The Epistemology of Mysticism in Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s Perennialism and Its Relevance to Contemporary Islamic Studies in Indonesia
Syarif Hidayatullah, Mustofa Anshori Lidinillah, Farid Farid, Yulianingsih Riswan
ESOTERIK December 29, 2025 DOI: 10.21043/esoterik.v11i2.31405 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative philosophical study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key findings | Argues that Nasr's perennialist perspective grounds Islamic mysticism in monotheistic doctrine and emphasizes the unity of spiritual traditions while respecting religious diversity. Contends that Nasr's thought has shaped Indonesian Islamic academic themes including art, Sufism, spirituality, environmental theology, and modern Islamic intellectualism, and can serve as a conceptual foundation for Strengthening Religious Moderation (PMB) policies addressing exclusivism and religious intolerance in Indonesia. |
Abstract
Modern humans face three fundamental problems: existential-spiritual crises, humanitarian crises, and global environmental crises. These crises are the impact of modernity and Western anthropocentric views, which tend to disregard the existence of God and the values of the traditional wisdom of religions, including Sufism, or Islamic mysticism. This article examines the perspective of Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s perennialism, especially its epistemological construction of Islamic mysticism and its relevance to the study of contemporary Islamic thought in Indonesia. This qualitative philosophical study uses the verstehen, interpretation-hermeneutic, and analysis methods. The results show that, first, epistemologically, mysticism in Nasr's perennialist perspective is derived from the monotheistic doctrine as the core of Islamic spirituality. Second, Nasr’s perennial philosophy emphasizes the core unity of all spiritual and metaphysical traditions while respecting the diversity of existing religious and philosophical traditions. Third, Nasr’s mystical thought influences themes widely discussed in Indonesian Islamic academic studies, including art, perennialism, Sufism, spirituality, environmental theology, and modern Islamic intellectualism. Additionally, Nasr’s perennialism can serve as a conceptual foundation for the development of Strengthening Religious Moderation (PMB) policies to address exclusivism and religious intolerance in Indonesia.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Do Drugs Have Religious Import? A 40-Year Retrospective | 2004 | Interview | |
| Narratives of the mystical among users of psychedelics Psychedelic drug users | 2021 | Qualitative study | n = 50 |
| Auras in mysticism and synaesthesia: a comparison. Synaesthetes who experience colors in response to human faces and figures | 2012 | Qualitative study | n = 4 |