“Allah will say, “This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness.” For them are gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them, and they with Him. That is the great attainment.”(Qu’ran 5:119)
NOTE TO SYCOPHANTS OF SHAYKH HAMZA YUSUF.
The following section will have information that is critical of Shaykh Hamza. So for those of you who are sycophants the rest of this section will be of no value or use for you. You already have the daleel (evidence) you need above to defend him from online detractors.
What you should know is that I met the man. I studied with him at Zaytuna in 2001. I actually would take a bullet for him. I was at Zaytuna when 9/11 happened. I protected the sister’s area and stood night watch in the days following 9/11. He has done immense good for both Muslims and Non-Muslims. I am simply humanizing him. For those who want to hear some immensely inspiring lectures from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, I would direct you to the following: https://www.halaltube.com/speaker/hamza-yusuf
There is such breadth, depth, love, and beauty presented in these lectures that I feel anyone who watches them all should be awarded a Ph.D. in Islamic studies!
Something I feel people should ponder is the fact that many public people have committed gaffes, egregious errors, and mistakes. Those are a matter of public record you can go online and find them. However, when it comes to Hamza Yusuf there is a very eery trend of washing the internet of any trace of such public gaffes.
You can be critical of your government and some of its policies (U.S/Singapore) in my case and still be a patriot. Likewise, you can be critical of scholars and teachers (like this web site) and still have admiration and respect for them.
So…
1) Don’t play the adab card. It’s tiring already. You people don’t extend the same adab card to Muslims of other groups or sects that are not aligned with your worldview. It will not be used as a tool to browbeat me with.
You will see plenty of what I am talking about here in the comment section of the first article.
2) Say it to his face! Gladly, kindly leave his phone number, e-mail whats-app where I can directly contact him rather than a representative and I’ll do that. You people need to get real! These people like Hamza Yusuf are not readily available for such personal interaction and even perchance you catch them at an event in your country it is neither the time nor the place to bring up such issues. Agreed?
3) I am also bringing to light these articles, most of which are controversial in nature as a matter of documentation. Also, there is some small hope that Hamza Yusuf himself will read these articles and be easy on others where he has asked others to be easy on him. This is an example: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/08/religion.uk
Is it now necessary to ask people who ‘hate the west‘ to migrate to a Muslim country? Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was not always a big fan of the ‘West‘ himself. Contrast the Hamza Yusuf of 2001 to the Hamza Yusuf of 1993. Just 9 years earlier.
So why not offer to these people to remain in the West and that it is o.k to be outraged over your government’s foreign policies and it is not o.k to bring harm to anyone in the country you are living in. That the best way to change society is to change ourselves and that to do daw’ah and engage with those who are interested in engaging with us. The point being is that people change. They go through paradigm shifts.
I also feel it is important to document some of this because the continuity and consistency of one’s message and the platform are important. So for example not long ago the Zaytuna faculty and their affiliates were challenging the consensus of Ahl Sunnah on the issue of the apostasy laws. Many in the Muslim community felt they were placating liberal sensibilities, as well as liberal concepts of freedom of religion and consciousness. Hamza Yusuf’s colleague Abdul Hamid bin Ali from Lamppost Productions wrote an article “Preserving the Faith for Freedom“. Abdul Hamid bin Ali in a brilliant move wrote another article around that time challenging traditional notions on ‘ijma or consensus. That article was titled: “Scholarly Consensus between use and misuse“. It was if he was going to pre-empt critique of himself going against the bulk of scholarship on the issue.
All of this was done before the more recent swing towards conservatism in and around the Zaytuna camp.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and his take on apostasy laws.
https://primaquran.com/2016/12/08/hamza-yusuf-and-his-take-on-apostasy-laws/
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf: We only have 500 hadith that are of the status of the Qur’an.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s statement on Hinduism is incorrect
https://primaquran.com/2019/08/05/shaykh-hamza-yusuf-statement-on-hindusim-is-incorrect/
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and BLM Controversial Remarks 2016 RIS Conference
https://primaquran.com/2017/11/08/ris-2016-hamza-yusuf-blm-remarks/
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf: His appointment to the Trump Administration and his Political World View.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf: May Allah have abundant mercy on you.
Prima Quran 