ILM AN-NAFS -Science of the Soul: Themes in Islamic Psychology

Implicit in the title of the book is an exploration of the themes of the Science of the Soul, better known as Islamic Psychology. Human nature and the process of behaviour and emotions are inherent holistic processes that integrate the physical. psychological, social and spiritual dimensions. Accordingly, the Islamic nature of the human being is whole, comprehensive and complete according to the Qur’ān and Sunnah. In essence, “Islam provides a balanced focus between universal principles of human behaviours (with its universal laws and Shar’iah or divine laws) and individual differences. The universal laws may include biological, social, psychological and economic dimensions based on empirical research. The Qur’ān and Hadith provide guidance and basis to the laws of human nature. These laws can be used as the foundation to develop theories about human nature based upon the writings of Muslim scholars and contemporary research findings.”[1]

The concept of this book, reflected in the context and scope, attempts to address some themes in Islamic psychology and focuses the evolution of Islamic Psychology, the development of the science of the soul from classical Islamic scholars to contemporary thinkers. It examines the concepts of the Fitrah, nature and nurture, the Nafs (Soul), the Aql (Intellect), the Qalb (Heart) and Ibn al-Qayyim’s types of hearts. Other themes include models and approaches in Islamic psychology, spiritual motivation, spiritual capital, ethical intelligence, Tawbah and the process of change, learning theories and spiritual modelling: an Islamic perspective, altruistic or helping behaviour, obsessive-compulsive disorder and scrupulosity: spiritual or pathological?, de-colonising psychotherapy and counselling, and religious coping in an Islamic context.


[1] G.Hussein Rassool, “Islamic Psychology: Human Behaviour and Experience from an Islamic Perspective,” (Oxford: Routledge, 2021), xv