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The worship (ibadah) and the aim of Islamic Psychology

By ZULKIFLI KHAIR
2 The purpose of man’s life (as well as jinn’s life) The
purpose of life is ibadah (total submission, surrender, and
obedience to God). However God will never ever get any
losses if man do not perform ibadah or being the servant
of God. “I have only created jinns and men, that they may
SERVE Me. No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I
require that they should feed Me.” (az-Zariat, 51: 56-57)
God has a serious purpose to create man, not for idle sport
or play. God is independent of all needs.
3 Worship (ibadah) in Islam Two kinds of ibadah: Specific
ibadah (5 pillars of Islam) and general ibadah. Man as a
servant of God and khalifah (ambassador). General ibadah
- Any behaviour should be an ibadah as followed: 
Following the Islamic law.  Good intention to God. 
The practice never contradict to Islam.  Following the
priority: wajib and sunah; fardh ‘ayn and fardh kifayah.
4 Behaviour in Islam (1) All of the behaviours should be an
ibadah to God as discussed before. All of the behaviours
(good and bad) will be counted and judged in the
Judgment Day at the court of God. “Then shall anyone
who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! And anyone
who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it!” (al-
Zalzalah, 99: 7-8) Good in practice and behaviour is the
proof of good belief in the heart. Thus, man should
educate himself and control his soul.
5 Behaviour in Islam (2) Man should know the forbid and
forbidden behaviours according to the code of behaviour
(Islamic ethic and law, and others that do not against
Islam). Forbidden behaviours:
_________________________ Forbid behaviours:
_____________________________ e.g. Purity and
cleanliness: “He indeed is successful who purifies himself
(in mind and body), and remembers the name of his Lord,
then prays.” (87:14-15) e.g. Goodness and kindness to
others: “Do good to others, surely Allah loves those who do
good to others.” (2:195)
6 Behaviour and behaviourism (1) Skinner: Behaviours we
call right or wrong are not due to any real goodness or
badness in a situation nor they are due to innate
knowledge of right or wrong; they simply due to
contingencies involving many kind of positive and
negative reinforces; rewards and punishment.
Behaviourism is influenced by hedonism (love of pleasant
and joy), Darwinism (biological determinism; survival of
the fittest), and Hobbesian philosophy (man’s behaviour =
machine’s action).
7 Behaviour and behaviourism (2) Malik Badri: Trying to
explain broad issue like psycho- spiritual religious
phenomena using this restricted point of view is like blind
person telling the shape of elephant by only feeling part of
its body! Abbas Hussein Ali: Metaphors in modern
psychology:  Men are all-knowing, all-just, all-powerful
and loving (man = God).  Men’s behaviour is
involuntary, performed without conscious awareness,
predetermined, and fixed and routine (man = machine).
Behaviourist only dealt with the outside part of human
being – human as if ‘humachine’ = ‘homo machine’.
8 Al-Ghazali and behaviour (1) Al-Ghazali has discussed
the ‘soul’ part of man expansively. Behaviour can be
changed by learning and training. He defended his claim
by generalising from animal to human behaviour by
saying: How can a person deny the ability of training and
learning in changing human emotion and behaviour when
even animal’s behaviour can radically changed by such
efforts? However, al-Ghazali did not deny the inherited
and instinctual emotional behaviour such as sex and food,
and also anger and fear which are created by Allah in
man’s nature to facilitate his life on the earth.
9 Al-Ghazali and behaviour (2) Al-Ghazali accepted the
individual differences in education and training. He also
contributed in ‘behavioural therapeutic’ (bringing balance
between the mind and the body) as referred to Abu Zaid
al-Balkhi who showed the influence of contemplation on
health. Al-Ghazali’s approach is similar to the ‘reciprocal
inhibition’ as introduced by Wolpe:  Reducing food for
obese greedy person.  Spending money for stinginess. 
Humility for arrogance.
10 To get knowledge. To get job. To serve to the family,
nation, and ‘ummah’. Responsible. To worship to God. To
get blessing of God (the ultimate aim). Why are you going
to study?
11 Psychology = ‘ilm an-nafs 'Psyche' according to the
Oxford dictionary means the spirit, soul or mind; thus it
corresponds with the Arabic word 'Al- Nafs' and its various
senses. In Islamic psychology, chapters on spirit, soul, and
mind are utmost important, Should lead to fulfill the
purpose life of man and the responsibility of man (as ‘abid
and khalifah). Ancient muslim scholars has studied
human’s soul extensively in the Islamic philosophy so that
man can reach the ultimate soul; the true servant of God
and khalifah. It also dealt with therapy towards a healthy
soul and body. Ibn Qayyim for example wrote on spirit and
soul, besides that he wrote on medicine such as Tibb an-
Nabawi.
12 The aim of psychology definitely must be determined by
the Islamic law and philosophy based on the revealed
knowledge.
13 Ibn Qayyim: Treating sadness, grief, and depression (1)
1 - Affirming Allaah's Oneness in His Lordship 2 -
Affirming Allaah's Oneness in His Worship 3 - The belief
in the creed of Tawheed 4 - Praising Allaah for not dealing
with His slave with injustice and for not punishing him
without a reason 5 - The slave's affirming that it is he who
has committed the injustice 6 - Pleading to Allaah by the
most beloved methods to Him, by His Names, Attributes
such as al-'Hay (The Ever Living), Al Qayyum (Who
Sustains everything and everyone) 7 - Depending and
relying on Allaah Alone for everything 8 - The slave
affirms that his hope is only in Allaah 9 - Acquiring true
dependence on Allaah and relating all matters to Him,
while admitting that the slave's forelock is in His Hands
Alone and that He does with it whatever He will. Also
admitting that Allaah's decision on the slave will certainly
come to pass and that His judgement is certainly just.
14 Ibn Qayyim: Treating sadness, grief, and depression (2)
10 - The slave's heart should enjoy the gardens of the
Qur'an and should make the Qur'an just like the spring of
pure water to the animals. Also the slave should use the
light of the Qur'an to shatter the darkness of desires and
lusts. The Qur'an should be one's companion when no one
else is present; the comfort that relieves every type of
calamity and the cure that discards every illness that
attacks the slave's heart. In short, the Qur'an should be the
remover of sadness and the end of depression and grief. 11
- Turning to istighfaar, seeking forgiveness from Allaah 12
- Repenting to Allaah 13 - Performing jihad in Allaah's
Cause 14 - Performing prayer 15 - Relating all power and
strength to He Who grasps them in His Hands."
15 Al-Kindi: Music theory and psychology “Al-Kindi was
the first great theoretician of music in the Arab- Islamic
world. He proposed adding a fifth string to the 'ud and
discussed the cosmological connotations of music. He
surpassed the achievement of the Greek musicians in
using the alphabetical annotation for one eighth. As a
psychologist, Al-Kindi also realized the therapeutic value
of music and tried to cure a quadriplegic boy with music
therapy. He published fifteen treatises on music theory,
but only five have survived. In one of his treaties the word
musiqia was used for the first time in Arabic, which today
means music in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, English and
several other languages in the Islamic world.
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