Take a look.

Among these men is a PhD candidate, an ex-con, a business major, an entrepreneur, and a graduate of perhaps our country’s finest Islamic liberal arts college.

These are differences that, while distinguishing on some level, mean little or nothing in the forests surrounding Lake Tahoe where we were fortunate enough to spend three days and two nights with these exemplary men. In such a place we are all reduced to our primal origins as creatures desperate for warmth, water, and food. We are simultaneously expanded by a shared spiritual awareness that elevates us through the recognition of our insignificance. For such a thing can only be known by comparison, and in the vastness of the Desolation Wilderness it becomes obvious that there are things much greater than ourselves. In this way our insignificance is a signpost marking the way to God Most High.

The landscape of the Western Sierra is breathtaking. The cool, harsh granite of the mountainsides set off the lush green of the mixed conifer forest. While on the beautifully kept trails, one is nearly always within sight of an azure pool or a flowing creek. The overall feeling is one of awe and abundance.

Although, it may only be while one is at rest that such feelings can register. Big climbs can make conversation and reflection difficult as all energy is focused on just placing one foot in front of the other. Our task was made significantly more difficult on the first day due to our lack of sleep. Our entire night was spent driving the 7-8 hours from Islah LA’s headquarters in south-central Los Angeles to the trailhead.

We did our best to remedy the collective fatigue with a pitstop at one of the area’s nicer coffee shops, Cuppa Tahoe.

With breakfast and bathroom breaks handled, it was time to head out. Spirits were high as they almost always are at the start of any adventure. But would we be able to maintain our excitement over the time it would take us to get to Velma Lakes, our destination for the weekend?

I’m thrilled to report that, despite the distance and challenge, the good feelings and excellent camaraderie endured, al-hamdu lillah.

We made camp with hours to spare before sunset. We set up our tents along the edge of Upper Velma Lake, offered our prayers, and got to work preparing our dinner. There were some early sunset breezes, but this settled and we were treated to one of the most temperate evenings I’ve ever enjoyed in the backcountry.

The next day we hiked out to Lower Velma Lake where most of the brothers relaxed and enjoyed swimming and diving off the surrounding cliffs. I set out with two men to explore an off-trail route that could potentially loop us back out to the trailhead, but that turned out to be a fool’s errand. Hours later and completely out of water, we eventually made our way back to camp in time to rest before the decision was made to backpack by moonlight. The plan was to spend the night getting at least halfway back to the parking lot.

It was a glorious night. The Milky Way was clearly visible over us until the moon rose around 10 pm, silvering the path before us. After a few miles we stopped. This second night was just as calm and mild as the first and many of us opted to lay out “cowboy” style with no tents.

The weather was great. The scenery spectacular. But that is never the point with Dust and Tribe.

The intent is to find God through an appreciation of His creation, whether in the places we find ourselves, or in the company we are keeping. Beautiful places and beautiful people certainly make this process easier and more enjoyable.

This is our second collaboration with Islah LA and I will share here what I shared with the men on the trail.

The future of global Islam is intimately tied to the Black American experience. To self-identify as Muslim is to declare an intent to transcend all other identities. In transcending our identities, we do not discard them- quite the opposite. We recognize the value in our varied identities to inform our transcendence.

The ongoing struggle of Black Americans to establish economic, social, and political parity with their non-Black peers after forced displacement from ancestral homelands is perhaps humanity’s most absurd and enduring injustice. These are circumstances that test the absolute limits of human character and spirit. If such a people are able to transmute that history into a fully realized Islamic personality, maintaining their dignity while advocating for justice and staving off the temptation to wallow in bitter stagnation, then such a people are to be recognized by all others as teachers and leaders.

Through these men I learned about humility, the value of language and a quick wit, flexibility, accommodation, and passion.

Our time together was linked thematically to the story of Moses, may God’s peace be upon him. He left his people to investigate a mysterious flame, his hope being he might find something there that he could reinvest in his community.

Through that flame, Moses encountered God.

I can say the same of my experience with the men of Islah LA.

This adventure would not have been possible without the generosity of the Dust and Tribe community. We thank our patrons of the wild and ask that God Most High reward them all with material provision beyond all expectation and the omission of any reckoning on the Final Day.