June 11, 2026
I am now in the lobby of the Singapore Raffles Hotel. A harp is playing relaxing celestial music. The harpist is now a a personal friend. We met during one of my previous stays at this esteemed hotel. At that time we spoke of the unexpected coincidental journey that brought her to Raffles. Her journey became fodder for my blog.
This is a new beginning. I write almost daily – the words flowing from my brain, then to my fingers on my laptop. The finished product is copy and pasted in an email send to my faithful blog master Chris living in the UK. A fateful day in December of 2017 I asked him if it was possible to start a blog. Super easy said he – two days later I owned alexismcbride,com London and Beyond. It changed my life. I have written millions of words, read by millions of readers the world over. It seems I am embarking on a new experience. Not sure I am ready for it. Hahaha
On June 5, 2026 another encounter which may change my life yet again Met two men that day Both were in attendance at the KL Subha Conference . One a guest speaker, the other a fellow attendee. The fellow attendee was Sohail Nakhooda. A man with an extremely impressive bio. It made me exhausted just reading it.
The second man a guest speaker. When I first learned he would be in attendance I was ecstatic. The word has two meanings. Both are perfect. feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement 2) involving an experience of mystic self-transcendence. Used in a sentence: She had an ecstatic vision. Soaring synonyms: elated, transported, euphoric; rapturous, blissful, beatific; on cloud nine, in seventh heaven,, jumping for joy, rhapsodic, enchanted jubilant, exultant, over the moon, on top of the world, blissed out. The opposite state of mind: miserable.
Now onto the guest speaker met on that fateful June 5day. I had laughingly spoke with to Gemini, my go-to Artificial Intelligence. Learned factual data – his early life as Cat Stevens, then after becoming a Muslim, his philanthropy.his ‘giving back’ Cheekily, (should that be possible forArtificial Intelligence) Gemini suggested Yusuf Islam and I sing a duet. I am tone deaf – silly suggestion. Fortunately for all present ( and accounted for) Yusuf Islam spoke, did not sing. Hahaha
June 20, 2026
The preamble sat in an unfinished state in my computer’s memory. Busy days followed – my return from Raffles Singapore to KL, my ‘home base’. My last mandatory visa run occasioned a trip to another country. Singapore is another country although they were one and the same at one time.
For a strange reason an expression came to mind. Flash in the pan. Whenever an expression comes to me it is a lead in to a thought. My custom is to question Gemini to find the meaning
Gemini: The expression “flash in the pan” refers to something or someone that shows immense promise, brilliance, or sudden success at the very beginning, but quickly fades away, burns out, or fails to deliver any lasting results or substance. It is a burst of high energy that ultimately goes nowhere. Its origin. The phrase comes from the era of old flintlock firearms. When a shooter pulled the trigger, gunpowder in a small exterior piece called the “flashpan” would ignite. Ideally, this flash would travel inside and ignite the main charge to fire the bullet.
However, sometimes the powder in the pan would flare up with a bright flash and a puff of smoke, but fail to ignite the main explosive charge. The result? A lot of sudden light and noise, but no actual shot fired. It was a literal flash in the pan.
Me: It is clear to me now. The expression came to me because Yusuf Islam is anything BUT a flash in the pan. Why do
you think he endured?
Gemini: He is the absolute antithesis of a flash in the pan. Decades later, his music, his voice, and his spiritual presence remain deeply influential. There are a few key reasons why Yusuf Islam has endured so powerfully. It was his uncompromising authenticity. When he walked away from the height of pop stardom in the late 1970s, it wasn’t a publicity stunt—it was a genuine, deeply felt spiritual reckoning. Audiences, even those who didn’t understand his choices at the time, can recognize absolute sincerity. He didn’t chase trends; he chased truth. Moreover, the music he wrote as Cat Stevens—songs like Father and Son, Wild World, and Peace Train—was built on timeless human themes of searching, generational conflict, and peace. Because the songs were stripped down and focused on profound poetry rather than passing musical fads, they never aged. His life narrative is totally united. Instead of living a fragmented life, his return to music later in life beautifully bridged his past and his present. He didn’t disown Cat Stevens; he reclaimed him through the lens of Yusuf Islam, showing a rare, complete journey of evolution that people respect.
Me: Thank you for that insight. It was ALL you mentioned not just one thing or another.
Gemini: It is exactly that—the total sum of a complete, undivided life. When someone aligns their art, their faith, and their actions so perfectly, it creates a weight that time simply cannot erode. He didn’t just survive the decades; he grew more substantial within them.
Now onto that memorable evening.
Do not recall if there was any formal introduction before Yusuf Islam’s riveting speech. A rather elaborate program preceded his words. You may see highlights on my YouTube channel, Alexis Alaa McBride. I hired a videographer who was, and is, able to edit my videos. Practically everyone in my life has a nickname – this is no exception. Siti Slave brings great delight. I am Boss. Two days ago Henry was magically able to regain YouTube access. All (and more) were lost because of the inexplicable cruelty and maladroitness of my former ‘Content Manager Nesh’ He proved to be an utter and complete disaster – to me, to himself and to the world. The good news is this: with Siti Slave and Henry I am made whole and SO appreciative of good principled and loyal people. I feel blessed more appreciative with the scoundrel gone. Scoundrel: a dishonest person. So many scary synonyms: good-for-nothing, reprobate; fraudster, charlatan, villian, rat, louse, heel, snake in the grass, scumbag, bad egg, rotter, bounder, blighter; rogue, rascal, wastrel.
It suddenly struck me that Allah created both good and evil, both Nesh and Yusuf Islam. I looked to Gemini for confirmation of that.
Gemini: The core tenet you are referring to is a foundational pillar of Islamic creed (Aqeedah). Specifically, it is part of the Sixth Pillar of Faith: Belief in Qadar (Divine Decree). In the traditional statement of faith recited by Muslims (the Amantu), the phrasing explicitly dictates belief in destiny, and “that both its good and its evil come from Allah.”
Key Scirptural References are: Surah An-Nisa:
“Say, ‘All [things] are from Allah.’ So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?” Surah Al-Anbiya: This verse establishes that the coexistence of both forces serves a deliberate purpose for human growth:
“And We test you with evil and with good as a trial; and to Us you will be returned.”
The Sufi Context In The Sufis and broader Sufi philosophy (particularly the writings of thinkers like Ibn Arabi and Al-Ghazali), this concept is elevated from a strict theological rule to a profound tool for spiritual development.The Sufi perspective teaches that Allah created the absolute polarity of the universe—light and shadow, order and chaos, the beautiful and the rigorous—so that humanity could develop discernment. In this view, encountering a negative or hypocritical force is not a cosmic mistake; it is a deliberate creation designed to act as a mirror,
forcing you to recognize, appreciate, and move toward the light.
My next self appointed task was to listen to the videos I had recorded during Yusuf’s Islam’s speech. Made notes as I listened on my bed, my writing table. I always make notes when listening to lectures, speeches etc. Could not do it during the speech because I was recording for later consumption. Divinely blessed was I – pressing the record button instead of grabbing a pen. Yusuf’s Islam’s speech was so humble, so sincere. It was as if he were pouring out his heart to you, hoping to bring you into his personal revelation.
His most profound revelation was from the Quran. I asked Gemini for help, so you will be able to appreciate the profundity.
Gemini: The verse Yusuf Islam quoted is one of the most famous and significant in the entire Quran. It is found in Surah Al-Ma’idah (Chapter 5), Verse 3. The specific phrase appears in the middle of the verse: “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (Quran 5:3) Historically, this portion of the verse is widely understood to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during his Farewell Pilgrimage at Arafat, marking the completion of the divine revelation regarding the principles of the faith. It makes perfect sense why that specific declaration of a completed, whole path would stick with you—and him—so vividly.
My goodness, I was there that June 5 day to see the profound humility expressed by that blessed man who has walked through immense fame, walked away from it to seek truth, and then stands before others not as an untouchable authority, but simply as a brother sharing what he found in the pages of a book. It ties beautifully back to that verse he quoted about a “perfected” and complete religion. The faith is complete, but it is up to each new generation to actively reclaim it and live it, rather than just passively inheriting it.
He began with an analogy, I was somewhat familiar with. A profound and classic spiritual analogy, and it cuts right to the heart of what he and many Sufi thinkers frequently use. When you are born on the mountaintop, the spectacular view is just “the background.” You didn’t have to climb for it, you didn’t have to gasp for air to reach it, so you look right past it. You take the elevation for granted. However, in the context of the traditional faith there is a tragic irony: those who are born into a rich, beautiful spiritual tradition often practice it out of mere habit or cultural routine. It has become a set of rules and inheritances rather than a living, breathing reality. The traditionalist are wealthy, but spiritually asleep—”wasting” the privilege because they’ve never known the valley, so they can’t truly value the height. It takes a seeker—someone who starts in the valley, looks up, and deliberately makes the grueling climb—to actually appreciate what that mountaintop signifies.
Yusuf then masterfully spoke to the youth of today: “Respect your elders but do not follow their ways.” Enter Islam completely, there is nowhere else we need to go. But a lot of us keep saying go left or go right, seemingly unaware of the magnificent spiritual height they are standing upon. He pointed out that the . youth are the ones sitting on that mountain inherited from their elders, but they are restless because they are being handed a routine instead of a living truth. By telling them, “Respect your elders but do not follow their ways,” he was guiding them telling them to ’experience the climb for themselves, to enter the faith completely and wake up to the view they have been taking for granted.
Then as an absolute masterstroke he wove in Father and Son at the moment. It could not have been more perfect the father pleading for compliance and safety (“Take your time, think a lot…”), while the son feels this undeniable, internal pull to break away and find his own destiny (“From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen / Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away”).
What a
privilege for me to be there on June 5, 2026 hearing those words from the man who didn’t just climb the mountain; he woke up to the view.
I hope I have captured the essence of Yusuf Islam’s words. However the most deeply personal chapters- the quiet magic of our chance encounter and its unexpected thread remain to be told. Translating these moments from the heart to the page demands a energy that has been sapped. I am stepping away from this for a few days, speaking of my life in transition. I do promise I shall return soon to unveil the rest of the story.
Two photographs of Yusuf Islam taken that evening shall follow. Be sure to tune into my YouTube channel Alexis Alaa McBride.
