| At the 2000 Summer Rihla Program in southern Spain, Hamza Yusuf introduced the text: The Poor Man's Book of Assistance, by the ninth century Moroccan scholar, Sidi Ahmed Zarruq, to an eager group of students at the Al-Azzargra Madrassa. The extemporary commentary given by Shaykh Hamza is full of insights and wisdoms that will no doubt leave a mark on the listener's heart -- the mark of desiring spiritual growth and purification. One student explained that Sidi Ahmed Zarruq "advises you step by step on how to purify the sick heart just as a doctor would advise her ill patient. He provides you with a specific plan to follow on your jouney in attempting to attain your only station for salvation -- that of a sound heart. " She also said, "Shaykh Hamza's dynamic teaching style really brings this book to life, extrapolating practical applications for the student of the here and now." What we present to you in this original 16 CD set production is the key and guide to understanding the diseases of the heart, the tools for recognizing them, and a detailed map of cures along the way to purification. This set is required learning for anyone truly seeking closeness to God -- the ones whose heart is impoverished -- the poor man Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was born in Washington State and raised in Northern California. In 1977, he became Muslim and subsequently traveled to the Muslim world and studied for ten years in the U. A. E., Saudi Arabia, as well as North and West Africa. He received teaching licenses in various Islamic subjects from several well-known scholars in various countries. After a ten years of studies abroad, he returned to the USA and took degrees in Religious Studies and Health Care. He has traveled all over the world giving talks on Islam. He also founded Zaytuna Institute which has established an international reputation for presenting a classical picture of Islam in the West and which is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and the sciences of Islam. Shaykh Hamza is the first American lecturer to teach in Morocco's prestigious and oldest University, the Kairoiuin in Fes. In addition, he has translated into modern English several classical Arabic traditional texts and poems. |
