Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson is one of the most influential Islamic scholars in the Western world. He is the President and co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California—the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States—and is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Islam in the West.

Islamic Scholar: In 1977, at the age of eighteen, Hanson converted to Islam. Thereafter, he spent over a decade learning Arabic and studying the Islamic sciences with some of the Muslim world’s most prominent and well-respected scholars. He pursued knowledge in several countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, and West Africa. In Mauritania, he studied and lived with the renowned polymath Murabit Al-Hajj Ould Fahfu (d. 2018). He continues to study with scholars and has earned several ijazaat in traditional Islamic sciences. In 1988, Hanson returned to the U.S. and began teaching Islamic Studies and leading Friday prayers at various mosques. He has also translated several Arabic works of prose and poetry. In addition to his traditional studies, he later earned a PhD from UC Berkeley/GTU in history with an emphasis on North and West-African intellectual history; he also holds undergraduate degrees in Religious Studies, English, and Nursing.

Speaker and Educator: A popular public lecturer, Hanson has given many broadly viewed interviews. Through speeches and teaching short intense study programmes, including the Deen Intensive, Rihla, and Reviving the Islamic Spirit, he has  helped strengthen traditional Sunni ortho­doxy in the West. A whole generation of English-speaking Muslims were inspired by his work to study Arabic and Islamic sciences and many of them have become teach­ers. His work has contributed to the development of a more confident and faithful Islamic identity in the vertiginous times of the 21st century.

Advisor: Yusuf has long been engaged in interfaith and policy circles. He has served as a U.S. Presidential adviser, a Federal Commissioner on Human Rights, and a participant in global initiatives including the UN, Vatican, and Religions for Peace “Ethics in Action” project. He was also a member of the World Economic Forum’s C-100, an interfaith dialogue initiative. Currently, he serves as Vice President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, based in the UAE, under the leadership of his teacher Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah. He is also a member of the UAE Fatwa Council and sits on the boards of the Classical Learning Test and the Acton Institute.  He was also appointed to serve on the advisory board of the Religious Liberty Commission by the President of the USA.

Controversies: Despite being in the public eye for over three decades, Hanson has managed to stay clear of most controversies and continues to reach a large, diverse audience. Some criticisms have questioned his advice to a U.S. president, his ties to the UAE government, and the like, yet he remains one of the most beloved scholars in the world. Arguably, he is one of the most intellectually widely read and formidable Western Muslim scholars today.

The Gaza Genocide: Sheikh Hamza Yusuf has been outspoken about the devastation in Gaza. He has described the killing of civilians, destruction of homes, and mass displacement as acts of genocide and a stain on global conscience. 

“The weak are dominated by their ego, the wise dominate their ego, and the intelligent are in a constant struggle against their ego.”

1977 is the year when he converted to Islam

2008 is the year he co-founded Zaytuna College