Kejawen stands apart through its sources of religious authority and its understanding of the sacred. Where orthodox Islam in Java grounds itself in the Qur’an, Hadith, and the legal reasoning of recognized scholars, Kejawen draws on a layered inheritance: Javanese court traditions, Hindu‑Buddhist ideas, animist sensibilities, and the guidance of local spiritual teachers such as guru, dukun, and other charismatic practitioners. The divine is acknowledged as a supreme God, often identified with Allah, yet this transcendence is expressed through a cosmos alive with spirits, ancestral presences, and nature forces. Sacred mountains, trees, heirloom weapons, and particular sites are treated as spiritually charged, something that strict monotheism and scriptural orthodoxy tend to regard with suspicion or outright rejection.

In ritual life, the contrast becomes especially visible. Orthodox Islam emphasizes the five pillars, mosque‑centered worship, Qur’anic recitation, and the careful observance of prescribed obligations and prohibitions. Kejawen, by contrast, gives pride of place to practices such as the slametan communal feast, where Islamic prayers may mingle with older offerings intended to maintain harmony with unseen beings. Personal ascetic disciplines—meditation, night‑long vigils, special fasts beyond Ramadan, periods of silence or seclusion—are cultivated not only for piety but to refine character and acquire spiritual power or inner perfection. Offerings to spirits and guardian beings, the use of talismans and mantras, and various forms of divination are accepted within Kejawen as long as they support balance and well‑being, whereas orthodox Islam generally condemns such acts as superstition or a breach of pure monotheism.

The two paths also diverge in their spiritual aims and moral emphases. Orthodox Islam orients the believer toward obedience to divine law, moral rectitude, and hope for salvation in the hereafter, with a clear framework of halal and haram. Kejawen, while often carried by people who publicly identify as Muslim, places its center of gravity in inner harmony, social concord, and the subtle refinement of conduct. Ideals such as rukun (social harmony), alus (refined character), and the mystical sense of unity between the human being, the cosmos, and the divine shape its vision of spiritual fulfillment. Rather than resting primarily on legal conformity, Kejawen evaluates actions by their capacity to preserve balance—between people, with ancestors and spirits, and within the depths of the self.