He holds that the nafs is peculiar to the zalim tyrant, the. Sufi philosophy wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. The history of mankind is replete with people who like mitya in the brothers karamazov are haunted by a great unsolved doubt. Sufism and its philosophical traditions may be associated with both sunni islam and shia islam. Avery explores the psychology of altered states among the early sufis. A sufi psychological treatise, was published in the muslim world, vol. In sufi psychology the heart ego refers to the spiritual heart or qalb, not the physical organ. Nov 20, 2011 in sufi psychology, nafs is considered to be the lowest principle of man. Frager was a trained psychologist, born in the united states, who converted to islam in the course of his practice of sufism and wrote extensively on sufism and psychology. It is a way to expand the current limitations of psychology to encompass the entirety of the human being.
They contain primarily informational, theoretical, and research articles, but also include poetry, art and sometimes personal experiences or stories. Popular sufism books showing 150 of 1,334 the forty rules of love hardcover by. Psychology in medieval islam psychology wiki fandom. There are three central ideas in sufi islamic psychology, which are the nafs self, ego or psyche, the qalb. In sufi terminology, this spiritual heart not a pump in the breast is again variously described.
Lataif faith in esoteric islam islam, islamic messages. Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the wikipedia article. The forty rules of love by elif shafak, the conference of the birds by attar of nishapur, the essential rumi by rumi, the sufis. Early mystical sayings on muhammads heavenly journey the fons vitae sulami series by colby, frederick s. Jul 19, 2016 in short, cleansing of the qalb or heart is a necessary spiritual discipline for travellers on the sufi path. Integrating islamic traditions in modern psychology. While the brain handles the physical impressions, qalb the heart is responsible for apprehending. Heart, self, and soul is the first book by a western psychologist to explore the rich spiritual tradition of sufism as a path for. Manajemen qolbu blends sufi ideas of the heart with western pop psychology and corporate models of human resources training. The sufis must be the biggest society of sensible men on earth. It holds the divine spark or spirit and is the place of gnosis and deep spiritual knowledge. Islamic psychology or ilmal nafsiat arabic, refers to the study of the nafs meaning self or psyche in arabic in the islamic world, particularly during the islamic golden age 8th15th centuries as well as modern times 20th21st centuries, and is related to psychology, psychiatry and the neurosciences. In the simplest terms, the heart al qalb is that in us which attends to god, while the nafs is that which blocks or interrupts this attention.
Copies of past journals are also available for purchase. The term for this process is tazkiahi qalb and the aim is the erasure of everything that stands in the way of purifying gods love or ishq. Qalb in sufi psychology the heart refers to the spiritual heart or qalb, not the physical organ. Of note with regard to the spread of sufi psychology in the west is robert frager, a sufi teacher authorized in the khalwati jerrahi order. The early sufi texts that are contained within the book all deal with some facet of the sufi path to god and are as follows. Robert frager, who has both, sufi and psychologist hats, evaluated human growth comparatively. This quest has led man from the dogmas of religion to the discourses of philosophy and finally to the empirical sciences. Idries shahs definitive work, the sufis, completely overturned western misconceptions of sufism, revealing a great spiritual and psychological tradition encompassing many of the worlds greatest thinkers. Robert frager on psychology from viewpoint of sufism.
This book is a good reference book for explaining what is refered to in most of the muslim countriesnormative islam as sufism and how it has. Sufism and psychology forum international association of. This is a definitive book on the sufi way of blame that addresses the cultural life of sufism in its entirety. They are thought to be parts of the self in a similar manner to the way glands and organs are part of the body. There are three central ideas in sufi islamic psychology, which are the nafs self, ego, soul or psyche, the qalb heart and the ruh spirit. Contributions of early muslim scholars and challenges to contemporary muslim psychologists amber haque abstract.
It has been suggested that sufi thought emerged from the middle east in the eighth century, but adherents are now found around the world. Sufism has been defined as a type of knowledge by the great muslim sufi masters. Drawing from quranic verses, virtually all sufis distinguish between nafs, qalb, sirr and ruh. Islamic perspectives, haque and mohamed 2009 identify philosophical concepts related to human nature, islamic concepts of soul, spirit, and heart, and human motivation and personality types from the quran. Human cognitions and behaviors are determined largely by a set of facts and values.
Psychology from the islamic perspective by aisha utz. His book muqaddimah known as prolegomena in the west was a classic on the social psychology of the peoples of the arabian peninsula. In sufi psychology the heart refers to the spiritual heart or qalb, not the physical organ. In perhaps the most recent book on the topic, younos 2017, in his principles of islamic psychology, states that hes going to define ip, but then never does. Through the principles of sufism each individual can come to know his or her innermost self, the self which is much more than simply thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
There are three central ideas in sufi islamic psychology, which are the nafs sel. The origin and basis of these terms is quranic and they have been expounded upon by centuries of sufic commentaries. The content of his book seems more in line with an islamization approach and what the quran and hadith have to say about a variety of psychology topics. Humans have always had the quest to know themselves, to know the world around them, and to know their place in the world. A very comprehensive psychology book from the perspective of. Sufi cosmology and psychology arvan harvat the purpose of the present essay is to clear a heap of misunderstanding that has. It is this spiritual heart that contains the deeper intelligence and wisdom. It cannot be learned from books or from a teacher as can the type of knowledge. The focus is on the earliest personalities of the islamic mystical tradition, as mediated by texts from the tenth to the twelfth centuries c. The sufi energy centres of the body instituteofawakening.
Originating in ninthcentury persia, the way of blame arab. Frager was a trained psychologist, born in the united states, who converted to islam in the course of his practice of sufism and. Qolbu is the islaminflected indonesian rendering for the arabic word qalb, roughly translated as the heart. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the. Spirituality being an integral part of most of the religious philosophies provides the value system for the majority of people. Sufism and psychology forum international association of sufism. He proposed five lataif at least qalb, ruh, sirr, and khafi, possibly to parallel the five. His islamic psychology proposed that childrens desires rarely included the potential consequences to others. Pdf this paper focuses on the self and related concepts as a sufi phrase and is. For sufis, the heart is more than a physical organ, it is the seat of the soul, which holds the key to the.
Psychology of early sufi sama listening and altered. As an adjective, the arabic word latif means subtle. Drawing from the quran, many sufis distinguish nafs, qalb, sirr, ruh, khafi, and akhfa as the six lataif. Translator and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
The psychology of alghazzali concept of normality according to alghazzali, the spiritual entity or true self of humanity is the qalb heart which abides in the physical body and controls his. Vahab 2004, in his book an introduction to islamic psychology. In sufi terminology, this spiritual heart not to be. The facts are mostly derived from the science and the values have their origin in religious or nonreligious philosophies such as humanism and existentialism. This book proposes many frameworks for understanding human psychology. Psychology of early sufi sama listening and altered states. Lataifesitta project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Sufi cosmology and psychology arvan harvat the purpose of the present essay is to clear a heap of misunderstanding that has accrued around the sufi concept of latifa pl. Stated another way each of the lataif are refinements of one another. Heart and brain work together, but it is the heart where true knowledge can be received. Bakhtiar, laleh 2019, quranic psychology of the self. Start reading rebranding islam james bourk hoesterey. Psychology and spirituality in the sufi way paperback by.
Are diseases of the heart qalb or nafs the only type of disorders that it. The primary focus on the spiritual dimensions of the human being, who, irrespective of gender, needs to. Oct 15, 2012 qalb in sufi psychology the heart refers to the spiritual heart or qalb, not the physical organ. Each academic year, workshops or conferences are held at various universities, and the theme varies.
The heart proper qalb, which is within the breast, is the abode of the light of faith. Often people take their hearts word inner feeling as truthful. Higher than the nafs is the qalb heart, and the ruh spirit. Psychology and sufism, both investigates for the inner mysteries of humans and suggest some ways to help them improve their lives. Sufi psychology there are three central ideas in sufi islamic psychology, which are the nafs self, ego, soul or psyche, the qalb heart and the ruh spirit.
This tripartition forms the foundation of later, more complicated systems. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. In sufism, the goal is to develop a heart that is sincere, loving and. Sufi philosophy includes the schools of thought unique to sufism, a mystical branch within islam, also termed as tasawwuf or faqr according to its adherents. Sufi teaching techniques encompass the linear, intellectual realm, but focus on the nonlinear, emphasizing learning through the use of music, stories, art, poetry, movement, and involvement in. Membership in the sufi psychology association includes a subscription for us members only to sufism. In sufism, the goal is to develop a heart that is sincere. Sufism is a mystic tradition that found a home in islam and encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to allah, divine love and the cultivation of the heart. See more of meditation techniquesthe beauty of a silent mind.
The sufi psychology association journal is titled sufism. Sufi teaching techniques encompass the linear, intellectual realm, but focus on the nonlinear, emphasizing learning through the use of music, stories, art, poetry, movement, and involvement in direct experience. A textbook on islamic moral psychology ilm alnafs, kazi publications, isbn. Jul 30, 2014 in short, cleansing of the qalb or heart is a necessary spiritual discipline for travellers on the sufi path. Islamic psychology refers to the study of psychology. The primary focus on the spiritual dimensions of the human being, who, irrespective of gender, needs to traverse the spiritual path, provides sufism with the. The great scholar and sufi mystic, alghazali 1058 1111ce, wrote the book ihya, which pointed out that children were naturally egocentric. In short, cleansing of the qalb or heart is a necessary spiritual discipline for travellers on the sufi path.
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