Spiritual and Professional Motivation of Indonesian Academics Entering the Shaṭṭāriyah Sufi Order

Abstract

Shaṭṭāriyah is one of the 46 ṭarīqa (Sufi order) in Indonesia that are mu'tabarah (Ṣahīh, straight, valid), which attracts academics from major cities, including Bandung. Questions such as (1) Why are academics interested in joining this Sufism? (2) Are they only motivated spiritually? and (3) Does professional development conflict with the concept of zuhud and uzlah? have remained unanswered. Therefore, this study aims to explore the spiritual and professional motivations of Indonesian academics entering ṭarīqa Shaṭṭāriyah. This is qualitative research with data collected from five lecturers in Bandung through observation and in-depth interviews from May 2021 to April 2022. The results showed that respondents interpreted religion as being submissive to Wasiṭah, a Shaykh of Shaṭṭāriyah who the only successor of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH is. Spirituality development through mujāhadah under the guidance of Wasiṭah by combining the goodness of shari'a and haqīqa. All respondents had reached the mutawasiṭ (intermediate) spirituality level, muṭmainnah, and radhiyah stages, which are levels of spirituality far above most Shaṭṭāriyah citizens. Furthermore, in terms of professional motivation, they possessed zuhud and uzlah, which are high levels of professionalism. Received: 10 July 2022 / Accepted: 26 August 2022 / Published: 2 September 2022

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