The integration of exoteric and esoteric: towards a more holistic Islamic practice

In recent years, Malaysian Muslims seem to have experienced an upsurge in religious awareness and practices. The increasing religious trends could be seen from the mode of dressing especially among the Muslim women such as the wearing of hijab and niqab; the use of Arabic words to replace the Malay words in daily conversation and greeting such as solat to replace sembahyang, iftar to replace buka puasa and Eid Mubarak to replace Selamat Hari Raya and the mushrooming of religious programs and events such as World #QuranHour and Malam Cinta Rasul. Unfortunately, despite these inspiring Islamic awareness and practices, issues related to morality, crimes, discrimination, corruption and other unethical conducts associated with the Muslims are also on the rise. This is due to the fact that what seems to have increased are only the exoteric dimension of the religion i.e. the exterior rules, regulations and visible practices, not the esoteric part i.e. the interiority and the spirituality. This paper aims at exploring the phenomenon of the pervasiveness of the exoteric aspect of religion compared to the esoteric aspect and assessing the consequences of the imbalance between these two dimensions. The expression of exoteric dimensions solely without the cultivation of the esoteric part has rendered bad impression and misinterpretation of the true Islamic teaching. A holistic Islamic practice that encompasses both exoteric and esoteric dimensions is essential for producing the best ummah.

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