There is a chasm between modernity and tradition, science and religion, skepticism and faith, the Devil and God.
In the secular West, the Enlightenment Era separated church from state and removed God from the classroom. Books like The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins epitomize this trend, which Wael Hallaq calls the “theology of progress.” In the Islamic East, the mosque is not separated from the state, and God runs the classroom. The Quran epitomizes this trend.
In my education, I noticed that these two traditions do not talk to each other. I was frustrated that my American education did not build on my Islamic education. To bridge the gap, I found a scholar and mentor who connects the two traditions: Dr. Saleh Aram.
Here, I’ll focus on his mathematical thinking (based on Western tradition) and his storytelling (based on Eastern tradition).
Dr. Saleh Aram was born and raised in Yemen. He studied in Kuwait, Lebanon, and India, earning his BA, MA, and PhD — all in mathematics.
When Dr. Aram recently came to America, an immigration officer asked him, since he is a professor of math, what the outcome of 1 plus 1 is. Dr. Aram answered, “It depends. In the decimal system, 1 plus 1 equals 2. But in the binary system, 1 plus 1 equals 10. And in the marital system, 1 plus 1 equals 3.” The immigration officer was wowed and let him in immediately.
Dr. Aram is well-versed in the literature of both the Eastern and Western worlds. He introduced me to two brilliant books that all students should read by George Pólya, a renowned math teacher who had an illustrious career at Stanford University. Pólya published his magnum opus in two volumes: Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning and How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method.
Dr. Aram introduced me to the idea of mathematical thinking, characterized by rigorous, empirical, observable and verifiable arguments. Despite being a mathematician, he is also a storyteller, a raconteur. He made two profound statements about stories: (1) stories are tangible mathematical evidence, and (2) stories are understandable and shareable.
I asked Dr. Aram about strategies for dealing with professors and advisors with whom a student might have intellectual disagreements. He proposed a brilliant approach: “Ask the professor to justify their position as much as possible, and display an attitude that agrees with their justification with reservations (not categorically).”
This way, the student maintains dignity and ground, while the professor retains the upper hand in the hierarchy of knowledge. Essentially, the student gives the professor a chance to persuade them, agreeing with reservations rather than categorically.
I also asked Dr. Aram about his views on modern dating and relationships, given his traditional background in Yemen. His answer surprised me. He said modern-day relationships are a battle, and people should plan to emerge with the most victories and least losses.
He discouraged online dating apps and encouraged traditional methods like attending social events and becoming social as ways of meeting and connecting with people.
In fact, online dating and mating is a game where the winner takes all. When technology encroaches on any field, it monopolizes. When technology took over sales, e-commerce almost put traditional commerce out of business. Similarly, when technology encroaches on social connections, it allows the elite to dominate, making it difficult for ordinary people to find a life partner.
According to Dr. Aram, finding a life partner is one of the most important decisions in life. Navigating these new realities is indeed, as Dr. Aram puts it, a battle, and people should be ready to contend with some losses.
I found that modern is not always superior to traditional, and American scholars are not always at the top of their game. You might find a scholar in a remote and obscure country like Yemen who has a repository of knowledge not found in the halls of Harvard.
In Dr. Aram, I found a wise man who is definitely ahead of his time in Yemen.
Abdulrahman Bindamnan is completing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of Minnesota. He is a contributing author at Psychology Today and a regional scholar fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.