Sunday, December 28, 2003

Peace everyone!

Not long ago I had the pleasure of meeting someone I've wanted to meet since I was around 12 years old. He's been a source of inspiration, guidance and entertainment for me for so much of the last 10 years of my life that it's hard to describe how it felt meeting him here in K.L.

That person is Yusuf Islam.

To most people, he is known as Cat Stevens. What??? Never heard of him??? I'm pretty sure anyone reading this has probably heard the song "Wild World" before! Yep, that's Yusuf's creation right there!

I was introduced to the magic of Cat Stevens when my mom came back from the States and braught home a casette with this lovely illustration on its cover. I popped the thing in the player..... and what came out from the speakers was absolute magic!!

After listening to the casette for a while, i decided to have read at the write-up on the inner sleeve of the cover. WOW! Cat Stevens is now a Muslim I thought to myself. I ran straight to my mom and she revealed to me something which endeared me to Yusuf even more....

She showed me a cassette of an interview with Yusuf, which also included a poem he made for his first child. That poem is called 'A is for Allah'.

I can never forget those days of discovering what this wonderful man said in his interview. it was all so honest, simple and true.

To Yusuf, thank you for signing my book & for entertaining my questions that night even though you must have been pretty tired by then ey ;)

Thank you also for making my mom the happiest lady in Malaysia that night as she's been a listener of yours for 30 long years.

And last but not least... thank you for showing the world the Peace of Islam and the message of life in your music long ago.

May Allah s.w.t grant you a long and prosperous life!



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