One overarching aspect of the article which criticizes traditionalist thought is that it focuses on the lack of actual effort on the part of people who espouse traditional beliefs in integration with the modern world.

The point is fundamentally flawed, as is most of the article, as it focuses on generalities and intellectual ego-stroking all the while not providing one specific example of a situation where traditionalist effort has failed. Is writing an article about Nietzsche and Islam going to bring anyone to Islam?

For real?

The idea that traditionalism has, in and of itself, slowed Muslims is a ridiculous one. Especially when it is clear that Muslims have seen no worse time than the past 100 years in our entire history. The one common theme with this time period is the exhaustive push for reform and attempt to change the opinions of the past, in order to condemn most of the people who carried Islam to us as deviants.

Focusing on this type of reform has done nothing to actually establish Islamic lifestyles for people, nor in establishing Islamic justice, as really the people who want to live Islamic lifestyles will find a way to do so personally. The real issue is the large majority of the worlds population who has no desire to live in an Islamic way, in fact, they fear it.

One commentator wrote:

Rather, it is being said – use the methodology of the traditional but do not look to the fataawa of the past to give you your answers. Rather, look to the method by which those fataawa came and apply them now to bring new fataawa for the new issues.

I think without having a sound understanding of the methodologies, speaking in this way is getting a bit ahead of ourselves. For a great majority of the issues at hand for a Muslim, the traditional methodology yields the same result as the age old fatwa which we are trying to forget. Those fatwas already list numerous possibilities including the understanding on where one can be flexible and where special cases are involved.

Let us remember the points in contention are very basic things which apply to Muslims living in various secular nation states.

What *needs* to change regarding fulfilling the few personal religious obligations (salat, zakat, sawm, etc) that we maintain?

A majority of the issues of the madhabs revolve around just those basic elements. Do we need to revisit the question over how much filth causes an unmoving body of water to be considered filth unworthy of Wudu? No, that is already answered within Mukhtasar al-Quduri, the Shaykh’s all know about it, so lets follow it and get on with actual progress.

Really. Please lets get on with it..

Is the need for reexamining whether Imam Bukhari (R) was wrong in his book of Adaab about a hadith about kissing hands and feet as a greeting and sign of respect going to change the Islamic world?

I don’t think so.

Really, I must say that the argument about progress is actually totally backwards.

When we are questioning where the “community development” is from traditionalists and that the next question is the necessity of developing a “Fiqh Council”, we have a real disconnection with reality. If you believe the two are related someone needs to splash water on your face.

We have then shown that we still hold to the vain hope that some singular, and ultimate answer can be delivered and hence eliminate the plurality which is inherent in the traditional way of understanding Islam. We believe that singularity is the solution for all Muslim kind, that it will somehow give Muslims in the West and East shelter, food, good jobs, a life. Frankly I find the idea immature. The truth is that the disconnect and focus on finding some type of utopian fiqh manual for the West is really what has consumed Muslims for far too long.

The reality is Muslims need to work on real community development, and this is easily and already being implemented in the traditional style of living. The goal of such a life being to die with Shahadat. Thats it. When that becomes our goal, really, that is when we begin to understand everything in its proper perspective.

That is when you realize, like an airplane stewardess, that you need to put the mask on yourself, and then help others.

That is when you realize how and in what way helping others is helping yourself.

Today we have the extremes of people who have forgotten all aspects of the sunnah, pretend that their politics and activism is their golden ticket. Also, what I have seen, is that these are the ones promoting disunity at every opportunity, as if a Sufi Shaykh was allowed to give a short talk, their whole campus might become instant dancing apostates.

Then we have those who have totally immersed themselves in fiqhi matters, all in some never-ending quest for the universal fiqh book or council. These are the ones who have found huge faults with the traditional tariqats, are quick to question the conclusions of the madhabs, and spend their days trying to find reasons also on creating disunity. They live in a pseudo reality that going overseas will somehow draw them closer to Allah, when really it only draws them closer to books.

The traditionalist is, on the other hand, bringing balance indeed to these matters. By reviving a traditional lifestyle *wherever they may be* they have opened the door for helping real people. The traditionalist is then naturally, with blessing, mixing the old and the new. As far as matters of ‘life challenges’, in the days of old the people consulted with their village Shaykh on such matters. They got their answer, and they moved forward.

Actually improving things and community development comes from really building a community, my dear brothers and sisters. Handling issues with mercy, respect and knowledge – real ilm not simply hukm.

It is actual people who are living Islam within the traditional understanding who are the ones bringing Islam to the modern world. Those who have visited people of other faiths, with a strong presence of religion, teaching Islam and giving Dawah.

I hate boasting, and I don’t want anyone to consider this boasting but since I can give only the example of our Tariqat, that is what I am forced to do.

So while it may be absurdly easy to look at a picture of a farm and criticize us as ‘retreating into traditionalism and farms’, without knowing an inkling about the work being done, I would say criticizers need to keep their mouths firmly closed.

The truth is every Friday, carloads of people are driving 3 hours each way to do dawah in the middle of the New York City, the center of the worlds financial system. Staying there overnight calling people to Islam from all corners of the streets. I cannot count the number of Shahadat that I have seen taken by the people who happen across our Shaykh. If they return to us or not is not even our concern, but inshaAllah we hope and pray that it brings them some safety.

It is our Sufi tariqat which is visiting the elderly, getting them excited about saying LaillahaillAllahMuhummadurRasulullah. It is our Sufi tariqat reciting Quran with confidence and inspiring respect within Mormon Churches. It is a Sufi Tariqat going to Washington getting questioned by the FBI because of spreading the message of Islam. It is our Shaykh who is giving Dawah by writing articles mentioning Allah’s name in a local newspaper of a completely Christian community.

It is our traditional Shaykh who has given shelter to dozens of homeless and hopeless, it is a Sufi Shaykh who dragged and cleaned thugs off the streets of NY and made them into saints performing all 5 daily prayers with all Sunnat and supplementary prayers. It is our traditional Shaykh who has advised numerous people on escaping real life situations of credit issues, issues with the law, and family losses.

It is our tariqat which is bringing real halaal food, cut by believing Muslim hands, not machines, to everyones dinner tables. It is our tariqat which is reviving ways of living with cleanliness of spirit and in touch with *reality* of Islam which is calling people to live a simple life, remembering Allah and fulfilling our obligations to each other.

It is our traditional Shaykh who is living Islam not in some confused virtual world or even some Western-Envious Islamic academic subculture, where the contest has changed from whose *whatever* is bigger, to “what intellectual work have you done for the ummah today?” or “How many good speeches have you given which stroke everyones intellectual ego?”

So brothers and sisters, if you want to play these games with Sufi Tariqas, who probably have had very few weak people like me to represent them on this place we the internet, then please continue. Realize I’m a very pleasant person, but I’m also learning to be a bit blunt when needed. And this is one of those cases.

So as far as the response to “Unto date the traditionalist has not responded to modernity nor to postmodernity.”

I think we have responded, what exactly have you done?

And while we may have “failed to respond to the Jurgen Habermas, to Nietzche and Descartes and Foucault and to Zizek and others from the perspective of Islam so that his mureeds have an orientation to the modern world”, we probably have done a lot more work which is actually beneficial to real people than anyone who wastes their time with the above mission.

Wake up. Live in Reality and not Theory. Live Islam. Stop criticizing those that are living it too, it is only for your own benefit.