The Philosophical Sufism of Harun Nasution: A Phenomenological-Historical Investigation of The Influence of Neo-Mu’tazilism

Sufism is the mystical form of Islam that emphasises spirituality which is commonly seen as irrational. Conversely, rationalism (mu’tazilism) stresses the rational dimension of Islam. Is philosophical or rational sufism then an oxymoron? Surprisingly, Harun Nasution manages to reconcile the two seemingly opposite dimensions in Indonesian Muslims’ way of thinking and weltanschauung. Genealogically, his thought emerged in four stages: firstly, his religious upbringing during childhood; secondly, the impact of Muhammad Abduh's rationalism on his progressive thought which challenged the Ash’arite school of theology in Indonesia; thirdly, his sufistic spiritual practices (riyāḍah) as he engaged in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and embraced a simple lifestyle; and finally, the influence of his much-criticised rational approach similar to the Mu’tazilites on Indonesian Islamic thought. This study uses the historical-phenomenological theory to investigate the influence of neo-Mu’tazilism on Nasution’s thought and its impact on the struggle for Islamic reformation.