodologies throughout the world. He has also been a strong advocate for social justice, peace, and conviviality among peoples and places. For several years, he has argued that the “them versus us” problem is fundamentally flawed, as he considers himself one of “them” as well as one of “us.”

He has served as an advisor to many organizations, leaders, and heads of state. Yusuf has been an innovator in modern Islamic education, founding the highly imitated Deen Intensives, and with Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Afa, he started the first Rihla program in England, which has been running for over fifteen years. Dozens of young Muslims who were influenced by his call to reviving traditional Islamic studies in the West went to the Muslim lands in the nineties and early part of the current decade to study, many of who are now teachers in their own right. Hamza Yusuf’s contribution to the development of Islam in England has been described as “immense”, “considerable”, and “enormous”, by the academic Haifaa Jawad in her recent book, Towards Building a British Islam.

With Eissa Bougari, Hamza Yusuf initiated a media challenge to the Arab world that resulted in a highly successful cultural religious program that he hosted for three years and was one of the most watched programs in the Arab world during Ramadan. Cambridge Media Studies stated that this program had a profound influence on subsequent religious programming in the Arab world. He has also been interviewed on BBC several times and was the subject of a BBC documentary segment The Faces of Islam, ushering in the new millennium, as it aired at 11:30pm on December 31st 1999.

Hamza Yusuf has been a passionate and outspoken critic of American foreign policy as well as Islamic extremist responses to those policies. He has drawn criticism from both the extreme right in the West and Muslim extremists in the East. Ed Hussain has written that Hamza Yusuf’s teachings were instrumental to his abandoning extremism.

Hamza Yusuf has also authored several encyclopedia articles and research papers. His published books include The Burda (2003), Purification of the Heart (2004), The Content of Character (2004), The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi (2007), Agenda to Change our Condition (2007), Walk on Water (2010), and The Prayer of the Oppressed (2010).

sandala.org/hamza-yusuf/

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson

President Hamza Yusuf shares a new poem about the beautiful character and example of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, encouraging us all to “Be Like Ahmad.”

If you've ever benefitted from Shaykh Hamza or Zaytuna - Please consider donating


12,000 Hearts Beating as One Can't Be Beat
Our Prophet ﷺ has promised that God will never abandon 12,000 Muslims united for a cause. We need you to ensure Zaytuna College reaches that number—and has the care of Providence. Giving a consistent amount each month will help establish Zaytuna College as a top-tier educational institution and serve as a beacon of light for generations to come.

Your support ensures that our students receive a well-rounded education that rivals the best colleges in the world. Our students graduate debt free and without any government support thanks to your generosity.  

For your unwavering commitment, we want to bring Zaytuna to your homes. Our 12000 supporters will enjoy benefits such as a monthly book club led by President Hamza Yusuf, high-quality online courses, monthly e-newsletters, and more. Join the 12000 community today and help revive our intellectual tradition

https://zaytuna.edu/jointoday#!/donation/checkout?c_src=r2212konly

Be Like Ahmad - Poem by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Salaamun - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson

Qamlaka - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson

Spring’s Gift
Hamza Yusuf

I envy the sand that met his feet
I’m jealous of honey he tasted sweet
Of birds that hovered above his head
Of spiders who spun their sacred web
To save him from his enemies
I envy clouds formed from the seas
That gave him cover from the heat
Of a sun whose light could not compete
With his, whose face did shine so bright
That all was clear in blinding night
I envy sightless trees that gazed
Upon his form completely dazed
Not knowing if the sun had risen
But felt themselves in unison
With those who prayed, and fasted too
Simply because he told them to
With truth and kindness, charity
From God who gave such clarity
His mercy comes in one He sent
To mold our hearts more heaven bent
I envy all there at his side
Who watched the turning of the tide
As truth prevailed and falsehood fled
And hope restored life to the dead
Men and Women through him found grace
To seek together God’s noble face
I envy the cup that gave him drink
His thoughts that helped us all to think
To be one thought that passed his mind
Inspiring him to act so kind
For me this world is not one jot
If I could simply be a thought
From him to God throughout the ages
As revelation came in stages
I pity all who think it odd
To hear him say there is one God
Or he was sent by God to men
To hone their spirits’ acumen
It’s pride that blinds us from the sight
That helps good men to see his light
He taught us all to be God’s slaves
And he will be the one who saves
Humanity from sinful pride
Muhammad has God on his side
So on this day be blessed and sing
For he was born to grace our Spring
With lilies, flowers, life’s rebirth
In a dome of green like his on earth

Poem - Spring's Gift - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Download link:  http://haqqbahu.webs.com/wirdallatif.htm 
As with all the litanies of Imam al-Haddad, al-Wird al-Latif is made up of nothing but the 'prayers' of the Prophet-peace be upon him and the formulae that he instructed his community to recite mornings and evenings. 

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf explains Wird Latif

A resource for traditional qasidas (poems, odes), naats and nasheeds taken from around the world, most of which are written by various spiritual masters of the sacred path of sufism (tassawuf - the Islamic science of spirituality).

'The aim of qasidas or spiritual odes is to worship the creator, by turning the hearts to the Divine, who says 'And when My servants ask you of Me, truly I am close' (Quran 2:186).

The purpose of qasidas in the Sufi path is to convey the experiential gnosis of forebears to subsequent generations, for what comes from the heart goes into the heart, and most of the poets who wrote them where Shaykhs of the spiritual paths (tariqa) who addressed their words to those with experiences like themselves or to aspirants.

The person who can benefit from such qasidas is someone whose way lies with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and whose heart lies with Allah'

Source: Echoes from Eternity (Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller)

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Truly, in some poetry, there is wisdom.” [Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud]

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson

Mawlid Man