Dilema Ahli Psikologi Muslim

by Malik B. Badri, Fadlullah Wilmot (Translator)

Psikologi - dengan segala perbincangan dan penghuraiannya - telah mengambil alih peranan agama di Barat, malah tidak keterlaluan jika dikatakan hampir-hampir menggantikannya. Ada pemikir dan sarjana Muslim yang terhanyut dalam jalan fikiran, pengulangan serta peniruan total daripada idea dan amalan Barat yang tidak berjiwa Islam.

Maka timbullah persoalan: adakah umat Islam benar-benar memerlukan psikologi moden? Adakah psikologi moden sepenuhnya Barat? Wujudkah cara untuk mengharmonikannya dengan Islam? Kesemua persoalan ini menjadi dasar utama kepada dilema yang dihadapi oleh pengamal Muslim bidang psikologi di lapangan.

Malik Badri, seorang ahli psikologi dari Sudan menyoroti permasalahan ini dan mengesyorkan jalan keluar bagi persoalan-persoalan tersebut, dalam naskhah istimewa ini.

Buku ini wajar dimiliki oleh semua ahli psikologi, pengamal perubatan psikiatri. para pelajar dalam bidang berkaitan serta masyarakat Muslim secara umum.

Genres: Psychology, Islam, Nonfiction, Religion, Medicine, Education

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Malik Babikr Badri Mohammed (16 February 1932 – 8 February 2021) was a Sudanese author and professor of psychology. He was the founder of the modern Islamic Psychology and published such influential books as The Dilemma of Muslim Psychologists and many others. He was sometimes affectionately called Baba Malik. He died on February 8, 2021, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was the son of Babikr Bedri who had established the Ahfad University. He was married with 7 children.

Reviews

[Hasina Rahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for this book since 2015 and finally I found this book in 2016. As a psychology major, I personally think everyone, regarless you are a psychology student or not, have to read this book. Even though some of the issues that have been raised by Prof Badri in this book have been settled, it is crucial for us to view psychology from different perspectives without violating the important aspects of psychology itself. His writings are very much enlightening as he has taken the whole discipline of Psychology into the examination room and eventually provoked us to have critical thinking on the whole Western approaches that have been introduced to us since the establishment of Psychology.

['Izzat Radzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asas penulisan berdasarkan 'Islamization of Knowledge'.
Kritik atas dogma bulat-bulat teori psikologi Barat, termasuk dalam pendidikan.

Saya syorkan
Bab 10 : The Dethroning of Freud in the West; dan
Bab 13 Are all schools of Western psychology soulless?
untuk ditelaah.
Kritik beliau atas Freud kerana kebanyakannya spekulasi sahaja, tanpa 'controlled research & definitive projection'.

Maklum dari Taleb akan psychology school oleh Kahnemann yang saya kira agak moden dan sangat empirical dalam eksperimennya, yang boleh dikawal dan dicuba dimana-mana.
Barangkali ia selari dengan idea penulis ini tentang bukan semua ilmu psikologi Barat harus ditolak.

[Eisya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Malik Badri mengajak pembaca merenung teori-teori psikologi Barat secara kritis. Hal ini kerana, aliran behaviorism serta psikoanalitik yang mendominasi bidang ini banyak bercanggah dengan perspektif Islam. Perkara ini membimbangkan, terutama apabila pengamal ilmu psikologi, sebagai contoh, ahli terapi, mengaplikasikan teori ini di lapangan dengan membuta-tuli, lebih-lebih lagi sewaktu merawat pesakit muslim. Kebergantungan tunggal kepada 'model' bagi menjelaskan fenomena tingkah laku serta personaliti manusia ini secara realitinya terlalu sempit dan sirna jiwa. Bidang yang mengkaji tentang jiwa ini seharusnya terbuka kepada faktor proses kognitif yang mempengaruhi tingkah laku dan seterusnya berusaha memberikan penilaian yang holistik.
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Buku ini secara tidak langsung 'memaksa' saya meneliti latar belakang Freud bersama sejarah teori psikoanalitiknya. Berbekalkan pengetahuan yang tersangatlah cetek, saya berasa puas dengan garapan Dr. Malik Badri yang menuntun saya ke horizon yang lebih luas.

Makanya, perjalanan mengamati sejarah perkembangan psikoanalitik ini nyata berbaloi. Apatah lagi sumber rujukan yang dipetik di dalam buku ini membantu saya bagi menjejak asal-usul teori ini. Kefahaman ini, menurut Dr. Malik Badri, adalah penting sebagai benteng penyelamat dari terjerumus ke dalam 'lubang biawak'.

"...𝙨𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙝 𝙟𝙞𝙠𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙠𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙠 𝙠𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙢 𝙡𝙪𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙞𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙠 𝙥𝙪𝙣 𝙠𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙮𝙖." (Riwayat Muslim)
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Beliau walaubagaimanapun tidaklah begitu 'kejam' mencantas teori Barat sedang beliau akur dengan manfaat pelaziman operan (operant conditioning) selagimana selari dengan prinsip Islam. Aliran humanistik juga mendapat perhatian sebagai teori yang melihat manusia sebagai makhluk yang 'berjiwa'.
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Di samping mengkritik, Dr. Malik Badri turut mencadangkan alternatif bagi ahli psikologi gunaan mengharmonikan 'islam' dan 'psikologi' sewaktu berkhidmat di lapangan.
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Magnum opus yang menjadi perintis kepada islamisasi ilmu psikologi ini wajar menjadi bacaan semua, lebih-lebih lagi buat yang berminat atau terlibat dalam jurusan psikologi atau sains sosial.

[Betül YILMAZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think, every muslim psycology students have to read this book in their first years. When I was a student, ı tought about this problem and ı found same points with Malik Bedri. There for, ı think my way is correct. But I wish ı could read this book before my psycology education. İf ı could be an academics at a university, ı will learn this questions and answers my students. ı try to improve my knowledge about this problem. If you are another one like me, please contact me, cause ı wanna know your opinion.

[Hadeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides an understanding of how Muslim psychologists studied western schools of thought in Psychology that simply contradicts with our Islamic beliefs. The author critical analysis of Freud who most psychologists studied reveals so much about the dangers of following his ideas that weren't based on a sound ideology of understanding the human self.

At the same time, the author doesn't say we shun completely western schools of thought but we should carefully put Islam before our eyes while we are taking from these schools and reject whatever doesnt align with our Islamic values.

[Hana Bilqisthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

i wish i read this book sooner when i was in my first year studying psychology... :)
it gave a lot of thought .. and it made me realize that i am not critical enough when i am studying psychology.. i did not compare what i got with al-quran and hadith...
this book is written in 1978.. and it made me wonder.. what does malik badri think about positive psychology...
after reading this.. i became motivated to become part or member islamic psychology and help it grows.. but i am still finding a way to do that,..
:)))
i think this book is recommended to all muslim who learn psychology :D

[Mira Yunus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salvaged this book from my late father's collection left in the house's garage. He was once a Psychology lecturer in a relatively unknown academy. I was curious simply because I'm an IT professional who has never once encountered any religious dilemma in my line of work (one of the perks of taking on a STEM major!).

The book starts with how a surgeon would basically apply the exact same method to his/her patients no matter where he was practicing. He/she would also disregard things like cultural environment of the said patient upon slicing him up and so on. This shows the unique predicament of psychologists who cannot afford to disregard their patients psychological background and goes on to elaborate on how Muslim psychologists might find differences in values of what they study/practice to what they believe in.

From my limited knowledge of the field, the book fairly criticizes some of the so-called western theories, also using some other western theories that criticize them. It made a good case against Freud's psychoanalysis with many sources voicing similar opinions.

What I like most about the book is how it encourages Muslim scholars to be critical of what they are reading and studying. Students must evaluate theories objectively and analysed whether they are compatible with the values of Islam. If not one must elaborate why it is not and what the better alternative to that specific theory is. As in any social sciences, the theories in psychology are not the kind of one size fits all answer to every problem encountered in the field. The book demonstrates that in an eloquent way by bringing more theories that serve as an alternate point of views to the theories it criticizes.

It encourages practitioners to evaluate their methods and approaches too. Before applying a particular approach for their patients, psychologists must find out their values and the things they believe in. The book brings in a case study of two of the author's patients who came from sub-saharan countries, which then explains how effective an approach can be when taking the beliefs of the patients fully into account.

Even though I'm not a psychologist myself, this book is gold and it gave an interesting new perspective to the realm of psychology.

[Nuruddin Azri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sewaktu menuntut ilmu di Qasr al-Aini dahulu, subjek psikologi (ilm al-nafs) merupakan subjek yang dinanti-nantikan kerana ia adalah sekelumit kecil subjek sains sosial (selain subjek kesihatan awam) yang ada berbanding timbunan subjek “hard science” lain yang lebih memerlukan kepada ribuan hafalan teori. Sains sosial (soft science) seperti ilmu psikologi ini, sifatnya cenderung kepada persoalan “mengapa?” manakala “hard science” seperti ilmu anatomi, fisiologi, mikrobiologi, parasitologi dan farmakologi cenderung kepada persoalan “bagaimana?”.

Sayang seribu kali sayang, silibus yang digunakan itu bersifat “dry” dan hampir tiada profesor universiti mampu untuk berinteraksi dengan teori-teori Barat ini dan menghuraikannya secara lumat dari perspektif pandangan alam Islam. Aspek etika yang diselitkan pada penghujung silibus juga tidak diberikan penekanan sewajarnya malahan kelihatan sekadar mencukupkan silibus (Maka, buku Abu Bakr al-Razi, Fazlur Rahman, Roy Porter, Peter Pormann dan Foucault menjadi bacaan tambahan luar kuliah pada waktu itu).

Buku Dilema Ahli Psikologi Islam (The Dilemma of Muslim Psychologists) ini merupakan sebuah cubaan Islamisasi ilmu psikologi moden oleh ahli psikologi kelahiran Sudan, Prof. Malik Badri. Beliau terhutang budi dan sedikit sebanyak menggunakan kerangka al-Maududi, Syed Qutb, Muhammad Qutb dan Maryam Jameelah dalam projeknya ini.

Dalam buku ini, penulis cuba meruntuhkan teori “behaviourism” oleh B. F. Skinner dan teori “psychoanalysis” oleh Sigmund Freud yang bersifat “reductionist” kerana korpus perbahasannya terlalu bergantung kepada aspek fizikal (id, oedipus, libido, totem and taboo) sahaja berbanding konsep psikospiritual Islam yang merangkumi aspek fizikal dan spiritual.

Penulis memulakan perbahasan dengan membedah satu per satu permasalahan dalam idea yang digagaskan oleh pengasas psikologi Barat, Sigmund Freud kerana ia menjadi rujukan utama dalam peradaban Barat hatta dalam dalam negara Islam sendiri. Penulis menyifatkan ahli psikologi Muslim yang menelan bulat-bulat teori psikologi Barat yang bersifat kulitan ini sebagai golongan yang terjerat dalam “lubang biawak”.

Hal ini kerana, setelah era Freud, muncul beberapa ahli psikologi Barat lain seperti anak murid Freud sendiri iaitu Carl Gustav Jung yang pada awalnya perlu mengambil alih kerusi psikoanalisis Freud, lalu pada akhirnya membuat keputusan untuk membawa alirannya yang tersendiri, psikologi analitikal setelah menyedari kepentingan aspek spiritual dalam ilmu psikologi.

Tokoh selepasnya, Victor E. Frankl dengan karya autobiografinya “Man’s Search for Meaning” turut menyedari peri penting aspek ruhani ini dalam menyelesaikan krisis kewujudan dalam diri setiap insan lalu Victor mengasaskan teori “logotherapy” hasil pengalaman pahitnya di kem Nazi ketika peristiwa Holocaust.

Bertitik tolak dari sinilah, Prof. Malik Badri menyatakan kebimbangan terhadap sebahagian golongan ahli psikologi Muslim yang masih menerima kerangka psikologi Barat secara bulat-bulat tanpa mampu melihat dari sudut spiritual dan menjalinkannya dalam dunia praktikal.

Penulis menceritakan bagaimana beliau pernah dirujuk oleh jabatan neuropsikiatri di Hospital Rabat dengan pelbagai penyakit seperti depresi dan “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder” (OCD).

Menariknya, penulis membawakan ayat dalam Surah al-Imran,

وسارعوٓا إلى مغفرةٍ من ربكم وجنةٍ عرضُها السمواتُ والأرضُ أُعدت للمتقين (133) الذين يُنفقون في السّرآء و الضّرآء والكَظمين الغيظَ والعافينَ عن الناس والله يُحب المحسنين (134) والذين إذا فعلوا فَحشةً أو ظلموٓا أنفسَهم ذكروا اللهَ فاستغفَروا لِذنوبهم ومن يغفرُ الذنوبَ إلا الله ولم يُصِرُّوا على ما فعلوا وهم يَعلمون (135)

ketika merawat pesakit depresi (setelah rawatan fizikal terhadap penyakit itu gagal) dan impaknya pesakit itu menangis selepasnya dan sembuh. Ketua Unit Psikoterapi di tempat itu, Dr. Habib, kemudiannya berkata kepada Prof. Malik Badri bahawa sudah tiga tahun naskhah al-Quran terdapat di rak pejabatnya, tetapi dia langsung tidak pernah terlintas untuk mengambilnya dan menggunakannya sebagai alat terapi!

Kisah kedua pula adalah apabila penulis menggunakan pendekatan memberikan kefahaman dan mengadakan soal jawab ketika ingin merawat pesakit OCD. Pesakit itu pada asalnya sering mengumpulkan kertas sampah selain mengambil masa yang lama untuk berwudhu’ dan solat kerana berasa waswas. Penulis mengajak pesakit untuk solat berjemaah bersama-sama dan menyatakan bahawa tanggungjawab bacaan ketika solat itu kemudiannya akan terpundak pada imam. Lalu pesakit itu tidak kembali kepada tabiat lamanya semula selepas itu.

Prof. Malik Badri percaya bahawa tidak semua teori Barat itu perlu diruntuhkan dan ditolak secara total kerana ianya telah menjalar dan menyerap dalam kehidupan dunia moden pada hari ini, tetapi setiap ahli psikologi Muslim perlu kritis dalam memahami teori tersebut serta bijak dalam menyaring dan menyepadukan konsep-teras ajaran psikologi Islam ke dalam ilmu tersebut seperti yang terpamer pada sosok Ibn Sina (psikoterapi dan psikiatri), Ibn Khaldun (sosiologi dan psikologi sosial), Ibn Sirin (tafsir mimpi), al-Ghazali dan al-Muhasibi (kajian personaliti).

Pada hari ini, kita dapat lihat terdapat banyak projek yang cuba mengintegrasikan antara unsur ruhani dan jasmani ini seperti projek dan model māristan yang cuba dihidupkan oleh Dr. Rania Awaad di wad psikiatri di Hospital Stanford, Amerika Syarikat. Di sini, pesakit turut dibawa kepada unsur-unsur ketenangan alam, keharmonian bunyi dan keindahan seni lukisan dalam sesi terapi.

Kata Dr. Rania sewaktu syarahan umumnya di HUKM beberapa minggu lalu, beliau membawa model “bio-psycho-socio-spiritual”, keseimbangan di dalamnya serta penekanan terhadap dua komponen psikiatri iaitu “milieu” dan “aftercare”, bukan sekadar merawat simptom sahaja. Beliau mengambil kata-kata Salman al-Farisi mengenai hak badan terhadap Tuhan, keluarga dan diri selain peri penting keseimbangan antara minda, jasad dan ruh. Kisah al-Razi meletakkan daging di pelbagai bandar untuk melihat daging mana yang paling lambat rosak (supaya hospital dapat dibina di sana) juga turut dikongsikan serta beliau menyarankan buku “Masalih al-Abdan wa al-Anfus” oleh Abu Zayd al-Balkhi selain buku “The Dilemma of Muslim Psychologists” ini untuk bacaan lanjut.

Dalam praktis kesihatan awam pula, para pegawai perubatan tidak dapat lari daripada menjumpai pesakit yang menemui jalan buntu setelah pemeriksaan demi pemeriksaan fizikal dilakukan kerana dalam sesetengah kes, akhirnya ia perlu diselesaikan melalui jalan spiritual dan metafizikal dek kerana fitrah insan itu sendiri yang terdiri daripada unsur ruhani dan jasmani. Hikmah ciptaan Tuhan itu sendiri berpasang-pasangan: ruh-jasad, malam-siang, langit-bumi, syurga-neraka, kebaikan-kejahatan, benar-dusta, dosa-pahala, lelaki-wanita, cytosine-guanine, adenine-thymine, systole-diastole, RNA-DNA dan chromosome X-chromosome Y.

Saya menyarankan buku “al-Ruh wa al-Jasad” oleh Dr. Mustafa Mahmud, “Bayan al-Farq baina al-Sadr wa al-Qalb wa al-Fu’ad wa al-Lubb” oleh al-Hakim al-Tirmizi, “Meaning and Experience of Happiness in Islam” dan “The Nature of Man and the Psychology of the Human Soul” oleh Prof. al-Attas untuk bacaan yang lebih mendalam mengenai konsep, peranan dan hubungkait antara unsur ruhani dan jasmani ini.

——

*Terjemahan terbitan IIUM Press ini sedikit pejal dan janggal pada sebahagian perenggan tetapi ianya tidaklah mencacatkan keseluruhan pemahaman dan pengalaman pembacaan.

[Abu Kamdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief yet excellent analysis of the challenges facing Muslim psychologists with practical solutions to move forward.

[athira · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's truly eye-opening to read how the author critic some of the atheist theories and ideology of a well known psychologist (sigmund freud) that is obviously opposed to the islamic teaching.

he is also openly enraged by the fact that even muslims psychologist just parrot and iterate the theory without critically think about it when they should have instead, putt themselves as muslims first, and only then a psychologist – which fullfils the the prophecy of a hadith that says

"You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in"

so many new insights reading this. never have looked at psychology this way. a good start to not accept everything just like that, even from a well established and known psychologist like sigmund freud himself.

what a solid read, despite it being hard to read and comprehend at first quarter (?) of the book because of the jargons used.

[Elif Sena Ergin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadece psikologların değil, batı bilimiyle uğraşan Müslümanların okumasında yarar olacak bir kitap. Dili sivri, kimini rahatsız edebilir ama rahatsız olmadan bir şeylerin değişmesini beklemek de biraz saflık olur.

[Hasanah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku kedua Malik Badri yang dibaca. Kritikan penulis terhadap disiplin psikologi Barat sedikit terencat dengan gaya penulisan yang agak berterabur (pada hemat saya - melompat-lompat topik dan kurang kesinambungan) berbanding buku beliau 'Contemplation'.

[Muhammad Nu’man · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He is half way out of the lizard’s hole and one should encourage him to feel more secure outside of it” [p. 106] -might be such a good metaphor for psychology.

I would like to thank Dr Malek Badri for his writing.

As mentioned in earlier topics, this book was made as an advice for Muslim psychologist and those who are interested in the field.

Reading his advice helps me better understand and become more cautious about blindly immersing myself in any ideology. (While still remaining open to other perspectives)

[p. 80]
The most interesting part for me from this writing; psychology should expand its wings in educational area especially in Islamic traditional learning method, to increase its impact in this age. [Modern problems require modern solutions]. However, I, as a student in Islamic traditional school question Dr Malek Badri’s portrayal of this area. The trio learning method; (dictation, memorisation and regurgitation) doesn’t entirely depicts what we call “islamic traditional learning method”. Some of the ideal method of this system has been portrayed by the first generation of Islam, how Rasulullah (s), Ibn Abbas and the companions used some unique pedagogies to transfer the knowledge and truly acknowledge their students’ emotions and abilities.

In any case, Dr Malek Badri’s comments on education represent only a small part of the entire book. Ideally, might be the comment will be a point of origin for Islamic learning methods to advance further in this area; “How can we bring innovation to the study of revelation?”.

In its entirety, Islamic Psychology is a branch of psychology that should be taught nowadays. It’s not a new method but hasn’t yet been taught as a separate discipline.

Thank you, Dr Malek Badri.

[Reading this book became more meaningful after I experienced taking care of my friend who was seriously ill. May Allah heal him]

[Anum · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Mariam Hafiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as relevant today as it was when it was written, but still useful to understand the critiques of purely behaviorist theories from an Islamic perspective. I think CBT has mostly addressed those criticisms, but even CBT practitioners and researchers can “fall into the lizard’s hole” as Dr. Badri would say.

[Javeria Zaidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a member of several professional psychological societies, while also being a practising Muslim, Dr. Badri must have had encounters with Muslims who believed in every aspect of the Western Psychological Theories, non-Muslims who disagreed with certain concepts, and everyone in between. His main concern was for the Muslims who insisted on clinging on to these Western concepts, without taking into account their own belief systems. This led him to consider whether those Western Psychologies were compatible with Islam at all; whether some of them, or all of them were at odds? And whether it was possible for certain concepts of certain theories to be compatible? These difficult questions led to the writing of this book, The Dilemma of Muslim Psychologists. I was led to choosing this book due to 2 reasons:

1) The title itself was related to my interests

2) The less profound reason: I like following an order of things, and I appreciate a list to go by. I didn’t want to start from the beginning of the list because I had read a couple of the books already, but I wasn’t ready to re-read them yet. So I started from the bottom, and will work my way up to the top.

This book, although a slim volume at 118 pages, is not an easy read – at least not for a layperson like myself. There is much to absorb and understand even before the actual chapters begin, as there is a section about the author, publisher’s note to the first edition, a note by the author on the reprinting of the book after 4 decades, and also a preface to the first edition. The addition of illustrations adds an element of levity to an otherwise serious piece of literature.

The main theme of the book, according to the preface by Dr. Muhyiddin Abd al Shakoor, is to challenge and encourage Muslims psychologists to join forces and devise a truly Islamic Psychological Model.

To play devil’s advocate, I do wonder what exactly is meant by the term ‘truly Islamic Psychology’. In the book, Dr. Badri goes to great lengths to prove that the secular scientists/psychologists/theoreticians, as much as they believe in their ‘objectivity’, are actually suffering from a blind spot: the author says that these ‘secular’ professionals are influenced by their unique beliefs and values, whatever those may be.

So far, so good. It makes sense that a person would be influenced by their beliefs, even though awareness of the issue might mitigate this side-effect to some extent.

Keeping this in mind, how can the respected author and/or writer of the preface talk about an Islamic Psychology without mentioning, even once, the fact that Islam, has in fact, several sects. If it comes to the development of an Islamic Psychology, we would have to examine the chain of narrators of the psychological teachings. As in the case of disputes among sects regarding ahadith and other jurisprudential teachings, I have to assume that the same issues would arise here, as well.

Let’s suppose that the author considered his own sect to be the one on the true path of Islam – whichever sect that might be. In this case, the author should again have mentioned it: that he follows XYZ sect and that influences his theories as put across in the book.

Finally, perhaps the author was operating on the premise of an ideal world, where an Islamic Psychology was not affected by divisions or sects. Once again, I believe this merits a mention, too.

Moving on from the definition of an ‘Islamic Psychology’ according to the author… in the absence of the preface, the reader may be forgiven for thinking that the main theme is to disprove psychoanalysis, primarily. 6 out of the 15 chapters are dedicated to Freud and his theories. After having disproved mainly the theories of behaviourism and psychoanalysis, the author takes a look at other therapies, such as humanism and logotherapy. Chapters 11 to 15 really come to the crux of the matter, and attempt to point the reader in the right direction. The question that naturally arises in the mind of the reader is, ‘What can we do?’ Dr. Badri briefly outlines several branches of psychological treatments, and includes suggestions for the Muslim professional. I feel that the author’s desire to see Islam at the centre of Muslim psychologists’ work, connects in a way to the ethos of PTCC. Just as in this course we are taught the importance of our native language, and the value in preserving and strengthening it, so too, the author speaks about Islam: he believes (and I agree with him) that any psychologist who is a Muslim, should centre his Islamic beliefs at the core of his work, and work within an Islamic framework; preserving, and strengthening his faith.

The author’s personal perspective is this: he believes that some Western theories are directly at odds with Islam, whereas others are mainly neutral or have some neutral elements which can be adapted for use within Islamic cultures.

For example, on page 93, the author states thus:

‘Muslim psychologists may compare these humanistic views with the Islamic concept of Fitra, the inborn good nature given to man by his Creator, and the Islamic belief in a man’s responsibility for what he chooses to do in this life.’

Ultimately, he would like to see a functioning society of Islamic psychologists, who are able to draw on our collective heritage and traditions, and formulate a psychological model that is firmly rooted in Islam, thus serving the Muslim Ummah without having to rely on outsiders’ beliefs/values/theories.

It is clear that the author has endeavoured to keep the language as simple as one possibly can when discussing such heavy and technical topics as tackled in this book. Whereas the chapters are littered with references and excerpts from other texts, I found it to be a conversational sort of style – and indeed, I had many conversations with the book! My personal experience with this book was a dynamic one. It was like a conversation, or making a new friend. I was attracted to the title, and expectations rose when I read about the author’s prolific life and experience in the field of psychology. But over the course of reading it, I had numerous questions and comments, most of which now grace the pages of my copy.

It is difficult for me to say whether I outright like or dislike, agree or disagree, with this book. There are many components to it, and here I will try to explain my thoughts as concisely as possible.

On the topic of the book’s content, I felt the it was not as organised as it could be. This book had the potential to be ‘symmetrical’, in a way: to raise questions and provide direct answers while disproving theories. As it stands, the author seems to jump from topic to topic, with an uneven amount of energy dedicated to the various subjects.

There was a lot for me to learn from this slim volume. I appreciate how knowledgeable Dr. Badri is in his chosen field. It was this extensive knowledge that enabled him to go into detail about theories, and juxtapose his Islamic beliefs against the secular viewpoints. He has done his best to encourage the Muslim psychologist to integrate his Muslim and his psychologist selves, and in doing so, make a conscious effort to serve the community. As stated in the preface:

‘Dr. Badri is pointing out to Muslim psychologists and psychiatrists their duty and their challenge: the conceptualisation and development of a truly Islamic Psychology.’

As mentioned earlier, an important point raised in this text is that secular/Western psychologists claim that their personal beliefs have no bearing on the theories they come up with; whereas it is not possible for a human to be completely objective, ever. Their theories will of course be influenced by their personal values or religion (or lack thereof). The author refutes Skinner’s theory of behaviourism, according to which religion is nothing more than the interaction between stimulus, response, and reinforcement. Again, it is evident that only a non-spiritual person would coin a spiritually empty theory such as this. In the same vein, the author advises Muslim psychologists not to take Western theories at face value; rather, to investigate the backgrounds of these hypotheses.

My main disappointment with the book is that while the author accuses other people with having blind spots regarding their biases, he (ironically) fails to realise that he is suffering from the same problem! Much of the book reads like an anti-Freud vendetta. As a disclaimer, let me mention that I am no fan of Freud or his hedonistic theories, but this work is supposed to be academically rigorous. Unfortunately, in many places it seems that the author’s judgement is clouded by his obvious disdain for Freud and/or the West, in general. In several places he has disproved Freud’s work through other texts and studies, which is an academically sound practice. However, in several others places he makes sweeping statements about Western society in general, or about Muslim psychoanalysts/psychologists who allegedly dogmatically follow Western practises more than their Western counterparts. These statements are not accompanied by any evidence; these are just presented as universal fact, whereas they could well be nothing more than the author’s opinion, or anecdotal evidence at best (and should have been mentioned as such).

In Chapter 5, the author references ‘the popular slack attitude that the “child is always right”…’

Popular where? According to whom? What is the proof that this so-called popular attitude exists, before proceeding to attempt to disprove this?

The author implies in several places that permissive parenting is the norm in the West, and laments how harmful that is. I would have loved to see some statistics around this oft-repeated sentiment. That permissive parents exist, yes I agree. But to imply that secular/Western/psychoanalytic professionals endorse this? Such a claim should not be made without actual back-up from real facts.

The author cites several examples of what seem to be incompetent professionals, and then blames their incompetence on the fact that they follow Freudian theories or some other Western approach. It seems that he is unable to separate the issue of the atheistic culture behind the theory, from the professional who uses those theories incorrectly. In order to refute a certain theory, surely you would present the most scientifically sound arguments, instead of people who are clearly off-base in their usage of said theories. And surely, the reader wonders – surely these are the exception and not the norm? And if the author is alleging that these sorts of practices are the norm, where is the evidence to prove that? Or are we to solely take the author’s word for it? The fact that some practitioners misused certain theories, is not evidence against those theories!

(For example: page 29, paragraph 1, illustrations on page 30, 31, 33, page 37 paragraph 3, page 37 paragraph 6, page 49 paragraph 3)

To tar everyone with the same brush is hardly an ‘empirical’ approach, something the author seems to be fond of, and therefore has no place in a text such as this.

Having expressed my disagreements, I would still suggest this book to anyone interested in the field of Islamic psychology. While it did not provide me with a great many answers; in fact, it raised more questions… this is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in the subject. Chapter 11 onwards, the work becomes more structured and organised, and outlines clear pathways for various professionals, as stated earlier in this review. Chapter 12 is titled ‘Psychology in the service of Islam’, and it was this chapter particularly, that I found the most useful. The diamond in the rough, so to speak. When writing about psychotherapy, the author strongly advises the Muslim psychotherapist to discard the Rogerian view of the ‘detached, morally neutral, empathic therapist.’ He explains that this model goes directly against Islamic teachings of forbidding the evil and enjoining the good.

When writing about educational psychology, the author states a powerful truth:

‘It is astonishing that Islam continues to gain ground as a political and social force in Muslim countries in spite of the disheartening manner in which it is presented to our primary and secondary school children, who on top of that, are being subjected to the influences of Western and Eastern anti-Islamic cultures.’ (page 80, paragraph 2)

And this passage, right here, shows how the author shared the same ethos as ERDC. What follows in this section is the expert commentary on Islamic Studies teachers and their pedagogy. Instead of adding more excerpts, I would suggest that every Muslim educational psychologist must read, at the very least, this section, if not the entire book.

Further down, in Chapter 13, Dr. Badri cites Victor Frankl and his psychotherapeutic school of ‘logotherapy’. The author speaks highly of Frankl, and advises all Muslim psychologists to study his work. When reading about the principles of logotherapy as mentioned at the end of page 94, I was reminded of the 5 dimensions of connection as outlined by Mr. Salman Asif Siddiqui.

When all is said and done, I would say the book is undoubtedly worth a read. It is a treasure trove of gems, opening the door to further exploration and research. How the reader may feel about it, is another matter, entirely!

https://jfzscribbles.blogspot.com/202...

[Massood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it is evident that it was written decades ago, Dr. Badri still discusses some crucial points that every Muslim psychologist should know about. This i a story about different ideologies competing with each other, trying to get our attention.

[S.M.Y Kayseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book touched me in so many ways. I started to read this book with an expectation that the author would proverbially kill me due to my interest in Jungian psychology. But, not at all. His words are of reason, of temperance and of conviction that if all of us burned the bridge, then it would be harder to rebuilt everything from scratch. He was trained in the UK, anyway.

It is a book of sharp anathema against the Western conception of psychology, especially of Freud. In our circle, any repudiation against the ideas of Freud would be instantly be humbled with words such as, “Oh, you wouldn’t even know head or toe regarding these patients, without employing Freudian concept and vocabulary in the first place right?”. But a simple litmus test of reason would show that Freud did not own any proprietary rights against the articulation of concept, which are universal and necessary principles, compared to his articulation of his inner desires, which are reductive and contingent to his own ideas and beliefs.

The author aims to liberate the Muslim psychologist from the paradox of walking both forward and backwards simultaneously, in his conflict between the Western and Islamic conception of psychology. Badri insisted that there’s no meeting point for assimilation between the two, in terms of its specific particulars, such as the Freudian ideas on psychoanalysis, the misfounded ideas on freedom in parenting and education and so forth. While the concepts articulated behind the modern psychology such as the cognitive-behavioral therapy, the psychotherapeutic stages and relationship, dream interpretation readily found landing place in Islamic ideas, Western conceptions are essentially dualistic, atheistic, relativistic and plagued with self-destructive circular reasoning.

Modern dualistic division between soul and body canno explain the reality of conversion disorders, where unconscious and repressed materials are converted to physical symptoms such as paralysis and psychogenic seizures. We are seeing more papers on the subject lamented such reductive dichotomy which permeated deep in the Western mind. Western psychology triumphed the motto “psychology without a soul” as the culmination of their positivistic thinking, that believes religious convictions are just another symptoms of neurosis. But even a materialist such as Sartre rightly observed, that the totality of electrical impulses would not give rise to an organic fluidity found in dogs and cats.

The definition of mental health according to the Western world are based on three conflicting ideas: pathological basis, statistical basis or cultural basis. But the butt of the joke is that none of the three ideas ever yield a conclusive definition that defines the mentally ill. Who got the rights to call the outlandish African rituals as mentally disturbed while those people are perfectly functional in their daily lives?

Freud is the epitome of circular reasoning for he possessed the power to label anyone who is against his interpretation as being “resistant to the therapy” or “in denial”. The West, in their postraumatic stress disorder symptomatogy unrecovering since their traumatic divorce with religion in the Wars of Religion, would even accept Freudian curveball explanation on the genesis of religion as the repression of fear against the father who wished to castrate the child. Anything, anything but religion!

Now, in place of such destructive ideology, what did the author proposed? He demonstrated his application of behavioral therapy such as how Quranic recitation able to resolve the neurotic symptoms of his paients. His methods points on how behind the neurosis and lucid psychosis psychopathology, lies meaning which cannot be reduced to mere biological imbalance.

They are ontological sickness, of Being not able to fit in their very own skins. His therapy also followed the 4 stages of Jungian psychotherapeutic method (Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 1922): catharsis, elucidation, education and transformation. By employing accurrate Quranic verses, which are divine revelations, the patients accorded a room to confess their existential plights. From which they will be elucidated on the unconscious nature of their symptoms, educated on the holistic management and thus emerged from the therapy transformed.

It is important to disttnguish between wholesale importation of Westernn idas, and the appropriation or Islamization of its concepts. There are observations from the West that heralds the return towards the transcendence. Viktor Frankl, noted on how more and more patients were coming to his clinic with existential complaints, instead of the usual course of suprathreshold neurosis. These he termed as the noogenic neurosis, an ontological and existential conflicts instead of somatic origin.

There was also counter-movement against the Western positivitic movement in the 1900’s, that realized perhaps it was not a good idea to rely on the senses only, and found ingenious solution for their predicament by bracketing and suspending their presuppositions on the primacy of the empirical, and hence miraculously discovered the realm of the transcendence. The movement began with Kant, as a response against the radical empiricist Hume, and then culminated with Husserl with his notion of “eidetic seeing”. It is interesting to note that every Western philosophers who abandoned their homeland streak of empiricism, stumbled upon the philosophy of Being. (Again, not a case of perennialism).

Emile Durkheim in his study on suicide, noticed how its rates are higher in progressive, low-cohesion societies. It is as obvious and stark as in the case of the northern progressive Italy has significant higher numbers of suicide compared to the conservative Sicily. He coined the term anomic suicide, to describe suicide caused by free-falling looseness of regulation and meaning. Jung abandoned Freudian idea afte realizing that Freud’s entire theory was an exaggerated attempt to justify his dark desire against his own mother. He discovered the teleological function of psychopathology, in which symptoms showed signs for internal distress, rather than towards unproven, repressive intentions.

Badri listed three stages of the Muslim psychologists; the infatuation, reconciliation and emancipation stages. We must realize that phenomena cannot constitute its own rules, and that they are mere consequent from the rules that allows their very possibility of occurrence. This is a lucid phenomenological observation that cancels all tenets of empiricism.

It is high-time for a positivistic account of Muslim psychology, after its emancipation from its dilemma.

S.M.Y Kayseri
Written on 19th of July 2024

[Yaqeen Sikander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read and a good guide for beginners who later want to be Muslim Psychologists. The book spreads on 15 chapters and 120 pages and simply explains the pitfalls of following the western psychology blindly for Muslims.

It is a piece of good work and has been made as an introductory text without going into through details to burden the readers.

[Shafiq Ahmed]

Dsoonshhajuklkl

[Mohammed Ilyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Malik Badri was a Sudanese Muslim Psychologist. This book was written in 1979. In it, he elaborates the dilemma that Muslim psychologists face when they come across psychological theories that contradict their Islamic belief.

Dr. Badri critiques two theories: (1) Behaviorism; (2) Psychoanalysis (especially the Freudian variant).

What I found interesting was that he found American psychologists more willing to consider constructive criticism than their Muslim counterparts. Some Muslim psychologists he encountered insisted there is no such need for "Islamic" psychology, and instead, pretended to be more Western than Westerners themselves; "more royal than the king."

In my personal experience, I have also observed the same phenomenon. Non-Westerners operating in the West (or even in the East) feel the need to overcompensate for the inferiority complex they feel by aping Western culture unreservedly.

Dr. Badri also cautions to not throw the "baby with the bathwater", i.e., not stop engaging with Western ideas. Indeed, we find it impossible not to feel the impact of Western civilization in the 21st century (My writing this in English is a testament to that). He urges us to engage with what the West has to offer, but critically and cautiously.

It is important for us to realize that some of the "facts" propounded by academic fields are often not neutral; they are value-laden, baked in with the philosophical presuppositions that creep into them due to (unconscious) subjectivity. This is even truer for the Social Sciences.

Though the book is a little dated, Dr. Badri's words still ring true. Just the other day, I read a few pages of another book, *"Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents,"* and found it to be problematic. The symptoms described by the author in the book for both parents and children were vague, vague enough for a lot of people to be able to relate to them. The causal connection was not firmly established. There were no citations. And the recommendations were even more shocking — apparently, it is okay to cut off your parents from your life in the name of "freedom" and living an "independent" life, or to leave your husband and 3 kids after years of marriage because you want to matter the "most".

Thus, it is important to engage critically with what we read and see, even if they appear to us under the guise of "scientific" neutrality.

[Selma Dandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

💭"Untuk perlu diingat bahwa Islam bukanlah agama dalam pengertian sempit menurut versi Barat, melainkan meliputi seluruh aspek kehidupan"
-page 105

Buku ini ditulis berdasarkan keresahan penulis terhadap para Psikolog, dan ilmuwan Muslim yang mengikuti begitu saja konsep-konsep Psikologi yang berasal dari Barat tanpa menyaring dan mengadaptasinya terlebih dahulu. Karena yesss kalau kita benar-benar mempelajari teori-teori Psikologi ternyata ada beberapa konsep yang memang bertentangan dengan Islam.

Buku ini terdiri dari 15 bab yang ngebahas mulai dari kritik Dr. Malik terhadap Aliran Tingkah Laku dan Psikoanalisa, gimana seorang psikolog Muslim berkontribusi kepada Islam dengan ilmu Psikologinya, apakah semua teori Psikologi itu bertentangan dengan Islam, apakah semua aliran Psikologi Barat itu "tak berjiwa", sampai bagaimana caranya membantu para psikolog muslim keluar dari "liang biawak".

Pas awal-awal baca kerasa banget dilemanya😫 sampai mempertanyakan "jadi aku belajar psikologi selama ini salah semuaa ?!". Tapi pas udah akhir-akhir langsung "ooohh ternyata giniii" 🤣🫶

Dari buku ini aku belajar satu hal yang bener-bener penting bahwa sebagai Muslim, kita harus menjadikan Islam itu way of life, bukan hanya sekedar agama kayak definisi orang-orang barat yang katanya agama ya di tempat ibadah doang, dll.

Aku rasa semua mahasiswa muslim psikologi dan orang-orang yang tertarik sama Psikologi harus banget baca buku ini. Walaupun aku baca beberapa review di goodreads yang bilang kalau buku ini gak relate lagi di zaman sekarang soalnya Dr. Malik nulisnya udah lamaaaa banget. Tapi ada banyak pengetahuan dan sudut pandang baru yang Insya Allah sangat bermanfaat di buku ini 😭 so, go read this book peeps !!!


#psikologi #psikologiislam #islam #book #bookreview #irylsljla #dilemapsikologmuslim #bukukecil #tag #buku #reviewbuku

[Surayannn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly loved this book!!
This book highlights the fact that educational institutions mainly expose you to contemporary modern psychology and so muslims have no other alternative of formal information and thus accept what's presented.
The authors proposition to an alternative modern psychology by suggesting that just like law and finance can be subjected to a refreshing curriculum that doesn't contradict the belief of Islam.
The main takeaway I got is that Muslims need to be independent and think for themselves and not to subconsciously accept whole-heartedly the ideologies of Western scholars. Just because something is accepted by society it doesn't make it right.
Also the mention of common accepted practices and different perspectives on them such as co-education, sex education and parenting made me think twice about my views and what society is molding the youth to become.
What I really appreciated was the listing of common behavioral tropes from Young Muslims upon beginning to learn about psychology as this book was recommended to me upon my request for an intro to psychology
It's a really valuable reminder to hold onto your values and ideals and not lose them because of new contradicting knowledge.
Do what sits well with you but at the same time be humble about it.

[Nurfaizatul Aisyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

seringkali dalam buku ini akan selalu terjumpa ayat "lizard's hole". menurut Professor Malik, ia diambil daripada Hadis iaitu:

"Kalian benar-benar akan mengikut jalan orang-orang sebelum kalian, sejengkal demi sejengkal, sehasta demi sehasta sehinggalah jika mereka masuk ke dalam lubang biawak pun kalian akan memasukinya......"

apa yang dapat saya simpulkan di sini ialah, be an unapologetically Muslim. Ilmu daripada Barat itu jangan terus dicedok 100%, walaupun nyata bertentangan daripada ajaran Islam.

Buku yang bagus untuk dibaca oleh pelajar psikologi, ahli Psikologi Muslim tentunya, dan sesiapa yang terlibat secara langsung ataupun tidak langsung dalam bidang ini. Bahasa yang mudah difahami. Malah kritikan oleh Professor juga untuk difikirkan oleh semua, bukan sekadar mereka yang terlibat dalam bidang psikologi sahaja.

Buku ini menyoal kita sama ada kita sekarang berada dalam:
1) the phase of infatuation - terlampau teruja dengan ilmu baru (psikologi) sehingga tidak sabar untuk dipraktikkan walaupun nyata bertentangan dengan agama dan budaya

2) the phase of reconciliation: cuba untuk membina jambatan antara ilmu Barat dan Islam

3) the phase of liberation - sedar bahawa walaupun ada juga sedikit persamaan secara superfisial, ilmu Barat dan Islam sebenarnya nyata berbeza.

Bacalah buku ini, anda tidak akan menyesal.

follow ig: @dakumembaca

[Git · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setengah buku awal berhasil mewakili keresahanku terhadap beberapa teori Freud dan pendekatan psikologi behavioristik. Walaupun sedikit berhati-hati saat membaca karena bahasa yang digunakan pada setengah pertama buku ini cukup terbilang sangat kritis terhadap teori-teori tersebut.

Poin yang bisa saya dapat dari buku ini adalah sebagai seorang muslim, kita tidak bisa mengisolasi diri dari ilmu-ilmu psikologi Barat yang "tak berjiwa", tetaplah terbuka namun kritis apabila ada beberapa poin yang tidak selaras dengan keyakinan kita sebagai umat muslim. Selayaknya pelajar, sampaikanlah hal tersebut secara ilmiah pula.

Saya sangat menikmati membaca buku ini karena dapat mengingat kembali materi-materi awal perkuliahan.

Walaupun di awal buku terkesan anti dengan psikologi Barat, penulis menyebutkan bahwa tak semua pendekatan psikologi Barat "tidak berjiwa", salah satunya yaitu aliran humanistik. Penulis pun kemudian melanjutkan dengan hal-hal yang dikemukakan oleh aliran ini dengan konsep yang ada pada Islam. Penjabaran ini sangat menyenangkan untuk dibaca.

Menurut saya, buku ini saya rekomendasikan untuk mahasiswa psikologi maupun yang tertarik dengan ilmu psikologi, dengan catatan telah mengetahui konsep sejarah perkembangan pendekatan psikologi agar lebih familiar dengan teori-teori psikologi yang saling mempengaruhi dan melahirkan teori-teori pendekatan yang baru.

[Nad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penulisan beliau walaupun telah diterbitkan pada tahun 70an tetapi isi dan isu-isu yg dipetik masih relevant pada masa kini. Sebagaimana yg dibahaskan dalam tulisan beliau tentang isu mempraktis ilmu jiwa barat (psychoanalysis dan behaviourism) di dunia Arab dan pengajarannya kepada pelajar2 universiti telah lama wujud. Dan isu itu masih ada sehingga kini.

Pada hemat sy buku ini bijak merungkai ttg keterujaan kita dgn ilmu jiwa barat sehinggakan tidak dpt membezakan akidah Islam dan ilmu mulhid yg pd pandangan mereka memberi jawapan yg sebenar kepada permasalahan jiwa dan kehidupan manusia. Hujah2 beliau juga berlandaskan Quran dan hadis dan beliau juga ada menjelaskan alternatif ilmu jiwa barat yg sesuai utk dipraktikkan oleh Muslim.

Buku ini memberi jawapan pd persoalan sy dan sedikit sebanyak telah merungkai dilema tersebut. Dgn yg sedemikian, tiada kritikan yg dapat sy fikirkan ttg penulisan ini selain daripada perasaan positif terhadapnya. Buku ini sy syorkan kepada pelajar muslim yg dlm pengajian psychology counselling dan sesiapa yg berminat dgn ilmu jiwa kerana penyampaiannya yg tidak rumit dan boleh difahami tanpa menggunakan istilah jargon yg berat.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read Dr. Malik Badri's translation Sustenance of the Soul for Masjid book club. I really enjoyed his introductions to that book so I decided to read this, which was I believe his first book published. It is a bit out of date, and he acknowledges that in a 2nd preface to the book. He wrote it in the 70s I believe and since then, Freudian psychotherapy is not as popular (though it is making a comeback) as his preferred CBT which is now the standard generally. We also have a lot more diversity training for doctors, although it still isn't where it could be. Islamic psychology as a practice definitely isn't where Dr. Badri hoped it would be when he wrote this almost 50 years ago. Still, it has some great insights. I look forward to reading more of his works. May Allah be pleased with him and grant him jannah ameen.

[Sahal Saeed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and relevant even in today's changing societies. For those not religious it is very relevant, as it is a peek from the outside, different perspectives, and all in all filled with experience, knowledge, grass roots and guidance. Guidance towards the purpose of life and the message from those other than Malik Badri also. This book is not a "religious" book. Neither is it "for religious clerics" alone. It is simply for those who have an interest in Psychology, or even live amongst Muslims and have a keen interest as to what *Dilemmas* are differing between the psychologists of the BPS (British Psychological Society) for example, from those of the Islamic faith, who have a history within the field - before it was actually a genre of literature.

[Mohd Rashidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antara buku yang patut dibaca banyak kali oleh pelajar jurusan psikologi. Saya baru habis baca dan sudah mula baca kali kedua untuk mencatat nota nota penting. Malik Badri dengan kelembutan namun tetap bernada tegas menegur ahli psikologi Muslim dan juga pelajar Muslim jurusan psikologi yang sering mengikut dengan membuta tuli ideologi ideologi psikologi Barat. Dalam buku ini juga Malik Badri mengkritik aliran psikoanalisis dan menggalakkan Muslim untuk berdiri dengan idea sendiri dan bukan hanya mengikut Barat sahaja dalam psikologi

[Kübra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a different perspective to psychologists. It also helps to remember your faith and you feel that you should and you are able to live according to your faith in various areas such as your job, science, causal life, etc. I strongly recommend this book to all psychology students if Muslims or not.