In the old days, theology was almost a purely internal religious matter. Ilmu Kalam or Islamic Theology – although this term does not fully signify the meaning of Ilmu Kalam; has been focusing mainly on “internal religious issues” namely; on God and His attributes, on prophethood and the characteristics of prophecy and the resurrection and other issues related to beliefs. But as time goes by and the different parts of the world come into contact with each other; not only merchandises were imported and exported but ideologies and religious beliefs were in no way excluded. With the advent of the modern era since the renaissance, it seems that all things that are religious are considered as an obstacle for the rise of humanism in the whole realm of existence. Since then, religions had been the subject of speculations and even denial.
Penulis mencoba menganalisis beberapa argumentasi tentang tidak dapat diungkapkannya pengalaman mistis. Dari satu periode ke periode, abad dan tradisi yang berbeda, para mistikus atau sui (arif) telah mengemukakan hal yang sama, yaitu kualitas tak terekspresikan atau tidak dapat diungkapkannya (ineffability) pengalaman penyaksian atau visi mistis (syuhud). Teori ini pertama kali dikemukakan oleh William James. Kajian dan analisis atas argumentasi-argumentasi tersebut akan penulis mulai dengan terlebih dahulu membincangkan bagaimana James menganalisis gagasan tentang kualitas tidak terlukiskannya (ineffability) pengalaman mistis.