presents

n the late '70s, I didn't know what to smile about. I was confused. I don't know where my humor came from, but it arrived one day. That was one of the shocks that I experienced when I read the Koran. Up until that point, I'd felt like, well, nothing is as perfect as I am.

You know, Greek ego. But when I started reading those words, I realized that... hey, there is something perfect and that's God. And he knows how weak we are, and we just have to submit. That's when I began to realize that I could look back and laugh at myself.

A lot of people felt when I became Muslim that I'd turned my back. But what I was trying to do was live up to the moral objectives which I'd set for myself, which a lot of my songs were about. You can't keep on singing. At some point you've got to do it. My big mistake was not being able to communicate clearly my reasons and my rationale. I was floating on a cloud and didn't know how to get people to float on the cloud with me.

I went through various attitudes toward my music. The first was almost nonchalance; I'd found something much more precious. Then, later, I was being advised that some things which I'd done in the past were to be forgotten and sort of buried. But after studying the issue, I found there's no explicit statement in the Koran which tells you one way or the other about music. It does talk about the condition of a man's life, so you have to measure what music does to a person.

Recently I heard of someone who was on the point of suicide, and they started playing my music and became optimistic again. If you take a song like "Moonshadow," there's a strong message that says, no matter what condition you're in, there's a bright side to it. Many of the old songs, in a way, are mini-predictions of my ultimate path. Looking back at my words, I saw I was actually a Muslim even before I embraced Islam -- I just had to be uncovered.

But I'm not saying all my songs are like that. There's a song called "Boy With the Moon & Star on His Head," about a guy who's just about to get married, has an affair on the way, and then finds a baby left on his doorstep. I can't whitewash them all.

"Looking back at my words, I saw I was actually a Muslim even before I embraced Islam -- I just had to be uncovered."

A psychologist could look at the separation of my mother and father in the '60s and say, 'Well, his mother and father were apart, therefore he needed safeguard in his life.' For sure, I was looking for parents. And spiritual parents are not that easy to find.

My 1967 album Mona Bone Jakon had a more acoustic, organic setting -- and that's when I started growing my beard. Because only organic people grew beards, you know. Tea For the Tillerman represented a simplistic, minimalist era, which I admit is very attractive. But as a musician, you tend to give more credence to those things you spend more time on, and I spent a lot of time on those last albums. I did "Father and Son" in two takes, but this one took me a year.

The Koran makes it clear, if someone defames the Prophet, then he must die. The backlash over reports that I'd supposedly endorsed the death sentence that Islamic fundamentalists had levied against Salmon Rushdie for the alleged blasphemy of The Satanic Verses hurt quite a lot because that whole episode was taken out of context. But it was merely a reiteration of scriptural principle, not a literal call to action. And there are elements within the press who really have no loyalty to anybody except a good headline. If you were to ask somebody, 'What does the Bible say about adultery?' they would have to quote chapter and verse -- that's the honest thing to do. And you'd find bits in the Bible that say you should stone the person. Now, that means the President of the United States is eligible for stoning. That doesn't mean anybody's gonna do that!

Things which are very important are not discussed, and other things are sensationalized. Let's face it, we believe in angels. We're serious! And that, I would say, is more important than anything to do with those sensational headlines. But how many people are interested to talk about angels? I'm willing to if you are, but not many are.

In "Wild World," I once sang "It's hard to get by just upon a smile," but I've changed my opinion about smiles. I think smiles are very important. 

Reader's Comments- Submit your comment

raineluv@hotmail.com (Jun. 2022)

Re: The boy with the moon and star on his head. I was just wondering if the moon and the star was symbolic of Islam at the time? Or was it just a sign of things to come in the aftermath?

When I was in grade school my girlfriend's and I would sit around listening to your records trying to decipher what they meant. We loved your music and still do!

I believe in angels too.

Many blessings upon you...

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ronbacklund (Jun. 2022)

Pre-Yusef Cat Stevens is the only Cat Stevens I know, and the only one that I like to listen to. After that, he sank into a religious vortex that drained any and all imaginative thought from his songs. So very unfortunate, given his previous insightful and inspirational song writing skills.

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also (2014)

Spoken like a true child of the '60's ... but I don't believe you, Cat Stevens.

If only there weren't hundreds of millions of Muslims out there that *do* take the Quran literally, and who would happily execute Salmon Rushdie without hesitation. But you, Yusef, fail to acknowledge that, as well as the fact that you'd also be beheaded for your views if you were wandering anywhere near ISIS or Boko Haram territory.

And what a BS analogy to Christianity you make. No Christians are out there today using the Bible to murder anyone for adultery, nor does the Bible tell them to do so. No Christians are beheading people who leave the church, or publish criticism of Jesus. Earth to Yusef: get yourself a history book, and start with the topic "Reformation". It'll explain why Christianity has evolved into the greatest force of love and prosperity in the known history of the world. And even in the days of the Crusades (which were merely a response to barbaric expansion of Islam), Christianity has never approached even a fraction of the death and misery brought to us by Socialism, then Nazism, then Communism... and now radical jihadist Islamism.

Wake Up Yusef -- your Islamic brothers are using the Quran to justify murder and beheading and raping of children. Yes, children. Wait, did you get that? CHILDREN. Is that a scriptural principle you wish to reiterate, or renounce. Don't worry, if you renounce it, I'm suuure your Islamic brothers won't take it literally and kill you, too. Maybe they'll just calmly "reiterate the principle" for you...

And you want to talk about "angels" and "smiles"..... what a fraud.

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Roller Rider (2018)

Clearly you have never heard of the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades. Islam today is exactly where Christianity was 700 years ago. Basically because Islam is 700 years younger than Christianity.
More people have died in the name of Jesus than any other name.
Clearly you hate the man, so what are you even doing commenting in this place?

also (2019)

Stupid, dumb stats on Christianity. False, lies, historically ignorant, like you.
And basically, yes, Islam is 700 years less developed than Christianity. Primitive, murderous, closed-minded, destructive, anti-social. Doomed.And dufus, Socialism/Communism --- not Christianity nor Islam --- has killed more than in all previous history.
Buy a book, moron. Maybe it'll cure you of the ignorant tripe you espouse.

Roller Rider (2019)

Christianity has existed for 2000 years and more people have died in the names of Jesus and God than anything else. Full stop.

Zariarn (2019)

This isn't even remotely close to being true. You do realize that in atheist Soviet Union, China, and Nazi Germany killed more people in their time span than 2000 years since Christ. Follow true historians and not garbage you read on forums. Religious based wars are very small in number. Even if you count the crusades from Muslims or Catholics or whatever, you see that most wars are fought over control, money, or power.....no religion.

Stop flaming stuff that isn't even true.

also (2019)

Repeating idiocy doesn't change facts, dufus.

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Jim (2014)

I'm happy for you and Catch Bull At Four is sweet spirit. Thank you!

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awa (2014)

mashallah! True man with good heart

Check out the Yusuf/Cat Stevens section at Amazon.com or CD Universe !