The Study of Empathetic Phenomenology of Anne Marie Schimmel ‎based on Friedrich Heiler’s Opinions

Phenomenology has been used in research related to sacred affairs (both religion and mysticism). As a result of philosophical phenomenology, the most important features of the phenomenology of religion are description against the analysis, intuition of essence, suspension, avoidance of dogma and empathy. The ‘empathy’ dimension in the phenomenology of religion and mysticism has more functions than philosophical phenomenology. Phenomenology of empathy is a phenomenological description of the subject from the perspective of the believer. In his mystical religious phenomenology, Friedrich Heiler, by setting aside assumptions, penetrates deep into the ‘religious experience’ and describes it in a direct, immediate and empathetic confrontation. Influenced by Friedrich Heiler’s religious studies and emphasizing the phenomenology of empathy, Anne Marie Schimmel has set herself free from monopolistic assumptions to understand mysticism and Islam more precisely. This influence rests mostly on comparative theology and mysticism, moving from outside to the inside of the religion, the unity of religions, the prayer, and the emphasis on immediate and living manifestations. In Anne Marie Schimmel’s studies, the elements of affection and empathy have been strongly emphasized due to the apparent emergence and evolution of phenomena in the social customs of Muslims and followers of Sufism. This has sometimes made her research unauthentic. On the other hand, sometimes Schimmel’s research cannot be universal, persuasive, or scientifically explanatory because of the descriptive dimension of phenomena and the lack of causal and analytical foundations as well as its reliance on the personal emotion of the researcher.