Sentencing the hook-handed, one-eyed imam of Finsbury Park Mosque, north London, Judge Anthony Hughes said Hamza used his authority to encourage his audiences that killing was a religious duty.
"I do not make the mistake of thinking that you represent Islamic thinking generally," he added.
He could also face losing his British passport, Judge Hughes added, stating that Hamza's words and their potential spread through followers have made him a "real danger" to the lives of innocent people around the world.
Extradition request
Police said later that Hamza, who faces extradition to the United States, was likely to have met so-called shoe bomber Richard Reid as well as Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in the US over the September 11 attacks in 2001, during his time at the mosque.
The extradition request, not revealed to the jury, centres around claims that Hamza supported an alleged terrorist camp in the Pacific Northwest.
One of his legal team, Muddassar Arani, immediately announced an appeal, stating that Hamza believed he was a "prisoner of faith" and was "subject to slow martyrdom".
"Sheikh Abu Hamza is of the view that his case is politically-motivated against him," she said.
The 47-year-old's conviction comes at a time of heightened debate about free speech in Britain and parliamentary wrangling over the government's attempts to introduce new legislation against religious hatred and glorifying terrorism.
Last week, Nick Griffin, the leader of the far-right British National Party was cleared of race-hate charges while police are probing the angry protests in London last week at the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
The government's senior law advisor, Attorney General Peter Goldsmith, stressed that free speech is important for a democratic, multi-faith society "but encouraging murder and inciting hatred against others because of their race will never be tolerated".
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch, said: "For many years, most people have found Hamza deeply offensive. We have now been able to show that what he was saying was also illegal."
Hamza demonised
But while the moderate Muslim Council of Britain said it respected the verdict, Massoud Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said it was not suprised at the outcome as Hamza had been demonised for many years.
"This episode compared with what has happened in the past few days, Nick Griffin and the (Mohammed) caricatures, has increased the perception in the Muslim community that freedom of speech is selective and access to justice is not blind," he said.
Hamza, who showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down, was convicted on six of nine soliciting-to-murder charges and two of four charges of "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up racial hatred".
He was also found guilty of possessing the 11-volume 'Encyclopaedia of Afghani Jihad' containing information "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".
The book included a dedication to Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as well as chapters detailing how to make explosives, and advocated hitting high-profile international targets like the Statue of Liberty in New York harbour.
Prosecutors alleged that Hamza was a "recruiting sergeant" for terrorism and murder through his pronouncements against Jews, non-Muslims and what he called "apostates", lapsed followers of Islam or Arab leaders "too close" to Western governments.
The calls were made during a number of video- and audio-taped lectures and sermons advocating his own version of "jihad", literally "struggle" in Arabic, to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate under Sharia law.
Blair declines comment
Meanwhile the office of British Prime Minister Tony Blair has declined to comment on the sentence handed down to Hamza.
A Downing Street official spokesman said: "The sentence is a matter for judges."
"In terms of the court judgment, as the Attorney General (Lord Peter Goldsmith) has said, what it shows is that the original decision to prosecute was the right one and that should give the public some assurance about the government's determination to uphold the law in this matter.
"We are putting forward further proposals which will come to parliament next week and we hope we attract as much support as possible."
On Wednesday next week, the government will seek to overturn in the Commons Lords amendments watering down its Terrorism Bill.
Peers threw out ministers' attempts to create a new offence of "glorifying" acts of terrorism.