Center for Religious and Cross Cultural Studies of UGM in cooperation with Mizan publisher held a book discussion of Epistemology of Sufism at Faculty of Philosophy UGM on Wednesday (13/9) that presented the writer of the book, Dr. Haidar Bagir, as well as Dr. Agus Himmawan Utomo, M.Ag. (philosophy lecturer from UGM). Lecturers and students attended the discussion.
Haidar responded to assumptions that mystical knowledge cannot be explained logically. He disagreed with this notion. In his book, Epistemology of Sufism, he explained the growth of mysticism in the modern era. He added even if analytical method does not cover mystical experience, but mystical experience is in line with analytical method. “Mystical experience has to be able to be explained rationally analytically or discursively,” said Haidar. In his opinion, these two cannot contradict each other. He justifies that discursive thought cannot cover mystical experience but discursive experience is not contradicting mystical experience.
Haidar who is influenced by Muhammad Iqbal believes in the sufism that respects rationality which is not against secular things. This positive type of sufism is sourced from Mulla Sadra’s philosophy.
Haidar explained sufism makes us not blame others who have different views, but forces us to learn those views to complement ours. Haidar said sufism would bring peace to the practitioner. If one’s is filled with love and wants to help others, this means he is already a sufi.
“Sufism asks people to unite and be tolerant,” he said.