Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality by James M. Nelson

Author:James M. Nelson [Nelson, James M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2010-06-13T16:58:00+00:00

11.2.2.2 Islamic View of the Person

While there is not a single Islamic view of the human person, in general Islamic theory rejects reductionistic and dualistic models that focus just on our cognitive or biological aspects (Dwairy, 2006, pp. 49-52). Rather, it holds that each person comprises four parts. The (1) heart (galb) and (2) intellect (`aql) allow us to understand knowledge as given to us in the Qur'an and other sources. The heart in particular is critical, as it is the essence of our spirit and the place where we meet God, a mirror which can be polished to reflect the Divine and the Names that disclose God's attributes and actions (Nasr, 2002; Samsel, 2002; al-Ghazali, 1980, p. 87). These help us follow (3) the spirit (ruh) given by God to each person that contains a template of potential for that person, and (4) the self (nafs) which encompasses the biological and psychic aspects of the individual, our animal nature. This latter part also includes the passions and anger that underlie our negative potential for rebellion against God. However, rebellion is not our core purpose, for we were created with fitah, "a God-given innate state or inclination to believe in God and to worship Him" (Mohamed, 1995, p. 2), in which the four parts of the person are in harmony, and we experience contentment. Through belief, worship, and submission to God we can actualize this potential. Resisting it will lead to imbalance, discontent, and the possibility our powers can become evil and will be abused for selfish ends. In this view, satisfaction of materialistic and sexual needs does not lead to harmony but simply a condition of overstimulation. Rather, we need to practice self control and live in a society that supports this way of life. However, the exact nature of the path is different for every person. In the mystical Islamic thought of Sufism, each individual is believed to have a fixed personality structure that offers a particular kind of path toward God. This personality structure is represented in the Enneagram system, which is also popular among some contemporary Christian spiritual directors (Mohamed, 1995; Khalili et al., 2002; El Azayem & Hedayat- Diba, 1994; Inayat, 2001; see Section 14.2.2).

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