The Iron Cage Discourse: The Dialectics of Max Weber's Disenchantment and Ibn Arabi's Concept of Tajalli in the Context of Modern Society

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Published: Jun 25, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15642/jsi.2026.9.1.43-65
Keywords:
Tajalli, Ibn Arabi, Max Weber, Disenchantment, Rationality

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Paidillah Rijani
UIN Palangkaraya
Masdar Hilmy
Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya
Desi Erawati
Universitas Islam Negeri Palangkaraya

Abstract

Today, modern society is often depicted as trapped in an iron cage, a term that refers to formal rationality and results in a "disenchantment of the world." This study critically analyzes how Ibn Arabi's metaphysical thought, particularly through the concept of Tajalli, offers a solution to the crisis of meaning within Max Weber's sociological perspective. Using a qualitative research method with a comparative-philosophical approach, this study shows that while Weber considered rationalization a process of eliminating transcendental elements from the public sphere, Ibn Arabi understood it as the continuous manifestation (Tajalli) of al Haqq in material reality. The findings of the study confirm that Ibn Arabi's philosophical Sufism discourse has the potential to revive spiritual meaning in the modern world, shifting the view of "the world as an object of power" to "the world as a spiritual entity."

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Rijani, Paidillah, Masdar Hilmy, and Desi Erawati. 2026. “The Iron Cage Discourse: The Dialectics of Max Weber’s Disenchantment and Ibn Arabi’s Concept of Tajalli in the Context of Modern Society”. The Sociology of Islam 9 (1):43-65. https://doi.org/10.15642/jsi.2026.9.1.43-65.
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Vol. 9 No. 1 (2026): June
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