Mystical events

5.5.1 Mystical events

The link between mysticism and religious experience has been studied extensively in the past, resulting in significant advances in the knowledge of mysticism itself. Scholars study autobiographical accounts of mystical experiences in order to have solid knowledge foundation on this particular dimension of human experience. The involvement of ethnographers and anthropologists in the study of mysticism also leads us to have an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the phenomenon, as the “significance of institutional, social, and historical settings within which the mystic has their exp eriences” has been given a greater consideration than before (Hollenback 2000: 4).

While mysticism is a widely recognised phenomenon, different cultures however define mysticism in their own different ways, and attach specific meanings to the phenomenon. Western religions generally have a weaker tendency if compared to the Eastern religions to encourage pro-mystical attitudes (Edwards and Lowis 2008: 155).

Accordingly westerners rarely see mystical events as a motivation to perfect their religious orientation. Some might even dismiss such events as irrational and irrelevant (ibid.)

In the case of Southeast Asians however, mystical experiences are regarded as having

a hidden realm that allows human beings to see dimensions beyond the reality of everyday life. Because of this perception, the Southeast Asians tend to treat mystical events as genuine and spiritual in nature, particularly when the events embody religious elements (Houben 2003: 157). The following interview excerpt of a 49-year- old female convert demonstrates how a mystical event had swayed her towards Islam:

[E28.Muslim Dusun.I12]

I slept in the same room with my sister. As the clock struck twelve midnight and we both had fallen asleep, I was suddenly woken up by the sound of the Azan which I initially thought came from my sister‟s radio. I woke my sister up and told her to switch off her radio. She said she had but as I was really sure the sound must have come from there, I pulled the batteries out of her radio. But as soon as I went back to bed,

I heard the Azan again, calling “Allahu Akbar” [Allah is the Greatest]. There was no mosque nearby, so it was impossible the sound came from outside. I ruled out television because we did not have any at that time. I kept hearing the sound every night. Strangely, once I voiced my intention to convert to Islam to my sister, the Azan no longer disturbed my sleep... [Trans.]

A 37-year-old education officer also reported a mystical event which pulled her towards Islam:

[E29.Muslim Dusun.I36]

In the middle of my sleep, I suddenly felt like I was being tied down; I could not move my body. Then, out of nowhere, I suddenly heard a voice telling me to utter “Allahu Akbar”. I uttered the words and miraculously I could move my body again.

I don‟t know if that was a I don‟t know if that was a

It would also be essential to mention here that, the contextual environment of the above informants have demonstrated to them that Islam is a religion worthy of respect. Thus, it was perhaps inevitable for the informants to define and interpret the meaning of their mystical events in accordance to their contextual surrounding, which led the informants to further acknowledge Islam as an eligible alternative religion. Out of the

46 Muslim converts involved in this study, nine experienced mystical events before their conversion and all strongly believed that it was this particular event that spurred them to question the rationality of the Dusun religion while becoming more inclined towards Islam.