Islam Museum Islam Museum islam.museum
Search ⌕ ARENUR
Accessibility
Text size 100%

Saved on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere.

Sami Yusuf

سامي يوسف

†

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

The British-Azerbaijani singer whose album Al-Mu'allim (2003) sold millions — the best-known modern Islamic vocalist.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
musician
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Life in time

1900192519501975200020252050
The Colonial Era · The Contemporary Era · The Modern Era Contemporaries: Abbas-Ali Amid Zanjani · Abbas Kiarostami · Abd al-Aziz al-Ghumari · Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda · Abd al-Rahman Badawi

Music and its permissibility

Overview

Sami Yusuf (born 1980 in Tehran to an Azerbaijani family) is a British singer and composer who grew up in London. He is known for his first album "The Teacher" (2003), which sold millions of copies across the Muslim world. 1

Influence

He is one of the leaders in renewing contemporary Islamic song by combining Western and Eastern instruments. His nasheeds "Hasbi Rabbi" and "Ya Rasool Allah" became well known. In 2006 he was named a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme. 1

People and things also explored

Sama' (hearing) and its rulings· Shi'ar (the distinctive sign: the inner garment, a battle cry, and dress that sets a group apart)· Tasfiq (clapping, in prayer and elsewhere)· Fez Festival of World Sacred Music· Şeb-i Arus· Urs of Ajmer Sharif· Junoon· The Mehter (Ottoman military band)

Sources

  1. Wikidata
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Sami Yusuf”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/sami-yusuf/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story. Related

Sama' (hearing) and its rulings

In the lexicon sama' means perceiving by the sense of hearing, and it carries the senses of answering, understanding and accepting; the technical sense does not depart from them. The jurists treat hearing in several separate rulings: joining the congregation for one who hears the call to prayer, reading aloud in prayer, listening to the Friday sermon, the prostration of recitation, hearing a claim before a judge, testimony by hearing, listening to singing, the Qur'an, hadith and idle talk.