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The singer-songwriter of the 1970s, formerly known as Cat Stevens, who converted to Islam and gave up his life as a musician, will headline a series of spiritual reflections for the BBC during Ramadan.
He changed his name to Yusuf Islam in 1977, 10 years after the release of his debut album, Matthew and Son. Among his most successful hits were Peace Train, Morning Has Broken, Father and Son, and Wild World.
His conversion to Islam came after he nearly died of tuberculosis in 1969 and in a state of drowning at sea in California in 1976.
After a long period of reflection on spirituality and faith, he gave up his music career, auctioned off all his guitars for charity, and dedicated himself to running Islamic schools for children.
In 2006 he released a new album under the name Yusuf, and his most recent album, A Laughing Apple, appeared in 2017 under the name Yusuf / Cat Stevens.
In the BBC reflections, he reads the Koran and other holy texts and performs his own songs.
In the first 10-minute reflection, to be broadcast on Friday, he says: “Humans, as far as we know, are the only earthly creatures that have to live with the knowledge of their own mortality. Now, for anyone with a mind, it is difficult not to question the reason for this, nor to contemplate what could be beyond the final wall that we all must one day climb. “
In the second talk, he promises to discuss “how it was close to death to wake up and start my journey in search of meaning.”
The BBC is broadcasting a series of reflections and conversations during Ramadan at 5:50 a.m. on Fridays on 14 local radio stations, which are also available on BBC Sounds.
