Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Sufi circles in Belgium and France, I explore how contemporary Muslims find inspiration in the Islamic knowledge tradition to respond to the challenges humankind faces in the contemporary world. I examine how my interlocutors reflect on their daily existence and the experiences and wisdom they encounter on their spiritual paths when confronted with challenges such as wars, pandemics, the ecological crisis and AI’s potential threats. In the ceremonies I attend, an approach to knowledge emerges that I call “knowledge through surrender”. This form of knowledge means cultivating attentiveness to the world, its wonders and mysteries, being receptive to the presence of God in creation, and cultivating awareness of the invisible dimensions of existence. I reflect on how an experiential knowledge influences my own methodological approach, unveiling parallels between anthropological fieldwork and the spiritual journey as a continuous exploration and transformation of the self.