Shaṭaḥāt of Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī in al-Fayḍ al-Raḥmānī by Achmad Asrori al-Ishaqy: Representation of Spiritual Utterances in a Changed State of Consciousness

Abstract

Spiritual life is evolving rapidly, digital platforms are spreading religious speech, and religious authority is shifting from institutions to individual voices. In this context, shaṭaḥāt (ecstatic utterance) tests modern readers' intellectual, theological, and psychological boundaries. This study analyzes how al-Fayḍ al-Raḥmānī (2007 A.D./1428 H), a manāqib text by Achmad Asrori al-Ishaqy used by Jamaah al-Khidmah, represents ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī's shaṭaḥāt. This study uses qualitative library research and directed content analysis of 26 text units. Mystical hermeneutics becomes the basic lens of reading. The theory of the changing state of consciousness, the theory of peak experience, and the theory of emotion regulation sharpen the reading. Source triangulation and peer debriefing support validity. Twelve units express fayḍ al-wajd, such as an abundance of ecstatic experiences constructed by manāqib narratives. Fourteen units express irshād al-murīd, such as guidance for students. Among the 14 guidance units, sharīʿa occupies the most positions, with five units (35.7%). Ṭarīqa, sulūk, and maʿrifa each have three units (21.4%). Analysis of language levels shows the following distributions: literal levels (U1, U2, U10), metaphorical levels (U4, U5, U8, U11), symbolic levels (U3, U6, U9), indicative levels (R2, R6, R12, R13), and maʿrifa levels (U7, U12, R1, R4, R5, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, R14). These findings suggest that higher language levels tend to carry denser spiritual content, even though spiritual depth and linguistic categories are distinct dimensions of analysis and cannot be directly equated. In theory, this study offers a layered model for reading Ṣūfī language and links each layer to psychological mechanisms. Practically, this model helps teachers, preachers, and students read ecstatic utterances in context, reducing the risk of erroneous literal readings. The novelty of this study lies in the analysis of the level of Ṣūfī expression language related to irshād al-murīd in al-Fayḍ al-Raḥmānī, read through the theory of consciousness and affectation.