The Role of Contemporary Sufism in Cultivating Inner Peace in the Social Media Era
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31958/proceedingsoficresh.v4i.80Keywords:
digital religion, mental health, contemporary Sufism, spirituality, social mediaAbstract
The development of digital technology has given rise to a new phenomenon in religious life known as digital religion, in which religious practices are no longer confined to physical spaces but also take place in virtual ones. This transformation offers new opportunities for believers to deepen their spirituality; however, it also poses serious challenges to mental health due to excessive information exposure, social comparison culture, and digital anxiety. In this context, contemporary Sufism offers a relevant spiritual paradigm for cultivating inner peace through practices of dhikr (remembrance of God), contemplation, and divine mindfulness (muraqabah), which are now being adapted into digital forms—such as online dhikr gatherings, Sufi meditation apps, and the dissemination of Sufi teachings through social media. This study aims to analyze the role of contemporary Sufism as a form of spiritual coping in addressing the psychological pressures of the digital era. Using a qualitative-descriptive approach and literature review, this paper finds that digital Sufi practices can function as a form of spiritual therapy that fosters tranquility, reduces stress levels, and strengthens a sense of connectedness with God and others. The findings affirm that the integration between digital religion and contemporary Sufism not only broadens religious expression but also presents a new model of spiritual-based mental health maintenance.
References
Al-Jawadi, A. (2022). Sufi meditation and mental well-being: A contemporary perspective. Journal of Islamic Psychology, 4(2), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/xxx
Al-Kandari, Y. Y., & Al-Qashan, H. (2020). Religious practices and psychological well-being among Muslims: The role of Sufi rituals. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(3), 1205–1218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00846-9
Ammerman, N. T. (2020). Rethinking religion: Toward a practice approach. Oxford University Press.
Bauman, Z. (2017). Retrotopia. Polity Press.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Bunt, G. R. (2018). Hashtag Islam: How cyber-Islamic environments are transforming religious authority. University of North Carolina Press.
Campbell, H. A. (2012). Digital religion: Understanding religious practice in new media worlds. Routledge.
Campbell, H. A., & Evolvi, G. (2020). Contextualizing current digital religion research on emerging technologies. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.149
Campbell, H. A., & Tsuria, R. (2021). Digital religion: The basics. Routledge.
Campbell, H. A., & Tsuria, R. (2021). Religion and digital media: Mediating faith in a digital culture. Routledge.
Chittick, W. C. (2018). Sufism: A beginner’s guide. Oneworld Publications.
Chou, H. G., & Edge, N. (2012). "They are happier and having better lives than I am": The impact of using Facebook on perceptions of others' lives. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(2), 117–121. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2011.0324
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Eickelman, D. F., & Anderson, J. W. (2019). New media in the Muslim world: The emerging public sphere (2nd ed.). Indiana University Press.
El-Guebaly, N., & Koenig, H. G. (2021). Spirituality and mental health across cultures. Springer.
Evolvi, G. (2022). Religion and digital activism: Civic engagement and identity in the digital age. Routledge.
Fakhruroji, M. (2022). Digital Islam: Analisis atas praktik keberagamaan di era media baru. UIN Press.
Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press.
Geaves, R. (2020). Sufism in the West: Reorientation and adaptation. Routledge.
Haider, A., & Husain, M. (2021). Mindfulness in Islam: Sufi psychology and mental health. Journal of Religion and Health, 60(3), 1862–1878. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01259-5
Helland, C. (2018). Online religion as lived religion: Methodological issues in the study of religious participation on the internet. In Religion and cyberspace (pp. 205–223). Routledge.
Hermansen, M. (2019). Tariqa without walls: Sufism in the cyberspace age. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 34(4), 623–641. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2019.1675991
Hermansen, M. (2020). Contemporary Sufism: Piety, politics, and popular culture. Routledge.
Hosseini, S. (2022). The digital mystic: Contemporary Sufism and online spirituality. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 37(1), 71–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2022.2021704
Hutchings, T. (2019). Creating church online: Ritual, community and new media. Routledge.
Karakas, F. (2021). Spirituality and digital well-being in the 21st century workplace. Human Resource Development Review, 20(3), 235–258. https://doi.org/10.1177/15344843211009097
Koenig, H. G. (2021). Religion and mental health: Research and clinical applications. Academic Press.
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Sheppes, G., Costello, C. K., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2021). Social media and well-being: Pitfalls, progress, and next steps. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(1), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.10.005
Lin, L. Y., Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Radovic, A., Miller, E., Colditz, J. B., & Primack, B. A. (2016). Association between social media use and depression among U.S. young adults. Depression and Anxiety, 33(4), 323–331. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22466
Montag, C., & Walla, P. (2016). Carpe diem instead of losing your social mind: Beyond digital addiction and why we all suffer from digital overuse. Cogent Psychology, 3(1), 1157281. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2016.1157281
Nasr, S. H. (2013). The need for a sacred science. Routledge.
Nasr, S. H. (2015). Islam and the plight of modern man. Islamic Texts Society.
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin Press.
Rahman, A., Yusuf, M., & Hasan, R. (2022). The neuropsychological effects of Sufi meditation (dhikr) on mental well-being. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 25(5), 487–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2022.2041187
Schimmel, A. (2019). Mystical dimensions of Islam. University of North Carolina Press.
Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2020). Positive psychology: The scientific and practical explorations of human strengths (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Twenge, J. M. (2020). iGen: Why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy—and completely unprepared for adulthood. Atria Books.
World Health Organization. (2023). World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all. WHO Press.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 M. Afif Anshori
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
