Zaytuna College Convocation 2013

Transcript Details

Event Name: Zaytuna College Convocation 2013
Transcription Date:Transcription Modified Date: 6/13/2019
Transcript Version: 1


Transcript Text

alhamdulillah I see before me for

classes at say tuna college freshmen

sophomores juniors and seniors this is

not just your milestone this is a

milestone for American Muslims as a

collective national community

this place is a tuna college being here

this is a truly unique place to study

Islam in college because they tuna is

the only Islamic liberal arts college

what I'm excited to see is what a

critical engagement with the tradition

looks like Adam with some liberal arts

college you know I know what it looks

like in a secular setting I know what

and I know what critical in kato the

critical engagement is missing in a lot

of mosques so this is a tuna collar dis

place is not a place where American

Muslims are hiding from the world and

retreat this is a place where American

Muslims are being prepared to engage in

the world around them there are those

who actually think that this type of

education is a luxury and for those

people I would say it's not a luxury

it's a necessity and the reason that

it's a necessity is that people who live

in a community are multi-dimensional

they are moral agents their actions have

repercussions but there are also

intellectual beings their thoughts have

realities and then there are also

spiritual beings if people are not

trained to work with these three aspects

of the human being then what follows is

immense discord we've lost a sense of

what the purpose of a college is what

it's there to do a student now goes and

he's given a brochure that begins with

anthropology and ends with zoology and

he's told to pick his way there's no

direction we don't direct our youth

anymore and we wonder why the youth are

in such rebellion if you don't give

youth direction they lose their way they

need the direction of the shoe of the

elders our Prophet peace be upon him

said he's not among us who does not

respect the elders

and who does not have compassion for the

youth and this is what this education is

about it's about turning that heart

around some one of you out there is

going to work on the problem of

homelessness in Berkeley or in your

hometown city someone of you out there

is going to find a solution to a

pressing problem problems of addiction

problems of poverty you're not here just

to read books and learn the tradition

but to bring that tradition alive in the

world because what we're here for is

just one thing and that is to serve God

through working for the good of our

fellow human beings for in the end to be

a good Muslim is simply to be a good

human being and to serve humbly teach

humbly and struggle humbly in the world

at large not just our community the

world at large and I say and these are

the days of Martin Luther King 50 years

he was called a radical jesus was called

a radical moses was called a radical by

a pharaoh if you are for change expect

the status quo to call you for to call

you radical unless you want to sell a

car they'll give you a radical new card

or a shampoo a radical new shampoo or

address a radical new dress if you are

for the show then accept to be radical

in this but if you're for real serious

change and change begins in education

then be ready to be called radical and

radicalism in the face of vice and

injustice is a virtue I say to all of

the young beautiful seekers and whose

names we have gathered this evening who

have entrusted zaytuna college with

their future you are in a sense the

fulfillment of dr. King's dreams for you

sit

gather in the truest sense of the word

at the table of brotherhood and

sisterhood know as a nation we have not

created nor will we ever constitute a

perfect union however if you develop

your minds and cultivate and sharpen

your moral faculties in the four years

ahead of you if you can do that if you

dedicate yourself to a life of good you

can help if even in seemingly

imperceptible ways to help to move our

nation towards a future in fact our

world towards a future where hope will

still find a home in human hearts Ya

Allah Ya Allah Ya Allah we thank you for

the great blessings that we enjoy and we

pray that we can pass this heritage

rooted and faith rooted and community

rooted in love may we pass this trust on

two generations yet unborn

Oh