I remember meeting Yusuf Islam for the first time around nine years ago. He was a guest speaker at a fund raising dinner that we did sound at. A year later I met him again when I was the sound engineer at an event he performed at.
Yusuf is one of my biggest role models. There is this aura about him that you cant help but admire ( He definitely has a presence, and the only other time I felt this was when I met Former President Nelson Mandela) I think if there is one person I would like to emulate, it would be Yusuf Islam (disclaimer - before anyone shits on me for not saying that I want to emulate the prophet - let me quote Sheikh Hussein Ye - 'Do not do what the prophet did, do what he told you to do)
Yusuf Islams comeback as a pop star somehow encapsulates my personal feelings on dogma. For those who are not sure concerning my stance on music in Islam - I follow the fatwa given by Sheik Qardawi, but at the same time I respectfully acknowledge the other fatwas given. OK, so why a post on the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens? Watched Stardust on Saturday night (at about three in the morning with the great one) and after Fajr I tried irritating him by playing random songs on my phone, and one of the songs I played was an old Yusuf Islam classic, Wild World. So Waseem goes - we should do remakes of his Cat Stevens tracks - something he can sing today. Seems like fun, so lets try a few. Waseem wants to take a crack at Mathew and Son so i'l look at a few others. Instead of doing the entire track i'l just take a sample.
So heres the idea - Cat Stevens has just converted to Islam, this is what I think his songs will sound like. (I guess you will need to hear the originals to get the tune)
The First Cut Is the Deepest (original Lyrics)
I would have given you all of my shlong
But the doctor went about it all wrong
And its taking almost all that Ive got
But if you want, Ill try to love again
Baby Ill try to love again but I know
The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest
cause when it comes to following sunnats I’m first
When you circumsize when youre old its worse
But I cant just put a band aid on where it hurts
Thats how I know
The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest
Wild World (original Lyrics)
Now that i've got Hidayat too
You say you wanna start teaching me whudu
And it's snowing outside, winter season'
Akhi, i'm freezin'
But if you have a geyser, hot water rocks
Hope I find a place to buy leather socks
Otherwise my toes are going to turn into little ice blocks
Oh, akhi, akhi, it's a hard deen
It's hard to get my foot into the wash sink
Oh, akhi, akhi, it's a hard deen
Cant we just skip to that Tayamum thing
MJ
