Hamza Yusuf

Hamza Yusuf (born Mark Hanson, 1958) is an American Islamic scholar, educator, and author who is widely recognised as a leading proponent of classical Islamic teachings in the Western world. He is the co-founder and president of Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States, and is known for his extensive contributions to Islamic scholarship, interfaith dialogue, and education reform.

Early Life and Education

Hamza Yusuf was born as Mark Hanson on January 1, 1958, in Walla Walla, Washington, to academic parents. Raised in Northern California and brought up as a Greek Orthodox Christian with Irish, Scottish, and Greek heritage, Yusuf attended preparatory schools on both coasts of the United States. He experienced a life-changing car accident in 1977, which led to a period of existential reflection and ultimately his conversion to Islam at the age of 19 after reading the Qur’an.

Following his conversion, Yusuf travelled extensively in the Muslim world, seeking traditional Islamic knowledge in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, and eventually Mauritania, where he studied under renowned scholars, including Sheikh Murabit al-Hajj Muhammad Fahfu. He furthered his studies at Ez-Zitouna University in Tunisia and became fluent in Arabic. Yusuf later completed a degree in Religious Studies at San José State University and pursued doctoral work at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

Career

After returning to the United States in the late 1980s, Hamza Yusuf emerged as a prominent lecturer and educator, bridging classical Islamic texts and values with contemporary Western experiences. In 1996, he co-founded the Zaytuna Institute in Berkeley, California, along with Dr Hesham Alalusi and Zaid Shakir, which evolved into Zaytuna College. Zaytuna was accredited in 2015, becoming the first Muslim liberal arts college in the US.

Yusuf has served as an advisor to the Center for Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the Islamic Studies program at Stanford University. Internationally, he is involved with the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies and the Global Center for Guidance and Renewal, serving in leadership roles alongside Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah.

A charismatic public speaker, Yusuf has lectured at universities and conferences worldwide. Following the September 11 attacks, he became a leading Muslim voice in the West, promoting peace and orthodoxy, and served as an advisor to the White House and international organisations. He is a key figure in interfaith and civic dialogue and has repeatedly been listed among the "500 Most Influential Muslims" by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.

Achievements

Co-founded Zaytuna College, pioneering Muslim higher education in North America and achieving accreditation for a Muslim liberal arts curriculum.

Promoted classical Islamic learning in English, shaping the discourse of Islam in the West.

Advisor to major academic and interfaith institutions and participant in global peace initiatives.

Consistently recognised as one of the most influential Muslim scholars in the world.

Books and Publications

Hamza Yusuf is a prolific author and translator whose works bridge classical Islamic scholarship and modern audiences. His major publications include:

• Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart (translation and commentary of a 19th-century Mauritanian poem on spiritual purification)
• Agenda to Change Our Condition (co-authored with Zaid Shakir)
• The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi (translation and commentary)
• The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (translation and introduction)
• The Prayer of the Oppressed (translation)
• Caesarean Moon Births: Calculations, Moon Sighting, and the Prophetic Way
• Pearls of the Faith (introduction/edited edition)
• How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading (introduction/editor)

He has also written articles, essays, and forewords for a wide range of publications in both academic and community outlets.

Personal Life

Hamza Yusuf is of Irish, Scottish, and Greek ancestry and spent his formative years in a family of academics. While publicly focused on scholarship and education, he maintains a private family life. Yusuf is known for his multilingual abilities, fluency in Arabic, and devotion to both intellectual and spiritual development.

Legacy and Impact

Hamza Yusuf’s legacy is strongly associated with his foundational role at Zaytuna College and his influence in reviving classical Islamic sciences in the West. Renowned as a powerful teacher and bridge-builder between Islamic and Western intellectual traditions, he has contributed significantly to religious literacy, interfaith understanding, and the cultivation of Muslim scholarship in English-speaking contexts.

Yusuf continues to shape Islamic thought and education for new generations through his writings, translated works, and leadership at Zaytuna College. His lasting influence is widely recognised in the Muslim world and among Western intellectual circles, where he is viewed as a reviver of traditional knowledge and an advocate for a spiritually grounded, balanced approach to modern challenges.