Existential Anxiety and Spiritual Coping in the Contemporary Digital Landscape: A Dialogue with Buya Hamka's Sufism

Aswar Aswar; Muhammad Aska Irfani; Alam Khaerul Hidayat; Musdalipa Musdalipa; Mahsur Mahsur

doi:10.21580/tos.v14i2.27603

Authors

Aswar Aswar Department of Islamic Theology and Philosophy, Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Muhammad Aska Irfani Department of Islamic Theology and Philosophy, Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Alam Khaerul Hidayat Department of Islamic Theology and Philosophy, Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Musdalipa Musdalipa Department of Management, Insan Madani Mandar College of Economics and Business, Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, Indonesia
Mahsur Mahsur Department of Islamic Religious Education, Faculty of Tarbiyah, Institut Agama Islam Al-Manan NU, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21580/tos.v14i2.27603

Keywords:

existential anxiety, digital society, modern Sufism, spiritual coping, Buya Hamka

Abstract

Existential anxiety has emerged as a growing concern in contemporary digital society, yet its spiritual dimension remains insufficiently explored. This study examines manifestations of existential anxiety and spiritual coping through the philosophical framework of Buya Hamka's Tasawuf Modern. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, it integrates digital content analysis of publicly accessible narratives from TikTok, X, Instagram, and Threads with philosophical textual analysis of Tasawuf Modern. The findings reveal three major manifestations of existential anxiety: loss of meaning in life, digital isolation, and uncertainty about the future, alongside four forms of spiritual coping: gratitude (shukr), contentment (qanā’ah), trust in God (tawakkal), and remembrance of God (dhikr). These findings highlight the relevance of Hamka's modern Sufism (Tasawuf Modern) as a philosophical framework for understanding spiritually grounded coping with existential anxiety in the digital era.

Contribution: This article contributes to the growing scholarship on existential anxiety by integrating empirical digital narratives with Buya Hamka's Tasawuf Modern. Rather than treating Hamka's thought as an empirically tested intervention, the study positions Tasawuf Modern as an interpretive philosophical framework for understanding contemporary forms of spiritual coping in digital society.

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