MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE IN SUFISM THE STUDY OF UNIQUENESS OF SUFISM IN RELATION TO MYSTICISM
Angga Arifka
At-Thullab : Jurnal Mahasiswa Studi Islam January 31, 2025 DOI: 10.20885/tullab.vol7.iss1.art4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study, library research, content analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Texts on Sufism and mysticism |
| Topics | Mystical experience Mysticism |
| Key findings | Argues that Sufism is Islamic mysticism due to its emphasis on mystical experience of God, while also being unique for its attention to moral development and human behavior. |
Abstract
This article investigates Sufism and its closeness with the so-called mysticism. Indeed, mysticism is chiefly characterized by mystical experience, referring to, broadly speaking, that of union with the ultimate reality. On this basis, Sufism also evinces mystical experience from which the Sufis elaborate some terminological concepts such as fanā’, wahdat al-wujūd, ittihād, etc. As a qualitative study with a type of library research, this article employs content analysis to provide an in-depth interpretation of the texts analyzed, especially literature relevant to the field of study. The results of the analysis demonstrate twofold. On the one hand, Sufism is arguably Islamic mysticism due to its emphasis on mystical experience about God. On the other hand, Sufism has its own uniqueness since it also pays much attention to moral development and human behavior. In addition, Sufism has great contribution and significance to Islamic civilization in particular and modernity in general, ranging from Islamic psychology, metaphysics, art and literary world to human peace and spiritual crisis.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The nature of peak experience in wilderness. Participants who had visited wilderness areas in Victoria, Australia, recruited via a... | 2009 | Qualitative study | n = 39 |
| Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions Individuals with extensive experience administering psilocybin or psilocybin-containing... | 2017 | Survey and qualitative/quantitative analysis | n = 10 |
| Cannabis as entheogen: survey and interview data on the spiritual use of cannabis. Participants recruited from seven online communities, median age 33, 81% male | 2020 | Mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitative survey) | n = 319 |
| Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries. Adults who reported an experience involving dissolution of self-boundaries or loss of... | 2024 | Cross-sectional survey with confirmatory factor analysis and qualitative thematic analysis | n = 386 |
| The developmental impact of not integrating childhood peak experiences Adults recalling their childhood peak experiences | 2007 | Qualitative study | n = 12 |