Faith Healing as Lived Religion: Nasrul-Haqq Practices Among the Mëranaw of Lanao Del Sur, Philippines

Özet

This study examines the faith-healing practices of Nasrul-Haqq, a religious community operating within Mëranaw Muslim communities in Lanao del Sur, Philippines. Drawing on qualitative ethnographic research, including semi-structured interviews and participant observation, the study documents how Nasrul-Haqq practitioners engage in devotional practices (amalan), healing rituals, and collective worship as part of their religious life. Rather than evaluating the empirical validity of supernatural claims, the research situates these practices within the framework of lived religion and embodied religious experience. The findings demonstrate that Nasrul-Haqq healing practices function as socially embedded systems of care, addressing physical illness, emotional distress, and moral concerns within culturally meaningful frameworks. Faith healing emerges not merely as belief, but as an embodied and communal practice shaped by Islamic mysticism, local tradition, and ethical responsibility. By situating Nasrul-Haqq within broader discussions in the sociology and anthropology of religion, this study contributes to understanding how religious healing practices coexist with, and sometimes complement, modern medical systems in contexts where spiritual meaning remains central to everyday life.