Fauzia Mubarak Ali is the wife of Yusuf Islam, the British singer and songwriter known around the world as Cat Stevens. They married on September 7, 1979, and have five living children. Fauzia has stayed far from celebrity life, but she has her own public record in education. She taught dress and fashion design and later led Islamia Girls’ School in London.
In this article, you’ll learn about Fauzia Mubarak Ali’s marriage, children, school work, charity links, age, and life today. You’ll also see why some popular claims about her early life and net worth do not fit the stronger records tied to her name.
A Private Life Beside a Famous Music Career
Fauzia entered Yusuf Islam’s life during a major change. In the 1970s, Cat Stevens was a global music star. “Father and Son,” “Wild World,” “Moonshadow,” and “Peace Train” were among the songs that made him famous.
He embraced Islam in 1977 and began using the name Yusuf Islam in 1978. Soon after that, he stepped away from the normal pop-star life. Faith, family, schools, and charity became a much bigger part of his world.
Fauzia became part of that new chapter. She did not use her husband’s fame to create a public career. She has joined him at some events over the years, but she has usually kept her own life quiet.
How Fauzia and Yusuf Islam Chose Marriage
Fauzia and Yusuf married on September 7, 1979. Their wedding took place at Regent’s Park Mosque in London. Yusuf’s official website also marks September 7 as their wedding anniversary.
The marriage is often called an arranged marriage, but Yusuf has told a more detailed story. In his own account on the Yusuf / Cat Stevens website, he said he was thinking about two possible women for marriage. He introduced both to his mother and asked which woman she preferred. He then agreed with her choice.
So family advice mattered, but Yusuf was also part of the decision. He later wrote with warmth about the peace he found in marriage. He also noted that the name Fauzia means “success.”
By September 2026, the couple had been married for 47 years. Their marriage has lasted through Yusuf’s long break from pop music, his return to recording and touring, the raising of their children, and years of school and charity work.
Family Changed the Direction of Their Lives
Yusuf has said that he and Fauzia had six children in all. Their youngest son, Abd Al-Ahad Ahmad, died after 13 days because of a fatal heart condition. They raised five living children: four daughters and one son.
Their first child, Hasanah, was born within a year of the marriage. Yusuf has also spoken publicly about daughter Asmaa and son Muhammad. Over time, the family grew to include grandchildren.
Parenthood shaped Yusuf’s next steps. He said that after three children arrived within the first four years of marriage, education moved to the top of his plans. He helped set up Muslim schools in London, starting with a primary school in 1983.
This is an important part of Fauzia’s story too. Their family life was closely tied to a wider effort to give Muslim children access to faith-based education in Britain.
Fauzia’s Own Work in Teaching and Education
Fauzia had a work life of her own. Yusuf described her as a teacher of dress and fashion design. That detail matters because short online profiles often present her only as Cat Stevens’ wife.
Her role in education later became even clearer. She was linked directly with Islamia Girls’ School in London, not simply as a famous family name but as a school leader.
An Ofsted report from 2014 named Fawziah Islam as the proprietor of Islamia Girls’ School. The school was an independent day school for girls from ages 11 to 16. It had 152 pupils at the time.
An earlier Ofsted report from 2009 went further. It listed Mrs Fauzia Islam as both proprietor and principal. Those records show that she held real responsibility in the school.
The School Became a Lasting Part of Her Public Story
Islamia Girls’ School opened in 1989. It formed part of the wider school work linked with the Yusuf Islam family and foundation.
The school later built a strong academic record. In 2017, Ofsted rated it Outstanding in every main area. Inspectors praised its leadership, teaching, pupil progress, behavior, and preparation for further study. They also said GCSE results were well above the national average.
Those later results belonged to the whole school team, not one person. Still, Fauzia’s earlier work as principal and proprietor places her inside the school’s history in a direct way.
That role gives her biography more depth. Her public life was not based only on standing beside a famous husband. She also helped lead an institution built around girls’ education.
Charity Also Became Part of the Family’s Work
Education was only one part of the couple’s life after Yusuf left the center of the music business. His official biography says that he and Fawziah set up the Small Kindness charity in the late 1990s after the wars in the Balkans. The charity focused on people in need, including orphans, widows, and families.
Fauzia also stayed involved with the family’s school organizations. The current Charity Commission page for Islamia Schools Limited lists Fawziah Islam as a trustee. Companies House also lists Fawziah Khanum Islam as an active director of the same company.
This helps explain her low-key public life. Much of her work has taken place through schools, boards, and family charities rather than through interviews or entertainment media.
Her Age Is Clearer in UK Company Records
Fauzia’s age is one of the most common search questions about her. It is also where many websites disagree.
A large number of celebrity pages give March 24, 1958, as her birthday. Some also say she was born in Karachi. Those details do not match the strongest UK company record tied to her school work.
Companies House lists Fawziah Khanum Islam, an active director of Islamia Schools Limited, as born in January 1948. The same company includes close family members in its leadership and is linked to the Yusuf Islam Foundation.
That record would make her 78 in 2026. It does not give a public day of birth, so there is no good reason to add one.
The same company record lists her nationality as British and her country of residence as the United Arab Emirates. Claims about her exact birthplace and early college years are less clear. Details about Karachi, Kinnaird College, and later study in the United States appear often online, but strong first-hand material does not establish them well enough to state them as settled facts.
Life With Yusuf After His Return to Music
Yusuf slowly returned to recording and public performance after years away from the pop world. His music career became active again, but Fauzia did not turn that return into a public platform for herself.
She has appeared with him at selected events and in family photos. Yet interviews focused on her are rare. Most of her public trail comes from family, school, charity, and company records.
That does not mean she had no public role. It means her work was different from her husband’s. Yusuf spent time on stages and in studios. Fauzia’s strongest public links are to family life, teaching, school leadership, and charity work.
Where Is Fauzia Mubarak Ali Today?
Fauzia still keeps her personal life private. As of 2026, official UK records continue to connect her with Islamia Schools Limited. The Charity Commission lists Fawziah Islam as a trustee, and Companies House lists her as an active director.
The company record gives the United Arab Emirates as her country of residence. It does not provide a reason to turn her present life into a detailed celebrity update. The clearest picture is simple: she remains linked to the education work that has been part of her family’s life for decades.
Why Her Net Worth Should Not Be Guessed
There is no dependable public figure for Fauzia Mubarak Ali’s personal net worth. Some entertainment pages attach large numbers to her name, but those figures often mix Yusuf’s music income, family assets, and charity work.
Those are different things. A husband’s music earnings are not the same as his wife’s personal wealth. Money held by a charity also belongs to that charity, not to its trustees.
So there is no sound basis for giving Fauzia a personal dollar figure.
What Her Story Adds to the Cat Stevens Story
People usually search Fauzia Mubarak Ali because they know the name Cat Stevens first. Yet her story helps explain a major part of Yusuf Islam’s life after pop fame.
Their marriage began as he was moving away from the music industry. Their children arrived as family and education became central to his life. Fauzia brought her own teaching background into that period and later held formal roles at a girls’ school.
The couple also shared a long link to charity. Together, these parts create a fuller picture than the usual “celebrity wife” label.
Fauzia’s story is about a long marriage, a large family, school leadership, and service carried out with little need for attention. That is the part of her public life that has the strongest support.
Common Questions About Fauzia Mubarak Ali
Who is Cat Stevens’ wife?
Cat Stevens, now widely known as Yusuf Islam, is married to Fauzia Mubarak Ali. Her name also appears in official UK records as Fawziah Islam. They married on September 7, 1979.
How many children do Fauzia and Yusuf Islam have?
They had six children in total. One son died 13 days after birth. They have five living children: four daughters and one son.
Was their marriage arranged?
Yusuf said family advice played a role. He had two possible partners in mind, introduced both to his mother, asked for her view, and agreed with her choice.
What did Fauzia do for work?
Yusuf described her as a teacher of dress and fashion design. Ofsted later listed her as proprietor and principal of Islamia Girls’ School. Current UK records still connect her with Islamia Schools Limited.
How old is Fauzia Mubarak Ali?
Companies House lists Fawziah Khanum Islam as born in January 1948. That would make her 78 in 2026. The record does not give a public birth day.
What is Fauzia Mubarak Ali’s net worth?
No dependable public source gives a personal net worth for her. Popular online estimates should not be treated as established facts.
A Life Built Around Family and Learning
Fauzia Mubarak Ali has spent 47 years beside Yusuf Islam while keeping much of her own life out of the spotlight. Their marriage began during a major change in his life, and family soon became a key part of the path that followed.
Her own record is also meaningful. She taught fashion and dress design, helped raise five living children, led Islamia Girls’ School, and remains linked to its wider organization. Her life may be private, but it is not empty of public work.
For another story about the longtime partner of a major music figure, read our profile of Raquel Capelton, Eddie Levert’s wife and family partner.
