Yusuf Islam, formerly known by his stage name Cat Stevens was born in London to a Swedish mother and a Greek father on July 21 1947, Steven Demetre Georgiou became interested in music in his teens, began performing under the name Steve Adams in 1965, and eventually became known to the world as songwriter and singer Cat Stevens before converting to Islam and becoming Yusuf Islam in 1977. At the peak of his musical career in the 1970's, Cat Stevens had eight consecutive gold albums and 10 hit singles in the United Kingdom and 14 in the United States. His most beloved songs include anthems such as "Peace Train," "Moon Shadow," "Morning has Broken," "Father and Son," and "Oh Very Stevens retired from the music world soon after accepting the faith of Islam.
When Stevens nearly drowned in an accident in Malibu in 1975,he reports having pleaded with God to save him. Stevens described the event in a VH1 interview some years later: "I suddenly held myself and I said, '
Oh God! If you save me, I'll work for you.'" The near-death experience intensified his long-held quest for spiritual truth. He had looked into Buddhism "Zen and I Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology", but when his brother David gave him a copy of the Qur'an, Stevens began to find peace with himself and began his transition to Islam. He took the name Yusuf Islam in 1978, saying that he "always loved the name Joseph" and was particularly drawn to the story of Joseph in the Qur'an. Following his conversion, Yusuf Islam abandoned his career as a pop star. Song and the use of musical instruments is an area of debate in Muslim jurisprudence, considered harām by some, and this is the primary reason he gave for retreating from the pop spotlight.
He decided to use his accumulated wealth and continuing earnings from his music career on philanthropic and educational causes in the Muslim community of London and elsewhere. In 1981, he founded the Islamia Primary School in Salusbury Road in the north London area of Kilburn; after that, he founded several Muslim secondary schools and devoted his energy to providing an Islamic education to children and to charitable causes.
He founded, and is chairman of, the Small Kindness charity, which initially assisted famine victims in Africa and now supports thousands of orphans and families in the Balkans, Indonesia, and Iraq. He also was chairman of the charity Muslim Aid from 1985 to 1993.
He has been given several awards for his work in promoting peace in the world, including the 2004 Man for Peace award and the 2007 Mediterranean Prize for Peace. He lives with his wife, Fauzia Mubarak Ali, and five children in Brondesbury Park, London, and spends part of each year in Dubai.
