Nowadays, Majapahit is popularly imagined as a semi-mythical era of black magic. In the common narrative, Islam won over the Hindu kingdoms because the saints that brought it to Indonesia were more supernaturally powerful on account of their connection to God.While Islam is practiced in diverse ways, Sufism was particularly instrumental in spreading Islam among the people of the islands.Sufism is generally understood to mean mystical or esoteric Islam. As we will see, this outlook has implications for ritual practices too.Generally, in normative (mainstream) Islamic doctrine, mankind is regarded as being separate from God. Humans were created by God, but they are not God himself.By contrast, in the animistic tradition that we have examined, spiritual powers emanating from gods or ancestors can be found in any place, such as people, special objects, or significant natural settings (such as a mountain or a cave).This is at odds with the orthodox (normative) Islamic belief that only God can be worshiped as divine.In acknowledging that God can be found within, Sufism was more easily adopted in the Indonesian Hindu-animist milieu.In Sufism, unlike orthodox Islam, one aspires to experience God within oneself. This practice may produce a trance-like state in which the individual feels the direct presence of God from within.Sufis use rhythmic percussion and chanting, and even physical movement, to induce the realization of God’s presence within.