Turning to the Road of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem
By Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Hanooti
The tears ran down my face when I saw Yusef Islam talk about how he became a Muslim. I look at him inevitably as a symbol and a substance of arts. He himself, for me, is a message. He is so glamorous because of his talent and because he turned his face to Allah. When he focused on surat-Yusef, after which he is named, he summarized all the arts of novels and romance drawn realistically in the sura of love and piety.
When I look at him in some of his records, when he sang at Madison Square Garden, then I saw him of another look. I see him as getting out of the arena of dunya, turning his chest to the road of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. I see him there standing by the grave of ‘Umar. Yusef asked me, “Do you know about ‘Umar before his embracing of Islam? I want to be like ‘Umar after he embraced Islam.”
