Naveed
In 1976, Steven Georgiou nearly drowned while swimming off Malibu, California, and later said he cried out to God to save him. That moment, followed by his brother David handing him a copy of the Quran as a souvenir from a trip to Jerusalem, set in motion one of pop music’s most dramatic reinventions. By the end of 1977, the singer known worldwide as Cat Stevens had converted to Islam, and within a year he had taken the name Yusuf Islam.
| Religion | Islam (converted 1977; born Steven Georgiou to a Greek Orthodox father and Swedish Baptist mother) |
| Profession | Musician |
| Nationality | British |
| Notable | Founded a Muslim primary school in North London (1983) and co-founded the charities Muslim Aid and Small Kindness |
| Notable | Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, performing as Yusuf / Cat Stevens |
The 1977 Conversion — What Actually Happened
Stevens has described the Malibu incident as the turning point: exhausted and unable to fight the current, he prayed for rescue and was carried back to shore by a wave. His brother’s gift of the Quran followed soon after, and Stevens said reading it moved him deeply enough to pursue formal conversion, which he completed in late 1977. He adopted the name Yusuf Islam the following year and largely stepped out of public pop life soon after.
Life as Yusuf Islam
After converting, Yusuf auctioned off his guitars for charity and redirected his energy toward Muslim educational and humanitarian causes, founding a Muslim primary school in North London in 1983 and helping establish the charity Muslim Aid. In the late 1990s, he and his wife Fawzia founded Small Kindness to aid orphans and families affected by conflicts in the Balkans. During these years he largely avoided secular pop recording, instead releasing educational and devotional recordings through his own label, Mountain of Light, starting in 1995.
The Return to Music as Yusuf / Cat Stevens
Yusuf’s full return to Western pop came with the 2006 album “An Other Cup,” his first such release since 1978’s “Back to Earth.” He has since performed and recorded under the combined billing Yusuf / Cat Stevens, and in 2014 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, performing at the ceremony to an emotional reception. Reflecting on how his conversion changed his public standing, he told the BBC’s “Desert Island Discs” he became “part of the minority who are looked down upon.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Cat Stevens quit music completely after converting to Islam?
For close to three decades he stepped away from secular pop, focusing on charity and educational work, before fully returning with “An Other Cup” in 2006.
What name does he go by today?
He performs and records as Yusuf / Cat Stevens, using both his Muslim name, Yusuf Islam, and his original stage name.
