Teosofi

This article examines how Arabic grammar (nah}wu) is theologically reinterpreted as a medium for ethical and spiritual formation within a Salaf pesantren in Indonesia. In response to contemporary moral challenges confronting pesantren communities, the study explores a pedagogical approach known as Spiritual Nah}wu, developed at Pondok Pesantren Babussalam Pagelaran. Employing a phenomenological–hermeneutical methodology, the research analyzes how kiai and ustādh reconfigure nahwu from a technical–linguistic discipline into a spiritually grounded epistemology oriented toward tazkīyat al-nafs. Drawing on in-depth interviews, participant observation, and textual analysis, the findings demonstrate that grammatical categories are interpreted as symbolic representations of moral and spiritual states, enabling nah}wu to function as a mode of theological meaning-making and ethical internalization. This pedagogical model integrates cognitive, affective, and spiritual dimensions of learning, thereby challenging the modern separation between knowledge and morality. The article contributes to scholarship on Islamic education by illustrating how auxiliary Islamic sciences can serve as sites of epistemic agency and decolonial knowledge production rooted in pesantren traditions.

This article reexamines the Sufi doctrine of maqāmāt (spiritual stations) as an ethical framework for articulating gender justice within Islamic thought. While classical Sufi literature—most notably al-Qushayrī’s al-Risālah—presents the maqāmāt primarily as a stage of spiritual discipline guiding the seeker toward proximity to God, their broader ethical implications for social relations remain underexplored. The central academic problem this study addresses is the persistent separation between Islamic spirituality and contemporary debates on gender justice, which are often framed solely in legal or socio-political terms. Through a qualitative, library-based analysis of classical Sufi texts, especially al-Risālah and related writings of al-Qushayrī, this article reconstructs the moral psychology of the maqāmāt as a virtue ethical framework grounded in ontological equality and moral accountability before God. The study argues that stations such as tawbah, zuhd, tawakkul, and riḍā cultivate ethical dispositions that challenge patriarchal assumptions and reorient social relations toward justice and reciprocity. By demonstrating that gender equity is a logical implication of Sufi spiritual anthropology, the article offers a new interpretive model linking Islamic spirituality to contemporary ethical discourse on gender justice.

This article examines the reproduction of patriarchal interpretations of women’s leadership within contemporary digital Islamic discourse, focusing on Muslimahnews.net. Employing a feminist Critical Discourses Analysis framework developed by Sara Mills and integrating insights from digital religion theory, particularly those of Heidi Campbell and Gary Bunt, the study analyzes how hadith narratives are discursively mobilized to construct and legitimize gender hierarchy. Through content analysis of a leadership-related article, the findings reveal that patriarchal authority is naturalized through selective intertextuality, subject-object positioning, and affective moral framing, which present male leadership as normative and divinely sanctioned while delegitimizing women’s public roles. The platform operates as a digital node within a broader cyber-Islamic environment, where networked participation, shifting religious authority, and algorithmic circulation reinforce ideological coherence. This study argues that patriarchal ideology in digital Islam is sustained through the interplay of discourse, technological mediation, and affective engagement, offering a critical contribution to scholarship on gender, religion, and digital media.

The expansion of Salafism has generated enduring tensions within the syncretic Islamic identity of Banten, where local traditions are deeply embedded in religious belief and practice. This study examines how Bantenese Muslims negotiate encounters between transnational Salafi doctrines and inherited forms of religiosity. Based on qualitative fieldwork, it finds that younger, urban Muslims are more exposed to Salafi interpretations through education and social networks, while rural communities largely preserve established traditions. These uneven encounters produce a fragmented yet adaptive religious landscape. Drawing on Berger and Luckmann’s theory of the social construction of reality, the article explains how processes of externalization, objectivation, and internalization shape patterns of religious negotiation. It advances the concept of selective adaptation to show how global Islamic movements intersect with, rather than replace, local religious identities. The findings demonstrate that Bantenese Muslims selectively adopt, reinterpret, or contest Salafi teachings, underscoring that religious change is context-dependent and shaped by resilient local traditions.

The article analyzes the incorporation of digital media within the Naqshbandi Haqqani Order in Indonesia and argues that it represents a significant transformation in contemporary Sufi practice. Based on qualitative interviews with members of local zāwiyahs, the study shows that digital platforms facilitate core tariqa practices, including online bay’a, virtual dhikr, and digital s}ah}ba. These practices demonstrate that digital space functions not merely as a medium of communication but as a legitimate site of ritual performance and spiritual experience. The findings challenge the conventional distinction between “religion online” and “online religion” by illustrating how barakah and spiritual authorization are reconfigured through technological mediation. The article contributes theoretically by introducing the concept of vernacular cyber-Sufism, in which local zāwiyahs act as espitemic intermediaries translating transnational Sufi authority into locally meaningful forms. This process reflects a pattern of negotiated authority shaped by the interaction of global charisma, local mediation, and platform visibility. At the same time, digital expansion produces ambivalent effects, simultaneously widening access to Sufi learning while raising concerns about authenticity and the commodification of knowledge.

This study stems from a gap in research on how the concepts of Imamate and nationalism are contested within Shia-Salafi dynamics in Indonesia’s digital space. Most previous studies have emphasized aspects of social conflict, whereas the linguistic mechanisms that shape religious-political authority remain underexplored. This study argues that the contestation of religious legitimacy should be examined through patterns of discourse production that link doctrinal teachings, group identities, and the constructions of nationalism they articulate. The research analysis on 50 articles from Safinah.id and Annasindonesia.com to identify how each site constructs its ideological position through the linguistic practices it deploys. The study employs Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, which encompasses the dimensions of text, discursive practice, and social practice in an integrated manner. The findings show that identity, claims of authority, and symbolic boundaries are constructed through linguistic strategies that systematically produce oppositions and assert hierarchies of truth. This research contributes theoretically by linking its findings on the construction of Shia-Salafi authority in the digital space with Campbell and Bunt’s conceptual framework on the formation of identity, authority, and religious practices in the online ecosystem. The implications of this research open pathways for further studies on the dynamics of religious power operating through linguistic practices in Indonesia’s digital media landscape.

The severe degradation of the Brantas River Basin calls for a reorientation of the Aswaja theology of Nahdlatul Ulama and the Al-Ma’un theology of Muhammadiyah, shifting from a theo-anthropocentric social movement to a theo-ecocentric ecological movement. Despite the growing scholarship on Islamic environmentalism, little attention has been paid to local Muslim activism in Indonesia, articulating ecological theology while engaging the Green Constitution as a national legal framework. This article analyzes the theological constructions of Nahdliyyin Front for Natural Resources Sovereignty (Front Nahdliyin untuk Kedaulatan Sumber Daya Alam/FNKSDA) and the Muhammadiyah Green Cadres (Kader Hijau Muhammadiyah/KHM) activists in the context of preserving the Brantas River Basin. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, the study interprets lived experiences captured through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation. The findings demonstrate that both FNKSDA and KHM support the Green Constitution through the ecological reinterpretation of Aswaja theology and Al-Ma’un theology. FNKSDA emphasizes that the local Muslim communities are responsible for protecting the environment by refraining from dumping household waste and actively opposing polluting industries. KHM considers that the areas of ecological wasteland require protection and support from the community, corporations, and the government. This study highlights how local theological-activist models can inform global Muslim communities in integrating religious doctrines into environmental policy.

This article proposes an inclusive theo-philosophical approach as a new paradigm for mitigating ideological conflicts among contemporary Islamic groups, with particular attention to Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama. Drawing on the integration of revelation and reason articulated by Amin Abdullah, as well as the faith-centered orientation developed by Hassan Hanafi, the study argues that the theological differences between the two organizations are predominantly methodological rather than substantive. Empirical findings from Kediri indicate that theological dialogue grounded in inclusive ethical principles can foster concrete practices of reconciliation, strengthen social cohesion, and reduce the potential for polarization. Drawing on John Hick’s reflections on pluralism, the article develops a model of reconciliation grounded in epistemic humility, dialogical hermeneutics, and historical consciousness. The analysis demonstrates that theological harmonization is not only feasible within the Indonesian Sunni context but also offers a meaningful contribution to global post-sectarian discourse. Ultimately, the study underscores the significance of an inclusive theo-philosophical paradigm as a foundation for articulating a more adaptive, moderate, and responsive Islamic theology that corresponds to the complexities of modern society.

This article investigates how young transgender Muslims at Pesantren Waria Al-Fatah in Yogyakarta cultivate religious devotion through what is conceptualized as “sacred disobedience,” a mode of piety that reconciles obedience to God with nonconformity to gendered norms. Drawing on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork, the study demonstrates that acts of worship among waria are not merely forms of resistance but expressions of sincere faith that transform marginality into moral creativity. Integrating perspectives from Islamic ethics and postcolonial queer theory, the article illustrates how ambiguity, belonging, and devotion constitute an alternative theology grounded in compassion. The pesantren is shown to function as a spiritual community in which love, sincerity, and faith reconfigure prevailing understandings of purity, sin, and personhood. Through this lived religiosity, waria Muslims contribute to a renewed vision of Islam that embraces human plurality as a manifestation of divine mercy and ethical possibility. “Sacred disobedience” operates as a lived and embodied theology, wherein devotion emerges through ethical ambiguity rather than mere conformity. Their lived religious practice challenges binary frameworks of orthodoxy and deviance, revealing that piety may arise precisely through tension. Consequently, Islamic boarding schools appear as microcosms of a more inclusive Islam grounded in compassion.

Classical Sufi manuals present the spiritual stages achieved through disciplined Sufi practice. This article argues that the seventh/thirteenth-century mystic Muh}yī al-Dīn Ibn ‘Arabī reimagined the spiritual stations as ontological realities rather than behavioral achievements. Through a systematic reading of the twenty-second chapter of his Meccan Revelations in dialogue with his fellow Sufi gnostics, it shows that Ibn ʿArabī recast sequential progress into metaphysical loci of divine self-disclosure. The analysis identifies a triadic architecture of cosmic, spiritual, and ontological stations, where the stations function as a holographically interlinked field rather than a linear ladder. This reframing marks the transition from a “first mystical tradition” centered on ethical discipline to a “second mystical tradition” oriented by ontological insight. The conclusion sketches implications for Islamic metaphysics, including the Sadrian synthesis, and suggests how the Akbarian model offers transferable tools for comparative work on mystical experience across traditions.

The rise of mobile health technologies has created new pathways for enhancing psychological and spiritual well-being. This research examines how mHealth can be aligned with Islamic psychospiritual principles to offer a comprehensive approach to mental health. By integrating digital solutions with Islamic values, mHealth applications can provide tailored mental health support and enhance spiritual resilience. Yet, these new technologies present concerns such as ethical management, safeguarding data privacy, and the risk of trivializing spiritual practices. This study examines these issues while showcasing the potential of mHealth as a means to connect traditional healthcare with faith-centered methods. The research highlights the need for appropriate digital strategies that engage religious leaders, policymakers, and mental health experts. Further studies should aim to create genuine, trust-centric frameworks that support accessibility, inclusivity, and responsible application of technology. Effectively merging mHealth with Islamic psychospiritual principles can transform mental health support, promoting a balanced and meaningful sense of well-being within Muslim communities across the globe.

This article critically examines the role of the legendary king Ki Ageng Mangir, who challenged the supremacy of the Sultanate of Mataram in sixteenth-century Java. Through a historical and semiotic approach, this study highlights how Ki Ageng Mangir combined Sufistic values, local traditions, as well as Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist elements in his resistance against the expansionist Mataram sultanate. The Sufi path functioned as an instrument of legitimacy and effective symbolic resistance to the homogenization of ideology and political control. Values such as patience, sincerity, and God-reliance were the moral values that formed the character of Ki Ageng Mangir’s model of resistance, in contrast to the centralistic model of Panembahan Senopati and the integrative model of Sunan Kalijaga. This study found that local spirituality can serve as a means of individual enlightenment as well as the foundation for collective identity and communal resistance. Resistance to power hegemony can be manifested through meaningful religious and cultural expressions, affirming the relevance of traditional spirituality as the basis for legitimacy, identity, and resistance.

This paper discusses the significance of zuhd and maḥabbah in addressing the spiritual desolation and moral decadence of modern society. It explores the Sufistic approach to dealing with soul sickness, manifested in rising levels of spiritual anxiety and moral degradation. Zuhd functions as an internal mechanism for curbing negative impulses and immoral behaviors, while maḥabbah offers a counterbalance to materialism and self-centeredness by fostering love for others and for God. This literature-based study critically examines the Sufistic concepts as part of a social discourse on the spiritual emptiness and its effects on modern society. The study finds that a stronger emphasis on zuhd and maḥabbah can bring existential peace through ascetic practices, moral guidance, and community engagement. Islam is a holistic religion and a way of life, which loses its positive role in Muslim society if it does not support physical, moral, and spiritual restoration. This concern is especially urgent in an age where moral inversions—where right is perceived as wrong and wrong is right—have become increasingly normalized.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the persistent tension between religion and science in Indonesia, as different perspectives have emerged on issues such as vaccination, restrictions on worship, and public health protocols. This moment of crisis underscores the broader epistemological gulf between religious belief and scientific reasoning, reigniting the debate about their respective roles in addressing existential and social challenges. Responding to this complex landscape, Haidar Bagir and Ulil Abshar Abdalla have articulated two conceptual frameworks of religious science and scientific religion that aim to redefine the relationship between religion and science. This article critically analyzes the arguments using John Haught’s taxonomy of conflict, contrast, contact, and confirmation. Haidar Bagir’s views emphasize respectful differentiation and dialogical engagement in the form of contrast and contact, while Ulil Abshar Abdalla envisions a more harmonious interaction that affirms mutual legitimacy in the form of confirmation. Both thinkers reject the absolutism of modern scientism and call for religious thought to be more responsive to scientific developments. This study highlights the urgency of fostering epistemological synergy so that religion and science can face the ethical and intellectual challenges of our time together.

This article examines inclusive da‘wah models in the context of Muslim minority communities in Bali and Peniwen, Indonesia. In Bali, the Muslim minority community peacefully coexists with the Hindu majority community, which dominates local customs and morals. On the other hand, the Muslim minority community in Peniwen is situated in a Christian-majority environment that has a long history of inter-religious tensions. This study examines how da‘wah dynamics operate in specific contexts and analyzes the role of da‘wah in interfaith relations. Through a qualitative case study approach, this research collected data through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis involving religious leaders, da‘wah activists, and interfaith community members. The findings indicate that inclusive da‘wah based on dialogue, cooperation, and cultural sensitivity significantly contributes to strengthening social cohesion between the religious communities. In Bali, the value of ‘Islam as a mercy to the world’ contextualized with the principle of Tri Hita Karana has successfully built harmonious interfaith collaboration. In Peniwen, a participatory approach has fostered interfaith solidarity in response to social challenges. This study offers a transformative da‘wah model relevant to minority Muslim communities and makes concrete contributions to the formation of a just, peaceful, and mutually respectful multicultural society.

This article re-examines Javanese Sufism through the lenses of hierarchy, determinism, and free will, adding an explicit economic-political dimension often absent from earlier studies. Drawing on participant observations in three pesantren, semi-structured interviews, and textual analysis of classical and Javanese scholarship, the analysis showed how charismatic teachers and guides converted spiritual authority into material patronage networks, while disciples negotiated between Jabarī rhetoric and pragmatic agency. Two ideal types emerged: an ascetic current that framed free will as self-discipline and distance from power and a common, devotional current that sacralized the submission of the self through collective dhikr and pilgrimage economies. These two approaches can explain Sufism’s success in spreading Islam in Java and its current traction among economically marginal groups. By linking doctrinal debate with money flow, the study extends current scholarship on religion and social change and provides a framework for assessing governance and accountability in Sufi institutions. Sufi institutions are advised to adopt transparent budget disclosure and participatory decision-making so that charismatic authority is balanced by measurable good governance safeguards.

The formulation of the Five Pillars of Islam, widely accepted by the majority of Muslims, is not upheld by the Rifa‘iyah sect, who claim that there is only one such pillar. This obvious divergence from the majority view is strongly opposed by the leading religious organizations and has soured the social interactions between Rifa‘iyah and non-Rifa‘iyah communities in Indonesia. This article aims to understand: (1) the nature of the controversy surrounding the single pillar of Islam in Rifa‘iyah belief; (2) the factors that provoke this controversy; (3) the social impact of this controversy on Indonesian society. This research employs a qualitative methodology, with primary data sourced from the writings of Kiai Ahmad Rifa‘i and interviews with several Rifa‘iyah clerics. Findings show the difference is nominal, with faith testimony as the core and others as complements. However, misinterpretations and prejudices have fueled hidden conflicts between Rifa‘iyah and non-Rifa‘iyah communities. This study highlights the value of intellectual diversity in Islamic scholarship and provides practical recommendations to reduce social tensions, including promoting interfaith dialogue, integrating diverse theological perspectives into education, and fostering collaborative community activities. It fosters a more tolerant understanding of Islam in Indonesia.

This paper investigates the philosophical and mystical concept of ‘Ālam al-Mithāl (The Imaginal World) in Islamic thought as analternative framework for understanding religious experience. Despite the acknowledgement of its importance, contemporary discourse has yet to undertake a systematic philosophical inquiry into how ‘Ālam al-Mithāl, as a spiritual epistemology, provides rational grounds for affirming the objective reality and transformative capacity of religious experiences, surpassing interpretations that reduce such experiences to merely subjective or psychological interpretations. This research addresses this gap by analyzing how Mullā Ṣadrā’s ontological principle of Aṣālat al-wujūd (fundamentality of existence) and epistemological principle of Ittiḥād al-‘Āqil wa al-Ma‘qūl (union of the intellect and the intelligible) substantiate the objective reality of experiences within ‘Ālam al-Mithāl. The study further examines the essential role of ta’wīl (esoteric interpretation) in unveiling the deeper meanings of symbolic encounters in this realm. By integrating these philosophical principles, the paper demonstrates how ‘Ālam al-Mithāl offers a rigorous framework for validating religious experiences as genuine perceptual events within an objective, intermediate reality. This framework challenges reductionist modern paradigms and highlights the imaginal realm’s significance in self-realization and the acquisition of divine knowledge.

The relationship between sex, gender, and sexual orientation—particularly within Islamic contexts—presents complex global challenges. In many Western societies, confusion between biological sex and socially constructed gender has led to identity conflicts. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities are based on sexual orientation, while transgender identities focus on gender, often intersecting with diverse sexual preferences. This overlap complicates the understanding of gender dysphoria and creates tensions between transgender individuals and the broader LGB community. Iran offers a distinct approach by classifying transgender identity as a psychological condition, separate from LGB identities. This perspective underscores how cultural and psychological frameworks shape societal attitudes toward gender variance. By analyzing literature, official documents, and media, this study explores the evolution of LGB and transgender identities in Iran and the West. Despite differing cultural norms, both contexts often blur the boundaries between biology and culture, leading to persistent misconceptions and exclusion. The study highlights the need to question prevailing social norms and calls for further qualitative research, especially on the post-transition experiences of Iranian transgender individuals, to inform more inclusive and culturally aware global policies.

This paper aims to explore Muhammadiyah’s engagement with Islamic discourse on Sufism, neo-Sufism, and reform. Muhammadiyah appears to adopt a rather critical stance toward Sufism. This qualitative research study employs a combination of discourse analysis and hermeneutics to outline the organization’s perspective on Islamic spiritualism as a discursive phenomenon. This perspective is analyzed interpretively and enriched by scholarly sources, including its ideological framework, the ideas of its leaders, and its socio-cultural context. We find that Muhammadiyah, which espouses a Salafist-leaning ideology primarily opposed to superstition and heresy, does not reject Sufism outright. We argue that the organization’s reluctance to embrace organized Sufism as a modern Islamic expression aims to prevent misunderstanding among its Muslim constituency, while selectively incorporating discursive elements that align with Shari‘ah and modernity. Consequently, Muhammadiyah is more inclined to accept ideas associated with neo-Sufism. This study acknowledges the possibility of a conceptual reconstruction of thought around textualist and conservative ideas that should not be labeled as anti-Sufi.