Hamza Yusuf - From Protest to Engagement

About this lecture

In this wide-ranging lecture, Hamza Yusuf makes a compelling case for civic engagement over protest, urging British Muslims to participate actively in government and public life rather than viewing it with suspicion. Drawing on Quranic verses, the lives of English reformers like William Wilberforce, Florence Nightingale, and Hannah More, and the classical Arabic story of the War of Daahis, he argues that the way of husn al-dhun — charitable thinking and constructive dialogue — is both an Islamic imperative and the path to real change. He closes with a powerful reflection on spiritual extremism, the liberation of the ego, and the indispensable role of principled women in transforming their communities.