How can we redefine ‘psychology’ Islamically and at the same time still scientific? How can we NOT make psychology different from the Islamic studies but remain unique as an independent social science discipline? How can we make both disciplines integrated as one huge ocean of knowledge from Allah? How can we make psychology a useful tool (`ilm al-alat) to Islamic studies (fiqh, tafsir, hadith, sirah, aqidah, akhlaq, etc.)?
Whenever we come out with a new concept, we are usually asked for its definition to avoid misconception, or to make it open for criticism in order to improve its definition. We at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) have been talking about Islamic psychology and Islamisation of psychology. Therefore, we need to provide a definition. I’m sure it may not be agreed upon by all. I welcome more definitions because at the end, criticisms, alternative definitions, and discussions will increase our knowledge and understanding. Sometimes some definitions are better than others. Sometimes all definitions are correct but from different context. Even in Islamic studies you will find different definitions of a single Islamic concept, and this is sometimes (but not all the time) good.
Secular Definition
Typical secular definition of psychology: “Scientific study of behaviour and mental processes.” The good thing about this definition is, it uses scientific methods which are actually methods already used by our early Muslims scholars and where (at least) the concepts are not alien in the Qur’an and Sunnah. But the bad thing about this definition (Islamically speaking) is, it ignores the soul/nafs factor (e.g., iman) - factor that Muslims believe exist and has some influences on our behaviours and mental processes.
How can we redefine psychology Islamically, yet remain scientific and acceptable by the scientific community?
By showing evidences that soul/nafs or mind or qalb (or whatever label they want to give) exist.
By showing that the term ’scientific’ as propagated by some Western psychologists has a relative meaning (even by scientific standards) and may include so-called unseen variables.
By not focusing on the ’study’ of soul in its totality (which is impossible according to the Qur’an) but to focus on the manifestation of the soul i.e., the behaviours and mental processes.
Islamic Redefinition
My Islamic redefinition: “The scientific study of manifestation of the soul in the form of behaviour and mental process”.
I have shown this definition to the renowned Islamic psychologist Prof. Malik Badri and he agreed with it. I wanted to put the phrase “in the light of Qur’an and Sunnah” in the definition, but worry that it will make some people reject it altogether without looking at its potential in scientific psychology. Prof. Malik Badri said that if the non-Muslim psychologists and secular Muslim scientists can accept the soul factor, we have already make psychology “Islamic.” How true! I believe that if they can at least accept this definition, they are already Islamic in their approach in understanding psychology i.e., they have unconsciously followed the Qur’an and Sunnah even if they (still) do not convert/revert to Islam as a religion (for non-Muslims) and as a system (for Muslims).
Description of the definition
As you can see, the Islamic definition still make use of scientific methods. By scientific methods I not only mean the scientific methods I have mentioned above, but also studying the Qur’an, Hadith, Aqidah, Shari`ah, and Akhlaq using “scientific” traditional religious i.e., Sciences (`Ulum) of the Qur’an, Sciences (`Ulum) of the Hadith, and Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence) and all their branches.
The Islamic definition also still focuses on studying the behaviour and mental process because that’s what psychology is all about.
The Islamic definition accepts (as any Muslims would do) the existence of soul. After all the word ‘psyche’ originally means soul or nafs.
And most importantly, the definition will make Muslim psychologists use soul as the general framework in interpreting psychological data (behaviour and mental processes) instead of the limited approach of biological, psychodynamic, behavioural, humanistic, and cognitive perspectives in psychology.
Implications of the redefinition
But this does not mean the definition reject totally factors highlighted by other psychological perspectives. The definition rejects the perspectives “totally” but support them partially. The Islamic definition still acknowledges the influence of biological factors, unconscious factors, environmental factors, self factors, and cognitive factors as combined factor together with soul factor.
In fact, it leads to a broader and perhaps more accurate (from scientific point of view) model of human nature, and of why people behave and think in a certain way. And for Muslims, it leads to better understanding of our role as an `abid and khalifah. Eventually, studying psychology will also hopefully lead to hidayah (divine guidance) and will complement what we are studying in Islamic studies. If contemporary psychology can add the term ‘mental processes’ after realizing how mechanistic early psychologists are in the definition of psychology, I can foresee that future psychologist will eventually accept the inclusion of ‘soul’ in the definition of psychology after realising how (still) mechanistic contemporary psychologists are in the definition of psychology.
For further readings:
Achoui, M. (1998). Human nature from a comparative psychological perspective. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 15, 71-95.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1990). The nature of man and the psychology of the human soul. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization.
Ali, A. H. (1995). The nature of human disposition: Al-Ghazali’s contribution to an Islamic concept of personality. Intellectual Discourse, 3, 51- 64.
Alias, A. (2009). Human nature. In N. M. Noor, (Ed.), Psychology from an Islamic perspective: A guide to teaching and learning (pp. 79-118). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IIUM Press.
Alias, A., & Noor, N. M. (2009). An integrated methodology for the social sciences. In N. M. Noor, (Ed.), Psychology from an Islamic perspective: A guide to teaching and learning (pp. 61-78). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IIUM Press.
Badri, M. (2009). The Islamization of psychology: its “why,” its “what,” its “how,” and its “who”. In N. M. Noor, (Ed.), Psychology from an Islamic perspective: A guide to teaching and learning (pp. 13-42). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IIUM Press.
Haque, A. (1998). Psychology and religion: Their relationship and integration from an Islamic perspective. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 15, 97-116.
Khaleefa, O. (1997). The imperialism of Euro-American psychology in a non-western culture: An attempt toward an ummatic psychology. The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 14, 44-69.
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About the Author:
Alizi Alias currently works as a General Manager (Human Capital), Medic IG Holdings, Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia. He was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, International Islamic University Malaysia from 2007 to 2018.
Note: This article gives the views of the Authors, and not the position of the Department of Psychology IIUM Blog, nor of the Department of Psychology IIUM.