Hamza Yusuf Hanson

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Dr. Shabbir
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Hamza Yusuf Hanson

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Hamza Yusuf Hanson - emailed

Biography:

Hamza Yusuf was born as Mark Hanson in Walla Walla, Washington State and was raised in Northern California in a Greek Orthodox family, the son of a US academic father, veteran of World War II, and activist mother. At the age of 17, in 1977, Hanson converted to Islam in Santa Barbara, California, after having a near-death experience in a car accident which led him to read the Qur'an and eventually become a Muslim.Shortly after converting to Islam, he changed his name to Hamza Yusuf.



Hamza Yusuf Hanson became Muslim in 1977, and dedicated himself to studying Arabic and Islam in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania. After returning to the United States, he earned a degree in Nursing from Imperial Valley College and in Religious Studies at San Jose State University.

He has taught and lectured extensively at Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and various academic institutions worldwide. He has also served as the principal lecturer at religious intensive seminars in the USA, England, Spain, and Morocco.

As one of the foremost contemporary spokespersons for Islam, Hamza Yusuf has since the September 11th tragedy, appeared on national and international television programs, including CBS' 60 Minutes, BBC's Hard Talk, and other shows on CNN and MBC (Middle-East Broadcasting Corporation). His interviews have appeared in a number of newspapers as well as news magazines.

He is the co-founder of Zaytuna Institute, which is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and the sciences of Islam. Shaykh Hamza has translated several classical texts from Arabic and presently teaches at Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California.

Books authored

* The State We Are In: Identity, Terror, and the Law of Jihad (contributing Author), 2006.
* Educating your Child in Modern Times
* Agenda To Change Our Condition (Co-authored with Imam Zaid Shakir)

Books translated with additions

* Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
* Content of Character
* The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi

Books which include his foreword or note

* Instruction of the Student : The Method of Learning
* The Prophetic Invocations By Mostafa Al-Badawi

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Wassalam,
SA
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