Omar Thinks: Acadevotional
I struggled with the idea of academia. It’s a picky and hyper-niche place in my opinion. My mother instilled the importance of attaining a degree in me. My mother deeply valued education, instilling in me the significance of earning a degree. Against what once felt like insurmountable odds, I achieved a milestone in 2016 by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts in Islamic law and theology from Zaytuna College. I remember standing in line to walk and Dr. Hatem Bazian, a confounder and professor of mine, walk up to me and ask when I’m getting my PhD. Like, what? It would take me three years to come to terms with academia.
In all fairness, finding a place in the ivory tower is no small feat. Universities have become increasingly commercialized with massive endowments that rival small countries. I remember hearing two students at a campus I worked how the president was more businessman than academic. I would later find out that he was not well-liked or a leader but makes the university lots of money. The board would keep him. The academic job market has become increasingly competitive, with fewer available positions and a noticeable decline in tenure opportunities. Specialization has become so extreme that the broader goal of a well-rounded education seems to have been lost, narrowing the field of academic pursuit.
However, in recent years, I’ve come to realize that these challenges should not deter the pursuit of higher education. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf introduced me to the concept of “acadevotional” as something he thought bring life to academia. I have thought about it sporadically until the recent happenings on campuses and student responses to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, now at a breaking point. I have thoughts and feelings, but I digress.
I believe there’s a profound sense of acadevotional spirit within these students. Their pursuit of education at prestigious institutions like Columbia, Yale, and Harvard transcends the mere acquisition of a degree or the promise of a lucrative career. Shaykh Hamza emphasized that academia should be motivated by more than just secular ambitions. They take care of each other through thick and thin:
Shaykh Hamza explained that academia needs to be driven by something more than the secular. Ideas are meant to be bigger than people or a group. It needs to be around for more than a generation. Otherwise, it will be nothing more than a fleeting thought that will forever change. These young men and women are showing that, highlighting an injustice in the world and risking their education and thousands of dollars in the process.
Embracing acadevotionalism means adhering to our principles, regardless of the challenges the world may present. It’s too simplistic to lump oppressors together based on nationality in today’s vast world. This is where the devotional aspect of academia shines through. This is when the devotional nature of academia comes to light. We must be more devotional to God now more than ever, even in academic pursuit.
I used to walk around bookstores in Berkeley making fun on hyper-academic titles. I’ll be honest, there is a part of me that still wants to but Shaykh Hamza’s words have returned to mind. My time at Zaytuna College taught me that education is a powerful tool for liberation from ignorance, tyranny, oppression, and the confines of the self. It is the liberal arts specifically which are the tools that liberate the soul that need to be reintroduced. For a long time, I swayed in my decision to attain a doctorate. No more. It is time to be acadevotional.
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