BATINIYYAH-RESEMBLING DOCTRINE IN THE AHMADI RELIGION OF PEACE AND LIGHT (AROPL): AN ANALYSIS THROUGH AL-GHAZĀLĪ’S FAḌĀ’IḤ AL-BĀṬINIYYAH FRAMEWORK

AJARAN MENYERUPAI BĀṬINIYYAH DALAM THE AHMADI RELIGION OF PEACE AND LIGHT (AROPL): ANALISIS BERDASARKAN KERANGKA FAḌĀ’IḤ AL-BĀṬINIYYAH AL-GHAZĀLĪ

Abstract

The emergence of new religious movements that claim esoteric authority and promote allegorical interpretations of revealed texts continues to challenge Islamic theological discourse. One contemporary phenomenon that has attracted scholarly attention is the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), led by Abdullah Hashem and grounded in the text The Goal of the Wise. Although it is often classified as a new religious movement from a sociological perspective, in-depth analysis of its internal doctrinal structure and theological implications remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the teachings of AROPL using the critical framework developed by Imam al-Ghazālī against the Bāṭiniyyah in his work Faḍā’iḥ al-Bāṭiniyyah, in order to determine whether AROPL represents a continuation of esoteric doctrinal patterns in a modern form. A qualitative approach based on textual analysis and theological comparison is employed, with Faḍā’iḥ al-Bāṭiniyyah serving as the analytical framework and The Goal of the Wise as the primary text. The analysis is conducted at both the level of general characteristics (al-jumlah) and detailed exposition (al-tafṣīl), covering the domains of Ilāhiyyāt (theology), Nubuwwāt (prophethood), Imāmah (leadership), Ma‘ād (eschatology), and Taklīf Syar‘ī (legal obligation). The findings indicate that Abdullah Hashem’s teachings exhibit significant structural parallels with the Bāṭiniyyah patterns critiqued by al-Ghazālī, while the differences observed are largely external and contextual. This study affirms that al-Ghazālī’s critique of the Bāṭiniyyah remains relevant as a framework for analysing contemporary religious phenomena.

Abstrak

Kemunculan gerakan keagamaan baharu yang menampilkan dakwaan autoriti batin dan pentakwilan tersirat terhadap teks wahyu terus mencabar wacana teologi Islam. Antara fenomena kontemporari yang mendapat perhatian ialah The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) yang dipimpin oleh Abdullah Hashem dan berteraskan kitab The Goal of the Wise. Walaupun sering dilabel sebagai gerakan agama baharu dari sudut sosiologi, penelitian terhadap struktur dalaman ajaran dan implikasi teologinya masih terbatas. Kajian ini bertujuan menilai ajaran AROPL menggunakan kerangka kritikan Imam al-Ghazālī terhadap Bāṭiniyyah dalam karyanya Faḍā’iḥ al-Bāṭiniyyah bagi menentukan sama ada AROPL mewakili kesinambungan pola ajaran batiniah dalam bentuk moden ataupun tidak. Pendekatan kualitatif berasaskan analisis teks dan perbandingan teologi digunakan, dengan Faḍā’iḥ al-Bāṭiniyyah sebagai kerangka analisis dan The Goal of the Wise sebagai teks primer. Analisis dijalankan pada peringkat ciri-ciri umum (al-jumlah) dan perincian khusus (al-tafṣīl) meliputi aspek Ilāhiyyāt, Nubuwwāt, Imāmah, Ma‘ād dan Taklīf Syar‘ī. Dapatan menunjukkan bahawa ajaran Abdullah Hashem memperlihatkan kesepadanan struktur yang signifikan dengan pola Bāṭiniyyah yang dikritik oleh al-Ghazālī, manakala perbezaan yang wujud lebih bersifat luaran dan kontekstual. Kajian ini menegaskan bahawa kritikan al-Ghazālī terhadap Bāṭiniyyah kekal relevan sebagai kerangka menilai fenomena keagamaan kontemporari.