That was the title for Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah’s last session at the recent ALIM Winter Program. This was going to happen in the Muslim Community Association of the San Francisco Bay Area (MCA). Historically, this lecture had many ramifications. It is well-known that the MCA has had issues with tasawwuf being talked about, practiced or even mentioned in the halls of the mighty MCA.

With the graciousness of the ALIM staff, we were invited to listen to Dr. Umar and Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson’s lectures on the 3rd day of their weekend program. With ultimate Grace of Allah, we were treated to a different topic then what we expected. Dr. Umar continued his topic from the day before, Modernity.

Here are some notes:

• Dr. Umar’s definition of modernity: based on 3 elements - an economic system, a political/legal system and a culture system.
• Solo problem solving vs. Group problem solving = Groups are always more successful
• Working with others, listening to them, learning from them allows us to establish an improved idea/system
• Muslims have to be future-oriented
• Most people cannot deal with being future-oriented: have to ‘move’, have to innovate, have to change to be future-oriented
• As Muslims, we should not have this problem as we have a sophisticated economic, political/legal sytem
• A religion cannot flourish without: Identity, Community, Continuity
• Spirituality is VERY IMPORTANT, it is EVERYTHING, however, it is very difficult to achieve. If you can achieve spirituality, then you have a connection with the vertical, then you are ‘home safe’ (Baseball fans can ponder on this)
• Spirituality: you have to drink it, eat it and imbibe it.
• Dr. Umar’s prediction about the 21st century: a century about rivalries and religious battles
• Knowledge cannot just be ‘horizontal’, then it becomes metaphorical. Knowledge needs to have vertical connection.
• Infinite infinite multiplicities - each moment in time is infinitely different than the moment before it or after it. This is the creative magnificence of our Creator.
• The world around us is beautiful but it is fading. To put the color back into the world we need to put more color into ourselves.
• Secret cure: when nothing can cure you, go home.

So what is the lesson from this? Sufism is real and necessary. It is so real, a wonderful scholar like Dr. Umar does not need to discuss sufism to discuss sufism. As for the hidden men (and women)… they will continue to remain hidden.