An Introduction to
Islamic Psychology
By
ZULKIFLI KHAIR
The image of Muslim’s psych
The most suspicious man who killed
Benazir Buttho is al-Qaeda.
 9/11, Bali Bomb, Kashmir etc. and the
image of Islamic Terrorist & Militant.
 Samuel P. Huntington and The Clash of
Civilization and the Remaking of the
New World Order:
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– Islam – intolerance.
– West – arrogance.
Islam as the misunderstood
religion
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Terrorism as a way of life. (Watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq1c3uOrs
Lc)
 Worshiping to the black stone. (Muslims are
worshipping God, directed to the ‘black stone’
of Kaabah – symbol of the unity of Muslim
community around the planet)
 So many haram in Islam.
 Converting to Islam = masuk Melayu.
Islamic concept of religion
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The religion as well as the holy book comes from God
for the right guidance of man of all times, all places,
and all races.
Not only about soul and spirituality but dealing with
every aspect of life (politics, economy, social etc.) or
man need religion to be guided in his entire life
(shari’ah or Islamic law).
Provides man with peace and security and makes his
life meaningful.
“Verily the religion with God is Islam…” (Qur’an,
3:19).
Read
http://www.islamanswering.com/subpage.php?s=article&aid=140
0
Pillars of Islam
Tauhid as if the soul of Islam
Tauhid = Unification.
 Tauhid is expressing the 1st pillar of
Islam.
 The three categories of Tauhid:
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– Tauhid ar-Rububiyah (Maintaining the Unity
of Lordship).
– Tauhid al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (Maintaining
the Unity of Allah's Names and Attributes).
– Tauhid al-Uluhiyah (Maintaining the Unity
of Allah's Worship).
Tauhid of Rububiyyah
Rububiyyah is derived from the root ‘Rabb’
that means the lord, creator, designer,
sustainer, governor of the universe
 The God creates all things; the sky, earth,
human etc. as well as sustains and maintains
the creation without any need from it or for it.
 The God is the only real power in existence
(the oneness of God), it is He who gave all
things the power to move and to change.
 "Allah created all things and He Is the agent
on which all things depend.” (Az-Zumar,
39:62)
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The beauty names of God
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Al-asma wa as-sifat = the names and the attributes.
Tauhid al-asma wa as-sifat = declaring God one in
His names and attributes.
The names and attributes of God are the famous 99
names such as The Alive (al-Hayy), The Powerful (alQawiyy), The Good (al-Barr), The Most Gentle (arRahman), The Mighty (al-Aziz), and many others.
He is Absolute Reality, Absolute Life, Absolute Power,
Absolute Good, and so on.
He is the only being who possesses these or any
other qualities in and of Himself.
Any reality, life, power, goodness, or other qualities
that we have are completely contingent on Him. He
gave them to us, and if He willed, He could take them
away.
Tauhid of Uluhiyyah
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Uluhiyyah is derived from the root “ilah” that
means one who is worshipped – the God to be
worshipped, to be bowed to in humility and
submission.
The concept ilah also includes the possession of
infinite powers and conveys the sense that others
are dependent on ilah and that he is not
dependent on anyone else
The word ilah carries, too, a sense of
concealment and mystery (the word Khuda in
Persian, Deva in Hindi and God in English have
similar connotations).
"You alone do we worship and from You alone do
we seek help". (Al-Fatihah, 1: 4)
Islamic concept of worship
(ibadah)
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Read Al-Maududi (Towards Understanding of
Islam) at
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=115865848
8332&pagename=Zone-English-Living_Shariah%2FLSELayout.
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Ibadah = Total submission and obedience to God.
Two kinds of ibadah: Specific and General
ibadah.
The purpose of life.
Man as:
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The best creation.
Fitrah.
‘Abid, the worshipper.
Khalifah, the ambassador and leader.
Psychology of religion
“The scientific study and of the manifestation
of the souls in the form of behaviours and
mental processes and its application in
religious setting.” (Hill, 2001)
 “The study of religious behaviour, thought and
feeling.” (Loewenthal, 2000)
 Psychology of Islam is more than that
because Islam is a way of life.
 According to Islam (Islamic concept of
worship), every Muslim should has a
‘religious’ behaviour, thought and feeling.
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Analyze the religious behaviour of Pharaoh,
Qaran (Qarun), Haman, the Queen of
Pharaoh, the magicians, and al-Samiri
according to the story of Moses (Musa).
Read ‘Musa – the Muslim view of Moses’ at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/
history/musa_print.html
Islamic religion psychology
S-R Psychology
Base on your
understanding of
Islamic religion
and psychology,
please give a
comment on
‘critiques on
Skinner‘s
psychology
theory’ by Malik
Badri (1979, p. 714)
Psychology in Islam
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Its aims are determined by shari’ah.
Should not contradict with Islamic law.
Should lead more knowledge about God.
Should lead to fulfill the purpose life of man
and the responsibility of man (as ‘abid and
khalifah)
Should lead the clarity of the Islamic message
to be spread all over the world (through
education, da’wah and jihad).
 Give
comments on
sexual desire
and Freud’s
theory of
psychology
(Read Malik
Badri, 1979, p.
53-71).