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Presented at the official launch of the online short course in mental health, psychology, and counseling: an Islamic perspective, at the International Islamic University Malaysia, 17th January 2026. By Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard), King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Teaching Hospital, Princess Noura University, Riyadh
PSYCHOLOGY IS THE DISCIPLINE THAT STUDIES MENTAL HEALTH:
THE DISCIPLINE OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A CHALLENGE TO MUSLIM THINKERS:► Talking about integration in mental health has three meanings: (a) integration of biology and psyche and (b) integration of aql and naql (c) integration of thought and practice.
► We need to look at ilm naqli to discover concepts of good health and concepts of bad health.
► We employ concepts from naql in analysing empirical data and reaching conclusions.
SUBJECT MATTER OF PSYCHOLOGY:► The human duality: nafs + jasad. Nafs is the essence of the human and is permanent while the jasad is temporary. Jasad cannot exist independently of the nafs while the nafs can exist outside the jasad.
► The nafs manifest in many ways humans do not fully understand: ruh, qalb, fuaad, etc. Scholars have discussed the nature of the nafs and have differences which we will not discuss here. All we need to know is that nafs exists and is the essence of the human.
NAFS IS THE ESSENCE OF PERSONHOOD:► Psychology is the study of the human mind and human behavior. It is not only a study of the nafs (‘ilm Al nafs).
► Psychology studies both the nafs and the jasad, especially the interaction of the two. We know that the nafs influences the jasad. There is controversy about whether jasad influences the nafs.
► Qur’an uses the word nafs interchangeably between jasad and nafs.
► وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ. البقرة ٤٨
► كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ. آل عمران ١٨٥
► مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۚوَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي الْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ. المائدة ٣
NAFS CAN BE GOOD OR BAD:
► مَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ. يوسفغ ٥٣
► وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ. الابقرة ٢٠٧
► يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ * ارْجِعِي إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً. الفجر ٢٨
PSYCHOLOGY IS COMPLEX:
► Both nafs and jasad influence the human mind and human behavior.
► The human mind and human behavior manifest the human duality of the material and non-material components.
► This makes psychology a complex subject.
PSYCHOLOGY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR:
THE SUFI EXPERIENCE:► Psychologists have developed insights into human behavior that have enabled them to control and direct human behavior.
► The use of psychology to control human behavior has had its positive and negative consequences in many fields: media, industry, politics, etc.
PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH:► Sufi experiences are a spectrum with some extremes. The main idea is spiritual discipline among the adherents.
► Sufi masters are able, through training, to get full submission of the followers.
THE CHALLENGE TO RESEARCH:► I am disappointed that the modern discipline of psychology started with the study of abnormal psychology and developed concepts and paradigms in that direction
► Most human behavior is normal with aberrations in the majority of individuals from time to time under stress and major aberrations for a few people
► Normal psychology should have been the start of the discipline. Once the normal is well defined, it becomes easy to identify the abnormal.
COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH:► Development of a modern Islamic perspective of psychology requires research in the psychology of the normal, integrating empirical sources of ilm aqli with the transmitted sources of ilm naqli.
► The psychology of the abnormal is the study of deviations from the normal and how to prevent or cure them.
► Integration of knowledge will be achieved by new research and is a subject for the future.
► Most of the research should be applied to interventions to study the impact of various factors on mental health as a basis for policies and programs.
FAMILY MENTAL HEALTH:► The concept of community health was not widely known until the last quarter-century. It is, however, a very old concept found in the Qur’an.
► The Qur'an has told us about many communities in the past as lessons for us.
► Good, al balad al taib. Surat Araf:58 وَالْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ ۖ وَالَّذِي خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ
► Safe, al balad al amiin. Surat Tiin:3 وَهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِ
► The Qur'an also told of communities that were victims of collapse, khiraab, those that were punished by famine, or were destroyed by Allah, ihlaak. The physical destruction was due to moral deviations like batar, transgression, dhulm, and corruption, fasaad.
► No community is destroyed or is punished until it receives a warning from Allah. Surat Isra:15 مَّنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا
► A healthy community is the basis for a healthy family.
PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL - BEING IS A BASIS FOR FAMILY HEALTH - 1:► Good mental and physical health requires that children grow up in a healthy family so that they can be balanced adults who will set up successful families.
► There is no alternative to the family for child upbringing.
► The family teaches attributes needed for balanced psychological health: trust, loyalty, a sense of belonging, and rights and responsibilities.
► The family is a basic social unit that operates as an economic and primary healthcare unit.
► A dysfunctional family leads to several dysfunctional families 2-3 decades later, and the vicious circle continues.
PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL - BEING IS A BASIS FOR FAMILY HEALTH - 2:► My proposition is that there is a lot of unrecognized mental ill-health in the community and that this is a major cause of family break-up.
► Many bad husbands and wives are sick, and their mental illness manifests as neglect and abuse of the family.
► Early diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders would prevent family dysfunction and breakdown. Simple medications or psychotherapy can save the family.
► In the old days, grandparents and other relatives would be counselors, and they saved many families.
PROBLEMS AND STRESSES OF LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH:► In our sophisticated society, they no longer play that role. We need marriage counselors with psychological training.
► Undiagnosed psychiatric disease is an underlying cause of many social problems such as marital discord, nushuuz, violence, homicide, social incompetence, and neglect of self and others.
► Common mental issues can be neuroses, psychoses, or personality disorders. These are complicated by addictions (drugs, alcohol, etc.) and perverse lifestyles.
► We need to develop general community awareness that family problems may be due to mental health, and to solve these, and not let the family collapse.
► Problems are pre-ordained.
► مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ [الحديد:22].
► Problems are a reason for forgiveness of sins.
► عن عائشة قالت: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: ما من شيء يصيب المؤمن حتى الشوكة تصيبه إلا كتب الله له بها حسنة أو حطت عنه بها خطيئة. متفق علي
► Causes of stresses: anger and envy
► لا تباغضوا ولا تحاسدوا وكونوا عباد الله إخوانا. رواه البخاري ومسلم.
► سورة الحجر، الآية 97: وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ.
FACING STRESSES OF LIFE:
► Taqwa and stresses of life.
► سورة الطلاق»«وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا
► Dhikr and solving problems
► ومَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا
► Patience infront of difficulties is the key to success
► وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ * الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ * أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ ...
► Iman or its deficiency is the underlying factor in dealing with social stresses
► قول رَسُولُ الله ﷺ: “عَجَباً لأمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ لَهُ خَيْرٌ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لأِحَدٍ إِلاَّ للْمُؤْمِن: إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْراً لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خيْراً لَهُ.” رواه مسلم.J
► وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُور﴾ هود: 9
► وَإِذَا أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ أَعْرَضَ وَنَأَى بِجَانِبِهِ وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ كَانَ يَئُوسًا. الإسراء: 83
► Calmness of the heart
► ﴿الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ﴾. سورة الرعد ٢٨
► {لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا}[الفتح:18].
MENTAL DISORDERS IN CHILDREN:
► Children suffer from a wide range of mental disorders; some are specific to children, but others are like those of adults.
► Many childhood mental disorders are related to disorders/diseases in the intra-uterine or postnatal periods.
► Many childhood mental disorders are a direct result of a dysfunctional family and have long-lasting effects in adulthood, resulting in a vicious circle.
TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDER:► The social environment may also contribute to childhood disorders because of its negative influence. Bukhari 1385 كلُّ مولودٍ يولَدُ على الفطرةِ فأبواه يُهوِّدانِه أو يُنصِّرانِه أو يُمجِّسانِه
► Efforts should be made to discover childhood disorders early to start early treatment.
RESEARCH PROPOSALS FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA:► The beginning is to realize that these are diseases like any other organic disease, and most have an organic basis that can be treated by drugs.
► We should avoid stigmatization.
► Dua and other acts of ibadat are the first lines of treatment.
► Psychotherapy, including cognitive therapy.
► Behavioral approaches.
► Drugs and surgery as a last resort.
RESEARCH PROPOSALS FROM EASTERN AFRICA:► MALAWI: Impact of Islamic Teaching on Mental Health Coping Strategies among Muslim Women in Malawi by Imran Kachingwe.
► ZAMBIA: The Islamic Framework of the Muslim Family as the Bedrock of Society Unity and National Development by Esnart Husna Mkandawire.
► ZAMBIA: A Guide on Premarital Islamic Counselling Zambia by Nihad
► UGANDA: Towards stable Muslim social institutions: A psychosocial-spiritual approach by Sis. Shamsia Ramadhan.
► UGANDA: Impact of social media usage by Students in Uganda by Rajab Munyingo.
► UGANDA: Towards stable Muslim social institutions: control of drug addiction among university students. By Dr Naziru Rashid.