Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, The Mysticism of Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 1970. xvii + 556 pages. Appendix, bibliography. Hardback.
Azenita Abdullah
Al-Shajarah Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.31436/shajarah.v31i1.2452 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key findings | Argues that al-Attas's book demonstrates Hamzah Fansuri's significance as a metaphysical thinker and establishes Malay as a language of systematic metaphysical expression, situating Fansuri within a classical Sufi lineage. |
Abstract
Abstract This article reviews Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas’s The Mysticism of Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī as a tribute to his scholarly legacy following his recent passing. It situates the work within al-Attas’s broader intellectual project of recovering the depth and coherence of the Malay-Islamic intellectual tradition. The review examines the book’s central argument that Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī should be understood as a major metaphysical thinker of the Malay world, and highlights al-Attas’s method, which combines textual commentary with linguistic and semantic analysis in order to reconstruct Ḥamzah’s thought. It also considers the book’s contribution to the study of Malay scholarship, particularly its demonstration of Malay as a language of systematic metaphysical expression and its placement of Ḥamzah within a classical Ṣūfī intellectual lineage. The article asserts that the book remains a landmark in Malay intellectual studies, both for its methodological rigour and for its enduring influence on subsequent scholarship.
Comparable studies
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| Are “mystical experiences” essential for antidepressant actions of ketamine and the classic psychedelics? | 2024 | Review | |
| The Beyond Within: The LSD Story | 1965 | Book review | |
| Psilocybin occasioned mystical‐type experiences | 2020 | Narrative review | |
| Ecstasy research in the 20th century – an introduction | 2019 | Review | |
| Predictors and potentiators of psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences | 2022 | Review |