THE POSSIBILITY OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE IN ISLAMIC THEOLOGY
Mustapha Tajdin
Al-Shajarah Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization December 29, 2021 DOI: 10.31436/shajarah.v26i2.1173 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Islamic theology contains seeds of religious subjectivism and that individual encounter with the Divine is central to religion. Proposes that emphasizing personal spiritual experience can counter religious traditionalism, refute the claim that Islam is hostile to spirituality, and support Humanist and Universalist interfaith efforts and theological reform. |
Abstract
In the present article, the author explores the possibility of religious experience from the perspective of Islamic theology. The article seeks to unearth the seeds of religious subjectivism in Islam based on a theoretical framework grounded in the modern concept of religious experience. The practical aim of this undertaking is to escape the pitfalls of religious traditionalism on the one hand, and to repudiate the claim that Islam is ill disposed towards spirituality on the other hand. At the core of any religion, there is the individual’s encounter with the Divine. The emphasis on the personal spiritual experience would help Humanist and Universalist discourses on religion to lay the foundations for fruitful interfaith interactions, and reformulate theological systems, mainly the Islamic one, in order to respond positively to the challenges of globalisation and the threats of both extremism and exclusivism.