Download Tip pantas menyiapkan buletin

The systematic
approach and
methodology of Islamic
psychology
By
ZULKIFLI KHAIR
Ibn Khaldun: Think & call to Allah (1)



Note: Commentaries inside the bracket are by
Ahmad von Denffer.
The natural means for the perception of truth is…
man’s natural ability to think (Because you can
think you can discover the truth. This is the
natural way.).
When it is free from all misgivings and when the
thinker entrusts himself to the mercy of God (So
you relate your thinking to Allah, then you can
discover the truth, that is the natural way).
Ibn Khaldun: Think & call to Allah (2)


Logic merely describes the process of thinking
and mostly parallels it. Take that consideration
and ask for God’s mercy when you have difficulty
in understanding the problems (Logic is on
describing the process and does not bring the
result. Call to Allah if you have difficulty in
understanding.)
Then (when you ask for Allah’s mercy) the divine
light will shine upon you and give you the right
inspiration . God guides in His mercy. Knowledge
comes only from God.
Islamic vs. unislamic methodology



Majority of the modern systematic @ scientific
methodologies (either qualitative, quantitative,
and triangulation; from addressing the problem
till the data analysis) are not against Islam.
Islamic psychology accept the soul part @
essence in human being, while the
manifestation of soul could be studied by the
modern methodologies as long as does not
against Islam.
Cloning activity and hadith “You know better
of your own worldly matter.”
As long as the result is good…


A man said to the Prophet: “Give me some
advice.” Muhammad said, “Judge its matter by its
disposition. If you see good in its outcome, carry
on with it; but if you fear transgressing the limits
set by Allah, then abstain from it.” (Refer Syarah
as-Sunnah)
Ahmad von Denffer (1983) in Research in Islam:
Look into the future. If you see the outcome will
be good, carry on with it. If you see the outcome
will be bad, leave it.
Information vs. knowledge

Data @ result is somewhat of information,
depends on how you explain and interpret it,
influenced by your philosophy @ belief.
INFORMATION
KNOWLEDGE
WISDOM
Serious error of commission


“Euro-American psychology has committed
a serious error of commission (doing things
that should not have been done) by applying
irrelevant issues, methods of analysis, and
tools to illiterate, rural, and traditional
people in nonwestern cultures.” (Omar H.
Khaleefa, 1997)
Read:


Omar H. Khalifa, 1997. e.g. ‘Literate test’ for illiterate
respondens.
Malik Badri, 1978. e.g. Sexual ‘repression’ on the
slowness response towards stimulus sexual words.
Survey method: Sexual behaviour



Sexual behaviour research lead by Alfred
Kinsey in the mid 1930’s; more than 10k people;
Sexual behaviour in the human male (1948) and
Sexual behaviour in the human female (1953).
Results included the positive abnormal sex
behaviour in the United States community – the
serious error of commission.
Related current issue; read ‘Miskin Agama:
Rakyat Amerika sudah tidak mahu berkahwin’.
Animal experiment



Look at the previous discussion.
Prophet Muhammad: “Whosever killed a bird
without rights, then on the Day of Judgment
Allah will bear him responsible.” (Sahih as
recorded by Ahmad)
Read ‘Animal Right: An Islamic Perspective’
and ‘Fatwa on Gene Therapy’ in IslamOnline;
‘Fatwa on Cloning by JAKIM’.
Experimental psychology by Ibn alHaitham



Read ‘Who Is the Founder of Psychophysics
and Experimental Psychology?’ by Omar H.
Khalifa (1999).
Ibn al-Haitham wrote in Kitab al-Manazir @
Book of Optics (1021) about the experimental
approach to the psychology of visual
perception, commentaries by Roger Bacon
(1210-1292).
Ibn al-Haitham studied visual perceptions;
perception of colors, sensation of touch,
perception of darkness, the psychological
explanation of moon illusion etc.
Physiological psychology by classical
Muslim scholars



Read ‘Islamic Medicine: 1000 years ahead
of its time’ by Ibrahim Syed (2002).
Ibn Sina: The relationship between pulse
rate and inner feeling.
An asylum for the mentally ill has been
built as early in the 8th century in Baghdad
(705), Cairo (800), Damascus and Aleppo
(1270).
Can we be objective? (1)

“A problem for psychology is that it
attempts to adopt a detached academic and
‘scientific’ standpoint. Scientists pretend to
be objective, that is, free from bias and
free from value. But this cannot be so. As
we have been seen above, you inevitably
view the world from a particular
perspective, that as yourself and the
various groups to which you belong.
(cont.)…”
Can we be objective? (2)


“… I cannot be free from bias because my
behaviour and conversation are affected by
the way I interpret the world and the
opinions that frame these interpretations.”
“Historically, psychology was dominated
by white middle class heterosexual men,
who developed theories that reflected the
concerns and interests of that group of
people!” (Read ‘Bias in Psychology’)
Conclusion

The systematic approach and methodology of
Islamic psychology:


Should not against Islamic law and adab.
Should influenced by the Islamic philosophy and
aim that set priority for the development of ummah
and mankind.