DR.

ALIZI ALIAS
UNIVERSITI ISLAM ANTARABANGSA
MALAYSIA
A. Why modern B. How modern
psychology have psychology
different views human
perspectives? nature?

C. What are the D. Where does

issues/debates Islam stand in
in modern dealing with
psychology? these issues?
A. Why modern B. How modern
psychology have psychology
different views human
perspectives? nature?

C. What are the D. Where does

issues/debates Islam stand in
in modern dealing with
psychology? these issues?
1. The complexity of psychology unlike physic or
chemistry

2. Its researchers belong to the same species as the

one they are studying unlike botanists or zoologists.

3. Theoriests’ own perceptual selection and

interpretations of reality

4. Limitations of research methods used

5. Influence of theoriests’ own culture

 Why does fiqh has different madhhab?
 Why does da`wah has different jama`ah
 However, Muslims have a relatively unified
framework of fiqh and da`wah because of its
unity of sources (Al-Qur’an and Al-Hadith)
 The same can be said if we were to develop
an Islamic-oriented psychology
A. Why modern B. How modern
psychology have psychology
different views human
perspectives? nature?

C. What are the D. Where does

issues/debates Islam stand in
in modern dealing with
psychology? these issues?
1. Psychodynamic Perspective

2. Behavioural Perspective

3. Humanistic Perspective

4. Cognitive Perspective

5. Biological Perspective
 PHILOSOPHY/”AQIDAH”:
Unconscious factors
determined much of our
behaviours
 KEYWORDS:
Unconscious, sexual and
aggressive motives,
unresolved past conflicts
 FIGURES: Sigmund
Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred
Adler, Karen Horney,
Erik Erikson
 PHILOSOPHY/”AQIDAH”:
Learning or
environmental factors
determine much of our
behaviours
 KEYWORDS:
environmental
influence, observable
behaviour, stimulus-
response
 FIGURES: John B.
Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.
F. Skinner
 PHILOSOPHY/”AQIDAH”:
Self is the most
important determinants
of behaviours
 KEYWORDS: Free-will,
self-actualisation,
positive nature of man
 FIGURES: Carl Rogers,
Abraham Maslow
 PHILOSOPHY/”AQIDAH”:
Mental processes
influence much of our
behaviours
 KEYWORDS: Thought,
perception, information-
processing
 FIGURES: Too many
prominent figures
 PHILOSOPHY/”AQIDAH”:
Biological factors
determines much of our
behaviours
 KEYWORDS: Genetics,
brain, nervous systems,
hormones, evolution
 FIGURES: No prominent
figures
 How does madhahib fiqhiyyah develop until
we now have multiple madhhabs?
 How does da`wah movement develop until
we now have multiple jama`ahs?
 It involves the same ‘psychological’
development except that Islam is is still
united on strong basis in aqidah, unlike
psychology – even if most do not realise it.
 Activity: Describe the behaviour of
shaking hands from various psychological
perspectives
 Each perspective tends to describe the
behaviour like a blind person describing
an elephant
 The problem is when they claim that their
perspective explain ALL aspects of human
behaviour
 This is like claiming that the leg of an
elephant is the elephant itself!
 The biopsychosocial model try to provide a
unified theme among the perspectives.
 It still fails to provide a coherent model.
 Sometimes it focuses on two or three
aspects and ignore the rest
 Sometimes it combines several perspectives
without proper theoretical justifications
 All of the times, the spiritual aspect is
missing. It is still not a complete ‘elephant’
with a soul in it
 The challenge: To combine all and to include
the ‘soul’ factor
 What would be the ideal fiqh model
nowadays?
 What would be the ideal da`wah model
nowadays?
 We are moving toward comparative fiqh and
co-operative activities aong jama’ah
 The ideal should be having a unified general
Usul Fiqh but allowing multiple fatwas within
it; a Unified Da’wah general framework but
allowing multiple jama’ah within it
A. Why modern B. How modern
psychology have psychology
different views human
perspectives? nature?

C. What are the D. Where does

issues/debates Islam stand in
in modern dealing with
psychology? these issues?
1. nature vs. nurture

2. conscious vs. unconscious determinants of

behaviour

3. observable behaviour vs. internal mental processes

4. free-will vs. determinism

5. individual differences vs. universal principles.

 “How much of our behaviour is due to
heredity (or “nature”) and how much is due
to environment (“nurture”), and what is the
interplay between the two forces?”
 Islam requires Muslims to believe that
humans are created by Allah with dual nature
(body and spirit) and the interaction of both
(plus whether human receive hidayah) yields
unique human behaviour and mental
processes
 Allthings are created in (biological) pairs
 The importance of choosing one’s spouse
 The importance of bi’ah (environment) and
tarbiyyah (education)
 Hadith: Fitrah
 Hadith: The importance of choosing friends
 No matter how strong the biological and
environmental factors, it is the soul/iman
that is more powerful in thinking and
reflecting on what is good and what is bad
(under the guidance of al-Qur’an)
 Read the stories of Prophet Noah’s AS son
and Prophet Abraham’s AS father on
nature issue
 Read the stories of Asiah (wife of the
Pharaoh) and wives of Noah and Lot ASS
on nurture issue
 Allahis the ultimate controller of biological
and environmental factors
 Always ask for His guidance
 Some people claim that they are
homosexuals by nature.
 How does Islam (and Islamic
biology/psychology) view this?
 What are the implications for fiqh and/or
da`wah?
 “How much of our behaviour is produced by
forces of which we are fully aware, and how
much is due to unconscious activity – mental
processes that are not accessible to the
conscious mind?”
 Human behaviour is the product of both
conscious (clay) and unconscious (spirit)
factors
 Mostof the time we are aware of our
intention and why we behave or think in a
certain way
 Sometimes we think or behave without much
awareness or reason
 Including being influenced by the syaitan and
lust
 Sleepers, children, and lunatic are exempted
from sins
 Despite our behaviour and mental processes
being influenced by conscious or unconscious
factors, ultimately they are guided by the
soul/iman
 Allah is all-knowing. He knows the things
that we are aware of and those that we are
not aware of
 Always ask His guidance
 Some people claim that they can’t
understand why they performed sinful
behaviours and only realised that it is so
wrong after performing it.
 What are the implications for fiqh and/or
da`wah?
 “Should psychology concentrate solely on
behaviour that can be seen by outside
observers? Or should it focus on unseen
thinking processes?”
 Allah forbids all shameful deeds either
observable (zahir) or internal (batin).
 The three categories of people: muttaqin,
kuffar, munafiqin
 Iman and `amal.
 Sometimes rewards and punishments are
given based on observable behaviours
 Sometimes rulings are based on observable
behaviours
 Sometimes rewards and punishments are
given based on internal mental processes
 Sometimes rulings are based on internal
mental processes
 Soul/imanprovide the link between
behaviour and mental processes
 Allahknows what behaviours we are going to
produce and what intention that we have
while producing those behaviours
 Always ask for His guidance
 Some people claim that although they
perform sinful behaviours, they have good
reasons to perform it and they claim that
their heart are still pure.
 What are the implications for fiqh and/or
da`wah?
 “How much is behaviour a matter of free
will (choices made freely by an individual),
and how much is subject to determinism,
the notion that behaviour is largely
produced by factors beyond people’s wilful
control?”
 Islam requires Muslims to believe that human
beings’ behaviour is determined by Allah’s
will, but it depends on their own freedom of
will
 human being’s freedom of choice despite
what has been ‘determined’ by Allah through
His knowledge, will, and power
 Allah knows what will happen
 Anything that happens is based on the will of
Allah
 Allah had written all that will happen
 Islamalso does not deny the influence of
worldly factors – though not to the extent of
total determinism – in influencing human
behaviours and mental processes without
neglecting the soul/iman
 Allahis the ultimate factor that control our
behaviour and mental processes
 Always ask for His guidance
 Some people claim that they that various
factors (including fate) forced them to
perform sinful behaviours and they don’t
really have a choice
 What are the implications for fiqh and/or
da`wah?
 “How much of our behaviour is a
consequence of our unique and special
qualities and how much reflects the culture
and society in which we live? How much of
our behaviour is universally human?”
 Islam reminds us of the similarity that each
person has to the rest of human being. But,
Islam also highlights exceptions to show the
uniqueness of each individual
 Several negative attributes can be
generalised to all human beings such as
being aggressive, ungrateful, weak in
controlling sexual desire, unjust and
ignorant, selfish, rebellious, disagreeable
and arrogant, inclined to evil, hasty, and
miserly
 Several positive attributes can be
generalised to all human beings too such as
having a religious inclination, and being
self-actualising
 Islamic law is, in general, applicable to all
 Iman is the characteristic that provide
exception to the negative attributes
generalised to all human being
 Others: `amal salih, khushu`, acceptance of
hidayah, understanding, tawbah, sabr, `ilm,
taqwa, salat, etc.
 Islamic law, specifically, provide exceptions
of the general rules
 Itis the soul/iman that make people similar
to the general public or unique
 Itis up to Allah to group people accordingly
and/or to make us a unique human being
 Always ask for His guidance
 Some people claim that everybody is unique
and should be treated as one.
 What are the implications for fiqh and/or
da`wah?
PERSPECTIVE Biological P/dynamic Cognitive Behavioural Humanistic
/
ISSUES
Nature vs. Nature Nature Both Nurture Nurture
Nurture

Conscious vs. Unconscious Unconscious Both Conscious Conscious

unconscious

Observable vs. Internal Internal Internal Observable Internal

internal

Free-will vs. Determinism Determinism Free-will Determinism Free-will

determinism

Individual vs. Universal Universal Individual Both Individual

universal
A. Why modern B. How modern
psychology have psychology
different views human
perspectives? nature?

C. What are the D. Where is

issues/debates Islam in dealing
in modern with these
psychology? issues?
To consider all factors in
developing psychological theories

To include ‘soul’ as a variable in

psychological theories
 What lessons can we learn to develop
contemporary fiqh and/or da`wah models?
 By having an Islamic-scientific framework in
psychology, we would be better ‘abid by
promoting maqasid-based fiqh and we would
be better khalifah by promoting rahmah-
based da’wah
 Continuous or discrete variable?
 Increased iman vs. Decreased iman; Iman vs.
kufur
 Independent or dependent variable?
 Iman influencing behaviours; Behaviours
influencing iman
 Iman has different meanings/concepts
depending on the issues discussed. Be
careful of its usage; avoid getting into
unnecessary arguments
 Fiqh Da`wah

Psychologically- Psychologically-
based based

Iman-based