ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Faḍlallāh’s response to the internal spiritual challenge, in particular, his reinterpretation of Ṣūfism and ShīꜤī spirituality as spirituality-in-action. First, it highlights how he reinterprets spirituality and mysticism to discredit quietism and thus support the spiritual empowerment of the community. Subsequently, Faḍlallāh’s response to external spiritual challenges, namely colonialism and Orientalism, is explored. For him, the purpose of spirituality is to enable faith-embedded power to become an integral component of turning belief into reality. This functional spirituality – whose every aspect encourages and embraces strength in a specific, realistic way – plays a central role in fostering the community’s empowerment.
