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THE SOUL AND ITS ATTRIBUTES: AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE WITH REFERENCE TO SELF IN WESTERN PSYCHOLOGY

It is suggested that the drive for excessive materialistic consumption in every sphere of life is causing an elevation in physiological and psychological maladies, with a loss of some key social values. This consumption has accentuated the focus on externalities, while moving away from self-development. With the objective of understanding self-development, this study investigates Islamic and Western psychological viewpoints, with comparisons made of the concept of soul and the self. Multi-sourced referencing of the Qur'an, teachings of the Prophet, as well the analytical works of eminent Islamic and Western scholars, form its methodology. The findings indicate that there is an inner science of self-development that is deeply embedded within the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet. Western psychology treats the self in the context of this world and according to its own world view, with methods developed for this purpose. The striking finding in Islam is that self-development forms an integral part of the fabric of the faith; it has an in-depth exposition of the nature of the self and the soul, and the tools and methods to discipline it, all with a view to preparing for the next life. As the Lord says. I am with him, when he remembers Me 1 . 1 A sound Prophetic hadith (saying) reported by two eminent hadith collectors Bukhari and Muslim cited in 110 Ahadith Qudsi:: Sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w), Trans. Syed Masood-ul-Hasan, Revised and Commentaries by Ibrahim M. Kunna (Riyad, Darussalam, 2006), 64

The spiritual dimension of man: An Islamic psycho-spiritual study

The discussion on the mind and body continues to be debated by philosophers and psychologists. Ever since the Renaissance, Western scholars have shifted their research on the man from a religious to a scientific one. They argued that spirituality cannot be scrutinized using science and scientific tools. Yet, they are not any closer to finding a comprehensive solution to many of man's psychological problems. In realizing that man's spiritual dimension is an area avoided by Western mainstream psychology, this study analyzes some aspects of the soul entity and its varied manifestations from an Islamic perspective. Through a review of related literature and documentary analysis, this study highlights the spiritual dimension of man as understood by Muslims scholars and psychologists.

Toward a Framework for Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy: An Islamic Model of the Soul

A uniquely Islamic theoretical framework for an Islamic psychology has yet to be established. To do so requires that we understand how human beings are conceptualized within the cosmology that characterizes the Islamic tradition. This paper presents a model of the soul from within an Islamic paradigm, generated through a grounded theory analysis of interviews with 18 key informants with relevant academic or religious expertise. The model elaborates aspects of a mechanism for the development of the soul that constitutes a potential foundation for an Islamic theory of human psychology and has particular relevance for Islamic approaches to psychotherapy.

General Introduction to The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality

The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality, 2023

Over the last fifty years, and especially since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, literally hundreds of books on Islam and the Islamic world have appeared in print in European languages, including numerous introductions to Islam. Yet most Americans and Europeans remain largely uninformed about Islam. In the third decade of the twenty-first century, scholars of Islam in the Americas and Europe still feel the need to humanize Muslims, to demonstrate that Muslims are rational human beings, their beliefs worthy of consideration. The situation is the same-or perhaps even worse-with regard to Islamic spirituality. Apart from the field of Sufism, no aspect of Islamic thought and practice has been more overlooked in studies of Islam than spirituality. Because of creedal and secular prejudices that have persisted for centuries, the religion of Islam (much like Judaism) has been regarded as traditionalistic or legalistic but not deeply spiritual. As such, it is often described as a "nomocentric" or law-centered religion, in which adherence to the Sharī'a is seen as the central criterion of faith (see Pill 2014). Adding to this problem is the fact that proofs of Islam's alleged obsession with legalism can be found among today's Muslims in the doctrines of the Taliban in Afghanistan, among Wahhabiinspired extremist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS, and in a political Islam that advocates the creation of a more socially conscious "Sharī'a state." As a result, Islam is widely seen to embody three traits that are antithetical to liberal notions of free expression: political authoritarianism, paternalistic traditionalism, and soulless legalism. As Edward W. Said observed, the view of the Middle East and the Islamic world in the West is based on the notion of exteriority, reducing complex cultural phenomena to stereotypical "essences" (Said 1994, 20-21). Yet the spirituality of Muslims is as much a matter of interiority as exteriority. Because spiritual feelings cannot be seen, they cannot be empirically observed, measured, and subjected to regimes of control. If Islam

A Model of Islamic Spirituality: A Systematic Scoping Review

International Journal of Medical and Exercise Science

Introduction: The concept of spirituality can be found in the Quran explicitly by elucidatedly using items such as pure and good life (Hayate-tayyebeh), (2017) and pure heart (Ghalbe-Salim) (2016). According to Quranic creeds a human being experiences a special life in his spirituality. Methods: Articles downloaded from Pub Med, Pro Quest and Google Scholar was reviewed. Results: The following categories: (1) spiritual health including performing prayer as a calmingtool, beneficence as a path to God; loss of psychological and spiritual support; faith as a wayto happiness; (2) Spiritual beliefs, with three sub categories including seeking help from Godin difficulties, God’s power over life and death, doing good deeds is the God’s will; and (3)Religious practice with three sub categories including performing prayer; reading Quran; and going to mosque, religious ceremonies and pilgrimage. Conclusion: According to Islamic literature, spirituality means the use of intellect, tendencies, ...

THE SOUL (HEART) AND ITS ATTRIBUTES: AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE WITH REFERENCE TO SELF IN WESTERN PSYCHOLOGY

It is suggested that the drive for excessive materialistic consumption in every sphere of life is causing an elevation in psychological maladies, with a loss of some key social values. This consumption has accentuated the focus on externalities, while moving away from self-development. With the objective of understanding self-development, this study investigates Islamic and Western psychological viewpoints, with comparisons made of the concept of soul and the self. Multi-sourced referencing of the Qur’an, teachings of the Prophet, as well the analytical works of eminent Islamic and Western scholars, form its methodology. The findings indicate that there is an inner science of self-development that is deeply embedded within the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet. Western psychology treats the self in the context of this world and according to its own world view, with methods developed for this purpose. The striking finding in Islam is that self-development forms an integral part of the fabric of the faith; it has an in-depth exposition of the nature of the soul and the tools and methods to discipline it, all with a view to preparing for the next life. Keywords: Soul; heart; self; knowledge; discipline; self-development.

Cosmic and Psychic Energies in Islamic Tradition: The Soul (rūḥ) and the Self (nafs)

Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness 2017 Annual Conference, 2017

The paper applies phenomenological insights through which the exegeses of cosmic and psychic energies in Islamic tradition can be systematically addressed. It discusses how the soul (rūḥ) is depicted as a divine secret (sirr ilāhī) made of the light of God (qabas min nūr Allah), while the self (nafs) is equated with conscious and unconscious energies. Human beings participate in the invisible, transcendental, secret and divine qualities of the cosmos through the participation of their souls with the divine world. Muslims assert their relationship with the unseen and spiritual world through participation with invisible entities and forces such as souls, angels, and intermediary holy persons or saints. The paper proposes that cosmic and psychic energies and related actions can be understood by focusing on two liminal states, great eschatology (barzakh), bridging this life with the other life and small eschatology (also barzakh), indicating dream or vision. Dreams can be the source of spiritual energy and religious experiences, connecting humans with sacred beings forces, and realities. According to Islamic tradition, it is not only the body or the self through which the human energy is explained but also and more importantly the soul, which exists independently and gives the person autonomous character even after death. Our thoughts, consciousness, dreams and ideas are energy floating all around the universe. We send and receive energy continuously each second of our life; or in other word, we gain or lose energy from and to our surrounding each second of our life. Because Islamic thought is holistic and accentuates the hierarchically interconnected relationship between body and spirit, the cosmos, al-kaun, or the world, al-'alam, is conceptualized as being composed of two different but indissociable and complementary domains: one knowable, visible, or natural and the other unknowable, invisible or supernatural. Two of the

Islamic Spirituality - A Call for Inner and Outer Liberation

This paper delves into the connection between legitimate political authority and the concept of humans being stewards of the Earth appointed by God. It explores how our relationship with God is expressed through justice and investigates the impact of politics, psychology, and spirituality on the manifestation of justice. The paper emphasizes how the collusion between Muslim countries and colonial powers has marginalized the importance of individual and collective liberation within Islamic spirituality. It also discusses how Western psychology and culture have downplayed the role of social justice in Islamic psychology and spirituality. The paper aims to bridge the gap between inner and outer liberation, offering a unique perspective from Islamic spirituality to empower individuals and communities. It highlights the need to challenge oppressive systems and promote social change in the context of politics, psychology, spirituality, and justice in Islam. The paper also underscores the moral obligation of power coupled with earth stewardship and justice, as mentioned in the Qur'an, and the concept of returning to a single unified community through justice and spirituality.

The Key in the Dark: Self and Soul Transformation in the Islamic and Sufi Spiritual Traditions

Chapter 6 in the anthology Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom: Psychological Healing Practices from the World's Religious Traditions, Second Edition, edited by Sharon J. Mijares, published by Routledge: New York and London, 2016. This chapter discusses psycho-spiritual theory and practice from the Sufi and Islamic spiritual traditions. It begins with contextual history and background concerning the place of what modern Western social theory calls “psychology” within “traditional” Islamic healing and Sufism. The chapter next proceeds to introduce Sufi and Islamic personality theory via the best-known component of its psychology: Sufi stories and poetry. The middle part of the chapter discusses in detail the view of the soul and self in Sufi and Islamic psychology. This is seen as a multilayered, multifaceted reality, more akin to a community than an individual. The chapter then examines practical psychotherapeutic techniques used by Sufi teachers in various lineages, including meditation, contemplation, breathing awareness, body awareness, sound, music, and movement. To conclude, the chapter mentions recent efforts to merge traditional Sufi and Islamic personality theory with Freudian, Jungian, humanistic and somatic psychotherapeutic approaches as well as with postmodern models of holistic health.