A Virtual Journey into the Islamic World

This summer, unlike many Abbasi grant recipients, I did not leave the Bay Area. I did not step foot in any Muslim world country. Rather, from the seat of my chair, I dove into a virtual journey, studying Arabic online with a teacher based in Egypt.

This was not my first foray in Arabic. Over the years I have actually picked up a reasonable foundation in Arabic, even solely studying the language in my gap year before college. The difference this time, however, was I sat down and read through difficult Arabic texts focusing on Islamic subjects with a student of one of the great scholars of the Middle East (Dr Mustafa Hilmi). These texts ranged from a study of Islamic creed to explanations of the Quran like Al-Kashshaaf. Not only is the Arabic in these texts difficult, but so too are the concepts. Even with my solid foundation in Arabic, it felt like I was jumping from fifth grade English headlong into a 12th grade analysis of Alexander Pope writings.

I came out of my studies with a deep appreciation for the richness of the Islamic tradition. As a Muslim who grew up here in America, I feel this richness is often overlooked in the way Islam is taught and practiced. For instance, a simple but striking revelation to me was how well versed in logic and philosophy writers of classical Arabic texts were. The writer of Al-Kashshaaf, the Persian Al-Zamakhshari, borrowed heavily from Greek, Roman, and Persian logic and philosophy. So too did Ibn Khaldun and even Al-Ghazzali who wrote a strong criticism of philosophers in general. As someone who aspires to write on the Islamic tradition, I realized that I myself must delve into a deeper understanding of the human, the universe, and existence. Because of my studies this summer I plan to pursue a minor in philosophy. Hopefully that will put me one step closer to my goal!