A Decolonial Reimagining of Workplace Spirituality: Embracing Sufi Wisdom in the Quest for Meaningful Enchantment

This paper critically examines the human quest for meaning and enchantment in the context of modernity's disenchanting tendencies and the subsequent emergence of co-opted forms of re-enchantment. It argues that while the workplace spirituality movement attempts to address the crisis of meaning in organizational life, it often reproduces neoliberal capitalist rationality embedded in coloniality. Drawing on decolonial theory, the paper proposes engaging with Islamic spirituality, Sufism, as a means to generate a radical imaginary capable of providing deeper meanings and expanding human potentialities. The concept of ishq-i haqqiqi (intense love of the Divine) is presented as a cornerstone for reimagining enlightenment in more holistic and spiritually grounded terms. This approach offers promise not only for addressing existential and moral crises but also for fostering more humane and sustainable forms of social and economic organization. The paper contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of spirituality in management and organizational studies by offering a decolonial perspective that challenges dominant Western paradigms and opens up new possibilities for understanding human flourishing in organizational contexts.