JURNAL ISLAM DAN MASYARAKAT KONTEMPORARI, 11(1): 47-56 47 https: / / journal.unisza.edu.my / jimk [CONTEMPORARY SUFISM PERSPECTIVES: AN ANALYSIS OF CONTRIBUTION OF SA`ID HAWWA] PERSPEKTIF TASAWWUF KONTEMPORARI: ANALISIS TERHADAP SUMBANGAN SA`ID HAWWA AZMIL ZAINAL ABIDIN 1* 1 Jabatan Akidah dan Pemikiran Islam, Akademi Pengajian Islam, Universiti Malaya. *Corresponding author: hadiqah_irfan@um.edu.my Received Date: 9 Januari 2015 • Accepted Date: 9 August 2015 Abstract Sa`id Hawwa was a prominent figure of the post-Ottoman Islamic revival. As well as being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria, he was also grounded in Sufi tradition and education. He exerted an effort to re-organize the orientation of understanding about the tradition of Islamic knowledge in order to answer the challenge of the Western thoughts. His work is impregnated with new ideas related to the forms of interactions towards the Islamic disciplines which come in equilibrium; this includes the knowledge of tasawuf. The objective of this study is to identify the Sufi framework which underlies Sa'id Hawwa’s works. The study also examines his perspective in revitalizing Sufi discourse in relation to current reality. Another objective of the study is to analyse his recommendations in endorsing the current understanding and practice of Sufism. This research was based on literature review through the documentation method in collecting data related to the research questions as well as data analysis method; thaht was the process of identifying the form of data collected for interpretation. The study finds that Sa'id Hawwa’s works are centered on purifying the conceptions of the Muslim community in their interaction with the world and Sufism. He stressed on the link between tasawuf with other Islamic branches of knowledge. In the theoretical context, he reaffirmed that Sufism, as a stage of experiential faith (dhawqi), is a consequence of the monotheistic creed of Islam, which is a stage of intellectual faith (aqli). In the practical context, he emphasized the importance of orientating Sufism so as not to neglect the demands of the current obligations (wajib al-waqt) based on the current Islamic scenarios. The study concludes that Sa'id Hawwa made several contributions to the field of Sufism: they are the integration of Sufi discourse with perspectives from other forms of Islamic knowledge; and the revitalization of Sufi discourse by acknowledging current reality; and the criticism of those apsects of Sufism that are deemed to have deviated from the authentic Sufi path. He also linked aspects of the practice of Sufism with spiritual preparation for the restoration of the caliphate system. In other words, Sa’id Hawwa’s perspective is centered on the re-interpretation of Sufism, as a medium to elevate the status of the Islamic Sharia comprehensively. Keywords: Sa`id Hawwa; contemporary tasawwuf perspective; Sufism tradition. JURNAL ISLAM DAN MASYARAKAT KONTEMPORARI © PENERBIT UNIVERSITI SULTAN ZAINAL ABIDIN ISSN 1985-7667 • e-ISSN: 2289-6325 https://doi.org/10.37231/ jimk.2015.11.1.138