Spirituality, Art, and Islamic Mysticism

Abstract

The general way taken by human beings in exploring the nature beyond their knowledge in order to obtain the deepest understanding is conducted by referring to religions for they do believe that knowledge directly comes from the Source that is manifested in His Revelation. In one religion, there are many channels can be chosen, one among the others is the mystical way, a ‘way of exercising a religion’ that is emphasizing on spiritual experience. In Islamic terminology, it is called Tasawuf. Besides religion, there is another mode that is believed to possess similar characteristics, i.e. art. Parallel to tasawuf, in solving problems art is experience-driven as Nasr (193:37) says, “there is no art without knowledge” (ars sine scientia nihil). One of art natures is its subject matter to disclose the meaning of beauty or to study beauty as a journey toward the state of knowing so as beauty in art is the knowledge itself. In Islamic dogma the source of knowledge is God as Haqiqah (the core of revelation). However, if tasawuf and art have something in common and intersecting, for art especially even if it ‘talks’ about God it does not mean that the subject matter refers to religion.  There are art discourses whose subject matter seems to express something religious, yet in its manifestation God’s name does not mentioned at all. Meanwhile, art that is created by anchoring it to religion automatically will refer to God as a knowledge source. It is what it is because there is no religion that does not use God’s name in its dogma (whatever the name the religion uses to name Him).

Keywords: spirituality, knowledge, tasawuf, experience, Haqigah.