Yusuf Gassiep (Abu Hamza) was born in 1981 and raised in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. After completing high school he performed Hajj in 1999 and then travelled to Egypt to meet up with his hifth teacher from Cape Town who at the time was also in Egypt pursuing higher studies. It was in the dusty city of Cairo where he spent the following 9 years of his life enrolled at the Al Azhar Institute and later majored in Hadith at the Al Azhar University’s faculty of Usoolu Deen. He attended the classes of many of the Ulamah in cairo at the various mosques of Jamaat Ansaru Sunah Al Muhamadeyah. Some of his teachers are Dr Mohammed Yousri, Sheikh Shareef Husain Abdul Qadir, Sheikh Tariq ibn Iwadullah, Sheikh Osama Sulaiman ,and Dr Omar Abdul Azeez .He also attended the monthly lectures of Sheikh Mustafa Al Adawi.  

He had the opportunity of attending the lectures of Sheikh Safwat Nurudeen (rahimahu ALLAH) , Sheikh Abi Ishaq Al Huwaini and Sheikh Mohammed Hassan whenever they visited Cairo.

He also completed the Fajr Centre Arabic courses and pursued the Khitaba course offered by the Fajr Centre. One of the first books he ever bought as a student of knowledge was Sheikh ibn Uthaymeen’s (rahimahu ALLAH) Explanation of Al Aqeedah Al Wasitiyah and since then he developed a great love for Sheikh ibn Uthaymeens work's.

On his return to South Africa in 2008, he was offered a post as an English teacher in Buraidah Saudi Arabia. He then travelled to Saudi Arabia and worked there till January 2011. During his stay there he was involved with the Buraidah Dawa Centre and was a Hajj guide for new Muslims.

In 2011 he became the first Imam of the Town Centre Mosque in Cape Town South Africa. Currently, he is an instructor at the Al huda foundation which offers short courses on various topics.

Yusuf Gassiep (Abu Hamza) was born in 1981 and raised in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. After completing high school he performed Hajj in 1999 and then travelled to Egypt to meet up with his hifth teacher from Cape Town who at the time was also in Egypt pursuing higher studies. It was in the dusty city of Cairo where he spent the following 9 years of his life enrolled at the Al Azhar Institute and later majored in Hadith at the Al Azhar University’s faculty of Usoolu Deen. He attended the classes of many of the Ulamah in cairo at the various mosques of Jamaat Ansaru Sunah Al Muhamadeyah. Some of his teachers are Dr Mohammed Yousri, Sheikh Shareef Husain Abdul Qadir, Sheikh Tariq ibn Iwadullah, Sheikh Osama Sulaiman ,and Dr Omar Abdul Azeez .He also attended the monthly lectures of Sheikh Mustafa Al Adawi.  

He had the opportunity of attending the lectures of Sheikh Safwat Nurudeen (rahimahu ALLAH) , Sheikh Abi Ishaq Al Huwaini and Sheikh Mohammed Hassan whenever they visited Cairo.

He also completed the Fajr Centre Arabic courses and pursued the Khitaba course offered by the Fajr Centre. One of the first books he ever bought as a student of knowledge was Sheikh ibn Uthaymeen’s (rahimahu ALLAH) Explanation of Al Aqeedah Al Wasitiyah and since then he developed a great love for Sheikh ibn Uthaymeens work’s.

On his return to South Africa in 2008, he was offered a post as an English teacher in Buraidah Saudi Arabia. He then travelled to Saudi Arabia and worked there till January 2011. During his stay there he was involved with the Buraidah Dawa Centre and was a Hajj guide for new Muslims.

In 2011 he became the first Imam of the Town Centre Mosque in Cape Town South Africa. Currently, he is an instructor at the Al huda foundation which offers short courses on various topics.