Cat Stevens

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.

In a World where people are surrounded by darkness, ignorance and fear, it is a sign of hope to be celebrating Islam’s message of peace and light, and the last great Messenger, born and chosen to deliver them to all mankind.

The words of the songs speak for themselves.

Music is part of God’s universe.

Peace Train is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions of human beings.

The very first lesson that I learnt from the Qur’an was the message of unity and peace.

If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there’s a million ways to be, you know that there are.

The greatest legacy is that which benefits the widest number of people for the longest period without limit to value. No one but the Prophet Muhammad was given that role as the seal of God’s message.

Though times have changed, it’s a nice surprise to see that youthful feeling of anti-war sentiment returning once more to the cobbled main streets of Europe.

It’s very difficult to ignore humanitarian disasters. The royalties from my albums continue to support my charity work.

Salman Rushdie, indeed any writer who abuses the prophet or indeed any prophet under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death.

I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. When they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I believed it, simply because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.

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.

I became alienated from this religious upbringing, and started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my god: the goal of making money.

They have hijacked my religion.

Moderation is part of faith, so those who accuse Muslim schools of fostering fanaticism should learn a bit more about Islam.

Because I don’t play guitar any more, African harmonies and rhythms have been an inspiration to me. I love the raw origin of the sound. It complements my voice and words naturally.

It is part of my faith as a Muslim to try to help those who are suffering from poverty or economic or political injustice.

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.

I suppose that the media and their portrayal of Islam and the almost tribal separations and divisions of the Muslims are the greatest issues confronting Muslims in the United Kingdom.

I became very famous, as a teenager, and my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life, and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated.

Music is a lady that I still love because she gives me the air that I breathe. We need all sorts of nourishment. And music satisfies and nourishes the hunger within ourselves for connection and harmony.

Ever since I became a Muslim, I’ve had to deal with attempts to damage my reputation and countless insinuations seeking to cast doubt on my character and trying to connect me to causes which I do not subscribe to.

Everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah.

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.

It was important for me to duck out of the fast and furious life I’d been living as a pop star. I was in a different mood.

I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the highlight of show business. I was born into a Christian home.

The fact that the Prophet cared for every human being and tried his best to ensure their security in the hereafter must be the most telling of his compassionate and merciful characteristics.

Violence is almost an everyday occurrence in some Muslim lands: it should not be exacerbated by revenge attacks on more innocent families and communities.

In those days a concert was a personal experience. I wanted to be as close as possible to the audience, and of course big stadiums didn’t enable you to do that. It wasn’t my style.

There was no division I could see between the essential teaching of all Prophets and wise men of religion.

To be what you want to be, you must give up being what you are.

In the early days I had a very black-and-white view of everything.

I’ve returned to being an amateur without any ties or strings attached, which gives me a freedom I never had before.

When many astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space, and they become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.

This is the beauty of the Qur’an: it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One who has created everything. The Qur’an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God’s creation in general.

The latest horror to hit the U.S. looks to have been caused by people of Middle Eastern origin, bearing Muslim names. Again, shame. This fuels more hatred for a religion and a people who have nothing to do with these events.

I’ve studied various schools of thought… I acknowledge that some Muslims consider music prohibited, but I’ve found a lot of evidence from the life of the Prophet to show that he allowed certainly, but even encouraged, music at certain times.

There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.

Communal well-being is central to human life.

A person who steals bread during a famine is not treated as a thief.

Some extremists take elements of the sacred scriptures out of context.

Man is created to be God’s deputy on earth and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life.

I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail. I’m an optimist, brought up on the belief that if you wait to the end of the story, you get to see the good people live happily ever after.

All things can be forgiven if we can progress.