Kritik Frithjof Schuon atas Teologi Antropomorfis dalam Konsep Predestinasi Islam
Muhammad Zia Ulil A, Dr. Arqom Kuswanjono, S.S., M.Hum. ; Dr. Drs. Mustofa Anshori Lidinillah, M.Hum.
2026 | Skripsi | ILMU FILSAFAT
This thesis, entitled “Frithjof Schuon’s Critique of Anthropomorphic Theology in the Islamic Concept of Predestination,” examines the theological dialectic concerning the relation between predestination (qadar) and human free will (ikhtiy?r) within the Islamic tradition. This debate frequently results in complex paradoxes, as evidenced by the extreme dichotomy between the Jabariyah and Qadariyah schools, as well as the ambiguous synthesis found in the Ash‘arite theory of kasb (acquisition). This research aims to describe how the construction of anthropomorphic theology shapes the understanding of predestination in Islamic thought, to examine Frithjof Schuon’s ontological critique of anthropomorphic conceptions of God, and to analyze the implications of this critique for the reformulation of the concept of predestination in Islam.
This study is a qualitative inquiry employing a philosophical approach conducted through library-based research. Primary data sources refer to the works of Frithjof Schuon, while secondary sources include classical Islamic theological literature, the Qur’an, and the Hadith. The methodological elements used in this study include interpretation, historical continuity, critical analysis, description, and heuristics.
The findings of this research indicate that the dialectical impasse of qadar–ikhtiy?r in classical Islamic theology is rooted in a conceptual anthropomorphism that projects human categories onto the Divine Essence, thereby generating a “zero-sum game” paradigm between Divine Power and human freedom. Furthermore, this study finds that Frithjof Schuon’s ontological critique dismantles the voluntaristic reductionism that equates the Divine Will with human willing, while offering a correction through the distinction of levels of reality: the Absolute Divine Reality (Brahman) and the Personal God (Ishwara). Within this framework, the concept of predestination is reformulated more coherently: qadar is understood as a particular actualization of the “All-Possibility” at the level of the Absolute, whereas ikhtiy?r represents the genuine human capacity to actualize other possibilities at the relative level (the Personal God). Consequently, divine determination and human freedom are understood as equally valid truths operating at different levels of existence.
Keywords: Predestination, Free Will, Anthropomorphism, Frithjof Schuon, Perennial Philosophy, Islamic Theology.
Kata Kunci : Kata Kunci: Predestinasi, Kehendak Bebas, Antropomorfisme, Frithjof Schuon, Filsafat Perenial, Teologi Islam/ Keywords: Predestination, Free Will, Anthropomorphism, Frithjof Schuon, Perennial Philosophy, Islamic Theology.