From Sick Soul to Spiritual Awakening: Interpreting the Hijrah Movement Through William James' Theory of Religious Conversion

Abstract

The hijrah phenomenon among urban Indonesian Muslims reflects not only a form of religious identity expression but also a deep psychological dimension. This article aims to interpret hijrah as a form of religious conversion through William James' theory of religious experience, particularly the concepts of sick soul, passive conversion, active conversion, and spiritual awakening. Employing a qualitative library research method, this study analyzes James’ primary work, The Varieties of Religious Experience, alongside secondary literature on hijrah and religious psychology. The findings reveal that hijrah serves as a response to existential and spiritual crises, leading to a transformative process from inner turmoil to an integrated religious identity. James’s theoretical framework illuminates how religious experiences in hijrah function as a means of psychological healing and self-reconstruction in the face of modernity’s pressures. The implications of this study indicate that a psychology of religion approach can be an effective framework for understanding the phenomenon of hijrah more reflectively and deeply. Therefore, further studies are recommended to integrate this approach with field methods to enrich the mapping of contemporary religious experiences in the digital era.