Ma’rifatullāh of Ibnu ‘Athā’illāh in the Face of Peak Experience of Abraham Maslow

Abstract

When a person reaches the main goal in his life, he is experiencing greater happiness. He will feel a diverse psychological condition from an ordinary individual. It was then that he reached the peak of his experience. Within the Islamic heritage, particularly in Sufism, the pinnacle aim in this legacy is ma’rifatullāh , knowing Allah and understanding His existence and essence. Ibnu ‘Athā’illāh is a Sufi who discussed the concept of ma’rifatullāh comprehensively. At the same time, in the tradition of Western psychology, the term peak experience initiated by Abraham Maslow has also been broadly recognized. This paper explores the degree of similarities and differences between the two and confronts the concept of ma’rifatullāh with the idea of peak experience. The data in this paper is collected using documentary techniques. To analyze these two issues, the writers employ a descriptive-analytic method. This research is conducted within the discipline of Islamic psychology, utilizing a Sufistic approach. This study concludes that there are similarities and differences between these two concepts—the similarity between the two lies in the ecstatic condition of the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the differences are pretty numerous, mainly due to the difference between the two underlying worldviews. Ma’rifatullāh is founded on a revelation-based Islamic worldview, while peak experience is established upon a Western worldview based on secular humanism.