Muslims have been subjected to so many tyrants and oppressive regimes. That's what the Arab Spring was about, but the problem comes in trying to direct a revolution.

This is the beauty of the Qur'an: it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One who has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general.

My imam at the Central Mosque said there was no problem with making music. In fact, he encouraged me - he said if the songs are moral, not offensive, then go ahead.

All things can be forgiven if we can progress.

The very first lesson that I learnt from the Qur'an was the message of unity and peace.

A person who steals bread during a famine is not treated as a thief.

In music, you can use metaphors with ease - if a person doesn't understand the parable, they can still enjoy the melody of the music. If, however, a person reads a book and misses the meaning of its metaphors, this will be extremely disheartening for both the reader as well as the author.

The greatest legacy is that which benefits the widest number of people for the longest period without limit to value. No one but the Prophet Muhammad was given that role as the seal of God's message.

One song I do is 'The First Cut is the Deepest.' I try to remind people I wrote that song, not Rod Stewart.

It's very difficult to ignore humanitarian disasters. The royalties from my albums continue to support my charity work.

If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there's a million ways to be, you know that there are.

'Peace Train' is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.

Salman Rushdie, indeed any writer who abuses the prophet or indeed any prophet under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death.

I suppose that by being absent from the music business, it appeared that I just dropped out, but really I never did. I was continuously working and doing various things.

I became a vegetarian, and I carried around a suitcase full of vitamins and special drinks everywhere I went.

I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail. I'm an optimist, brought up on the belief that if you wait to the end of the story, you get to see the good people live happily ever after.

There are certain comforts of living here in Dubai, the comforts of so many mosques and so much good food... It's just that much more secure. And may God keep it safe.

There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.

When many astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space, and they become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.

To be what you want to be, you must give up being what you are.

Everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah.

I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.

There comes a time as you continue to write and work on scripts and screenplays where you realize that you have opinions about the next step of the process, and you kind of want more control over the translation from page to screen.

To me, it's exciting that women are dominating the pop charts.