Ghurabaa' (Strangers)

The more I grow in intellect, the more comfort I find in the following hadith: "Islam began as something strange, and it will return to being strange, so blessed are the strangers." A crisis of Islamic scholarship exists when we attempt to speak from tradition, yet still use the intellectual framework that comes with secularity. For example: how does the enlightenment notion of progress hold any merit in the Islamic tradition? Why is 'x' or 'y' practice/way of thinking derided because it is not contemporary? Why is modernity the yardstick to measure success? How does a belief in the modern ethos alter 1400+ years of legitimate Islamic scholarship? 

Surely these are legitimate concerns, and Islamic scholarship still exists, and will continue to (although sometimes it seems like we are fighting tooth and nail). However, there is a lack of scholarship which responds to the aforementioned concerns. Collectively, the 'ulama's elitism and failure to engage with secular-modernity, western/capitalist encroachment has partly contributed to the marginalization of Muslims societies. There is a dire need for the production of such scholars who not only respond to the challenges listed, but also approach them from within the Islamic tradition.