Cat stevens quotes

I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. When they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I believed it, simply because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.

I suppose that by being absent from the music business, it appeared that I just dropped out, but really I never did. I was continuously working and doing various things.

I know many fine feathered friends But their friendliness depends on how you do They know many sure fired ways, To find out the one who pays And how you do

In Islam there is a line between let's say freedom and the line which is then transgressed into immorality and irresponsibility and I think as far as this writer is concerned, unfortunately, he has been irresponsible with his freedom of speech. Salman Rushdie or indeed any writer who abuses the prophet, or indeed any prophet, under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death. It's got to be seen as a deterrent, so that other people should not commit the same mistake again.

In the early days I had a very black-and-white view of everything. I think that's kind of natural for anyone who's just embraced Islam - or any religion - as a convert. It was important for me to duck out of the fast and furious life I'd been living as a pop star. I was in a different mood.

I never wanted to be a star, I never wanted to travel far / I only wanted a little bit of love so I could put a little love in my heart / I never wanted to be la-de-da, go to parties ‘avec le bourgeois’ / I only wanted to sing my song well so I could ring a small bell in your heart

Sun is the reason And the world it will bloom 'Cause sun lights the sky And the sun lights the moon

There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.

When many astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space, and they become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.

God has decided the rules of life, whereby you don't trespass on anybody else's rights, and sin is something that upsets the balance of things. There are three types of sin: sin against yourself; sin against other people; and sin against God. People often sin against themselves and others and misbehave with God, too.

It seems to be the easiest thing in the world these days to make scurrilous accusations against Muslims, and in my case it directly impacts on my relief work and damages my reputation as an artist. The harm done is often difficult to repair.

Love heats my blood, blood spins my head, and my head falls in love.

All the songs that were written for that album are just all our first sophomore songs. So they're all from real life. Very sweet and very innocent. I think the theme of the album probably was just that it was our first record. ... Back when we were first making records, you didn't just make the music, you put a great deal of energy into the way it looked, and every word that was written on the whole thing.

A flight from London carrying the artist we all used to know as Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangor, Maine after his name showed up on a terrorist no-fly list. I tell you, it's a real success story in the war on terror. You know, we finally got the guy that wrote "Peace Train.

Vanity is the most dangerous thing about fame.

I became alienated from this religious upbringing, and started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my god: the goal of making money.

Yesterday I was on the edge Hoping everything was going to work itself out A good honest man doing the work of God Trying to make things better for Him A lover of life in a school for fools Trying to find another way to survive

Now I've been crying lately, Thinking about the world as it is. Why must we go on hating? Why can't we live in bliss?

The sexual act - separating that from love itself - is centered solely in the body, whereas spirituality is connected to the whole self. Whether it's a female, a taste, or a sound, all these beautiful things affect our self. We are the perceivers of beauty, and that's why sex doesn't quite go far enough. You can go much further with the spiritual.

There's a common threat facing all of us - Christians, Jews, and Muslims - and that is the Antichrist. It's a very deep subject, and it's a horrendous thing to contemplate. Someone will appear who is, in fact, the opposite of what he appears to be. Some people will believe in him, and that's really frightening. In Islam, there's a belief that Jesus will return to destroy the Antichrist, which is something many people don't know about the Islamic faith.

Life is a journey, you know; and a lot of journeys, you go out, you come back.

You can argue with a philosopher, but you can’t argue with a good song. And I think I’ve got a few good songs.

It was important for me to duck out of the fast and furious life I'd been living as a pop star. I was in a different mood.

The words of the songs speak for themselves.

If you want to be free, be free, because there's a million things to be.

I enjoy life. I think I'll enjoy death even more. Life is too confusing.

Salman Rushdie, indeed any writer who abuses the prophet or indeed any prophet under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death.

We need kids to remind us of how incredible this world is. People are increasingly losing their childhoods too soon, and that's a danger. There's a prophesy somewhere that at a certain point in history, children will be gray. It's weird to think about, but it's possible.

Man is created to be God's deputy on earth and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life.

There is a social need within our lives as human beings to have harmony.

America was my home for a very long time, and it's a fascinating, pioneering country that many people look to. In the recent past it hasn't been doing very well, but there's a great new hope now with the election of Obama. America took a very big leap there and proved that it still has the edge as far as being able to do things many other countries may find difficult.

Everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah.

Find a girl, settle down, If you want you can marry.

To be calm when you've found something going on

Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason....When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt the o­nly answer for me was the Qur'an and God had sent it to me.

My career is there for everyone to see and delve into.

Some extremists take elements of the sacred scriptures out of context.

In a World where people are surrounded by darkness, ignorance and fear, it is a sign of hope to be celebrating Islam's message of peace and light, and the last great Messenger, born and chosen to deliver them to all mankind.

I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail. I'm an optimist, brought up on the belief that if you wait to the end of the story, you get to see the good people live happily ever after.

Oh God! If you save me I will work for you.

Oh I can't keep it in; I can't keep it in, I've gotta let it out I've got to show the world; world's got to see, See all the love; love that's in me

Being larger than life, or being projected as such in the music business, leads you to question yourself. Some people try to forget about it by taking drugs or too much drink, but I was never like that. I was aware that there were very serious, big questions, and I was petrified about what might be in store for me.

So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out.

There was no division I could see between the essential teaching of all Prophets and wise men of religion.

If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there's a million ways to be, you know that there are.

Say what you think; think what you mean.

If I make a mark in time, I can't say the mark is mine.

Ever since I became a Muslim ... I've had to deal with attempts to damage my reputation and countless insinuations seeking to cast doubt on my character and trying to connect me to causes, concepts or sayings which I do not and would never wilfully subscribe to.

I can never quite trust anybody anymore.

This is the beauty of the Qur'an: it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One who has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general.

'Peace Train' is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.

The harm done is often difficult to repair.

Because I don't play guitar any more, African harmonies and rhythms have been an inspiration to me. I love the raw origin of the sound. It complements my voice and words naturally.

They have hijacked my religion.

The spiritual quest was always the predominant aspect of my life. It's always been there. But there's also an incredible passion connected to it; it's not just a dry investigative process. I have been extremely emotional about it, and that comes out in the songs.

Ooh baby, baby, it's a wild world, it's hard just to get by upon a smile.

I'm being followed by a moon shadow Leaping and hopping on a moon shadow... Did it take long to find me, I asked the faithful light ...and are you going to stay the night?

I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul Where I end up, well, I think only God really knows.

Will you carry the words of love with you?

If I ever loose my eyes, I won't have to cry no more.

I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible, and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem, and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life.

At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim. Now I realize I can get direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion.

And if my mind breaks up In all so many ways I know the meaning of The words, "I love you

I never thought I'd be on the same stage as Kiss.

I'm looking for a hard-headed woman, One who will make me do my best, And if I find my hard-headed woman, I know the rest of my life will be blessed

I found a religion that blended scientific reason with spiritual reality in a unifying faith far removed from the headlines of violence, destruction and terrorism.

Violence is almost an everyday occurrence in some Muslim lands: it should not be exacerbated by revenge attacks on more innocent families and communities.

Being more mature now, I've managed to make peace with my past, as it's making peace with me. Certainly there's a mutual gain for reflecting on both phases of my life, and although I consider the here and now perhaps to be more important, there are still many people who appreciate my past ephemeral stages and the lessons they represent.

Rather than go to a demonstration to burn an effigy of the author Salman Rushdie, I would have hoped that it'd be the real thing.

A lot of people would have loved me to keep singing... You come to a point where you have sung, more or less... your whole repertoire and you want to get down to the job of living.

Music satisfies and nourishes the hunger within ourselves for connection and harmony.

Now I'm not making love to anyone's wishes, Only for that light I see 'Cause when I'm dead and lowered low in my grave, That's gonna be the only thing that's left of me.

Islam is not just a religion. Islam is everything.

Life is a maze of doors and they all open from the side you're on. Just keep on pushing hard boy, try as you may, you're going to wind up where you started from.

Communal well-being is central to human life.

It is part of my faith as a Muslim to try to help those who are suffering from poverty or economic or political injustice.

Music can be healing, and with my history and my knowledge of both sides of what looks like a gigantic divide in the world, I feel I can point a way forward to our common humanity again.

Lord, my body has been a good friend But I won't need it when I reach the end Miles from nowhere, Guess I'll take my time Oh yeah, to reach there

To be what you want to be, you must give up being what you are.

You may still be here tomorrow...but your dreams may not.

Knowledge is a thing you can carry around with you, but you may not apply it. Some knowledge is indiscriminate, and it can be damaging. I recently found a wonderful definition of wisdom: It is that thing which results in the maximum good and the least harm.

Take your time, think a lot, Why, think of everything you've got. For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not. From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen. Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away. I know I have to go.

I'm gonna get me a gun, all those people who put me down you better get ready to run.

After embracing Islam in 1977, I considered the majority of underprivileged dark-skinned people of the so-called Third World brothers and sisters in humanity.

I'm not the best of you, but I'm not the worst either.

If you want to be free be free

I think I will just use guitar as backing. I'm not doing a traditional folk thing, but a contemporary thing-my own version of folk, if you like.

It's hard to get by just upon a smile.

Positive thoughts and prayer have been the best means available, since the beginning of time, to transform darkness to light.

A person who steals bread during a famine is not treated as a thief.

Don't you feel a change a coming From another side of time, Breaking down the walls of silence, Lifting shadows from your mind.

I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur'an first and realized no person is perfect, Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet... we will be successful.

I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one. And I believe it could be someday it's going to come.

The greatest legacy is that which benefits the widest number of people for the longest period without limit to value. No one but the Prophet Muhammad was given that role as the seal of God's message.

Music is part of God's universe.

Miles from nowhere. Guess I'll take my time.

The verses talked about other Prophets as brothers preaching the same unifying script of mankind, showing every man and woman the way to Paradise. I saw the names of Jesus, of Moses, of Abraham, of Jacob, of Noah and of course, crucially, the name of this last messenger, the last Messenger of God, Muhammad.

Baby I know, the first cut is the deepest.

But when it comes to being loved, she's first/That's how I know The first cut is the deepest.

That there's no link between Islam and Christianity and Judaism. There wouldn't be Islam if there wasn't Christianity or Judaism, because it's all one long line of revelation. Seeing it from that point of view it makes you ask yourself why Muslims sometimes separate themselves from that large family that leads to Abraham and, even before that, to Adam. The only answer is that we're conditioned to do it by thinking, Hey, I do things better than he does.

I've studied various schools of thought ... I acknowledge that some Muslims consider music prohibited, but I've found a lot of evidence from the life of the Prophet to show that he allowed certainly, but even encouraged, music at certain times ...

From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.

It's very difficult to ignore humanitarian disasters. The royalties from my albums continue to support my charity work.

I became very famous, as a teenager, and my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life, and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated.

And though you want to last forever, You know you never will, You know you never will, And the good-bye makes the journey harder still.

I always stood for the elimination of conflict and wars, and any of those causes that ignite them.

Not only did the terrorists hijack planes and destroy life, but they also hijacked the peaceful religion of Islam and split the brother and sisterhood of mankind.

I remember when I was a kid, when I just used to love listening to something again and again and over and over. You know, everybody else got sick of it, but I loved that discovery of music and what it did to my world, to my imagination. And so I started really considering, "Yeah, I've got to do more," for kids, particularly.

I suppose that the media and their portrayal of Islam and the almost tribal separations and divisions of the Muslims are the greatest issues confronting Muslims in the United Kingdom.

The fact that the Prophet cared for every human being and tried his best to ensure their security in the hereafter must be the most telling of his compassionate and merciful characteristics.

In those days a concert was a personal experience. I wanted to be as close as possible to the audience and of course big stadiums didn't enable you to do that. It wasn't my style.

The very first lesson that I learnt from the Qur'an was the message of unity and peace.

If you want to be you, BE YOU!

Man may live and man may die searching for the question why. But if he tries to rule the sky, he must fall.

I listen to the wind, the wind of my soul.

I had to learn my faith and look after my family, and I had to make priorities. But now I've done it all and there's a little space for me to fill in the universe of music again.

Moderation is part of faith, so those who accuse Muslim schools of fostering fanaticism should learn a bit more about Islam.

Can't keep it in, Gotta let it out.

I let my music take me where my heart wants to go.

I've returned to being an amateur without any ties or strings attached, which gives me a freedom I never had before.

I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.

I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the highlight of show business. I was born into a Christian home.

It's true that the Internet is an equalizer, and everybody can be a star now. Musicians are more touchable these days, and that's a good thing. It's certainly the way I like to live my life, and it's why I don't do concerts in big arenas - I prefer to be in touch with my audience.

Music is a lady that I still love because she gives me the air that I breathe. We need all sorts of nourishment. And music satisfies and nourishes the hunger within ourselves for connection and harmony.

All things can be forgiven if we can progress.