Singer Yusuf Islam visits grieving Dr Mahathir, offers prayers for late Tun Dr Hasmah

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — British singer songwriter Yusuf Islam, better known as Cat Stevens, paid a visit to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today, following the recent passing of his wife, Tun Dr Hasmah Mohamad Ali.

In a Facebook post, Yusuf said he read Al-Fatihah with Dr Mahathir, noting that the couple had been married for 70 years. 

“He is 101 years old, by God’s grace,” he wrote.

The gesture drew warm responses from admirers, many thanking the musician for consoling Dr Mahathir in his grief. 

“Sitting beside someone during grief is the greatest gift we can give,” one comment read, while others praised Yusuf for bringing strength and comfort to the elder statesman.

Dr Hasmah died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) on September 28 at the age of 100, closing a revered union that stood among the nation’s most enduring partnerships.

The couple married in Kuala Lumpur on August 4, 1956, after meeting while studying medicine in Singapore.