Hamza Yusuf

Mark Hanson, known as Hamza Yusuf (b. 1378 AH / 1958 CE), is an American Muslim scholar, educator, and one of the most prominent Muslim intellectuals in the English-speaking world. Born in Walla Walla, Washington, he converted to Islam at age 17 and subsequently traveled to study traditional Islamic sciences in the UAE, Algeria, Mauritania, and Morocco, studying under major scholars of the Maliki tradition including Shaykh Murabit al-Hajj and Shaykh Abdallah ibn Bayyah.

He mastered traditional Islamic sciences including Maliki jurisprudence, Arabic language, logic, and Islamic theology, receiving ijazahs from his teachers. He returned to the United States and co-founded Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States, where he serves as President.

Hamza Yusuf is known for his eloquent lectures and writings that bridge traditional Islamic scholarship with engagement with Western thought and contemporary challenges facing Muslims. His translations and explanations of classical texts have been particularly important for English-speaking Muslims. He translated The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi and produced The Prayer of the Oppressed (a translation of Sheikh Muhammad al-Yalush's supplication) and other works. His audio lectures have been distributed globally.

He co-founded the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference series and has been influential in promoting traditional Sunni scholarship among Western Muslims. He is known for his deep grounding in the Maliki-Ash'ari-Shadili tradition and his ability to communicate classical Islamic knowledge to contemporary audiences. He continues to teach and write from Berkeley.