Program Dates: Friday, October 11 – Monday, October 14, 2019
Travel Dates: October 11 and October 14
Abstract
Foundational Islamic theology gives us the concepts and vocabulary of traditional Islamic thought and enables us to navigate the intellectual universe of science, philosophy, cosmology and metaphysics.
The first and foremost obligation of Islam is about how to think, not how to practice.
Part of the relevance of Islamic theology for us today, then, is to help us think better and to make us conscious of how we arrive at conclusions and know that what we believe is actually true. To do this, Islamic theology grounds us in epistemology (the science of how we gain knowledge). Among other things, it brings to light the primacy of the intellect (al-‘aql), which, ironically in this age of ours, is much ignored despite the unprecedented technological and material achievements we witness around us. Rational understanding of God, reality, and the world of belief requires adequate paradigms and cognitive frames in addition to exact language that expresses them. Foundational Islamic theology is relevant because it provides us with powerful conceptual tools and careful language that enable us to follow our thoughts, engage in profound reflection, and, ultimately, to read the world around us and our innermost souls like books, creating pathways to truth.
Program Overview
The program is intended to teach excerpts from Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah's upcoming book, First Teaching of the Last Religion: Knowledge of God, The Prophets, and the Unseen, deepening our foundational understanding of theology. In so doing, we remove the artificial bifurcations and sense of paralysis pervasive in the modern world, allowing us to live dynamic and meaningful lives on the basis of sound conviction. Such serious study of theology in conversation with our contemporary context will help create firm intellectual foundations, untie the knots of our souls, and awaken us to our grave responsibilities of human stewardship on earth.
Over the course of two days, we will embark upon a wide range of discourse that will begin to cover the following:
Divinity
With special reference to proofs of God's existence, the nature of causation, and the evolution of life on earth.
Prophethood
With special reference to Prophetic infallibility, the unity and universality of Prophecy, and remarks about the forgotten Prophets and Messengers of old.
the Afterlife
With special reference to the major events of the Resurrection and their culmination in Heaven and Hell.
Our Scholar: Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah
Dr. Umar Abd-Allah (Wymann-Landgraf) is an American Muslim who embraced Islam in 1970. He studied Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Chicago and received his doctorate there in 1978. He taught at the Universities of Windsor (Ontario), Temple, Michigan, and King Abdul-Aziz (Jeddah). During several years abroad, he was able to study with a number of traditional Islamic scholars. He returned to the United States in 2000 under the auspices of the Nawawi Foundation (Chicago), where he worked until 2011. He taught Islamic studies at Darul Qasim (Chicago) from 2012 until 2013. He is currently engaged in independent research, writing, and teaching activities with institutions across the United States, Europe, and Africa with a focus on Islamic theology. Among his written works are A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb (Oxford University Press) and Malik and Medina: Islamic Legal Reasoning in the Formative Period (Brill).
Children’s Program
There will be programming for children ages 3 to 14 running parallel to the adult program. These programs will encompass a variety of enriching and holistic age appropriate experiences, including outdoor activities, arts and crafts, and hands-on educational activities.
Should you require babysitting services please complete our Participant Form. We will do our best to arrange for babysitting through the campsite, at an additional cost for children ages 0 to 2.