Islamic Psychology & Counselling

There are many psychologies, many explanations for human behavior. Every personality theory offers an interpretive system, a set of categories, labels and explanations. Each posits some theory of the dynamics of the psyche’s desires, hopes, beliefs and expectations. Most theories attempt to weigh the relative contributions of biology and/or social experience. Norms and ideals set [...]

Ilm al Nafs – Islamic Psychology The history of ‘modern’ psychology was shaped by Ancient Greek wisdom for many centuries, until the Islamic scholars carried the Greek texts to the great Houses of Wisdom. Here, they developed their own ideas and a new Islamic psychology emerged, which would later influence Europe as it shook off [...]

The disease (medical) model Vs The positive psychology model - do we need a revolution in mental health?  For more than a century, psychology has emulated the medical model – maintaining the position that psychological problems are like medical disorders, with specific underlying pathologies that first need to be diagnosed and then treated by specific [...]

Over the past decade, a series of research studies has examined the characteristics of senior and 'master therapists' - practitioners nominated by their peers as the 'best of the best' - the therapists that they would recommend a family member to consult. The value of these studies lies in their capacity to use the broader [...]

The self in western culture generally espouse an understanding of the person as being an autonomous, separate individual, with strong boundaries and ‘inner’, private region of experience. Landrine (1992) describes this as being referential. The self is an inner ‘thing’ or area of experience: ‘the separated, encapsulated self of western culture is presumed to be [...]

Islamic Psychology provides a balanced and comprehensive view of human nature. Islam provides a balanced focus between universal principles of human behaviour (with its universal laws and Shari’ah or divine laws) and individual differences. The universal laws may include biological law, unconscious instinctual law, socio-cultural law, and the law of perception and cognition. The Qur’an [...]

Psychology of Adl (Justice) and Qist (fairness) – A psycho-spiritual reflection of Q. 4:135 O you who have attained faith (iman)! Stand firm for justice as witnesses for Allah even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or close relatives. Be they rich or poor, Allah is best to ensure their interests. So do not [...]