Muslim philosophers:

Islamic psychology refers to the study of psychology, psychiatry and the

neurosciences in the Islamic world, particularly during the Islamic Golden Age

(8th–15th centuries) and to a lesser extent in modern times (20th–21st

centuries). The psychological and psychiatric study of mental health and human

behavior was considered a distinct field of Islamic science or Islamic medicine,

and was variously known as "diseases of the mind" (which encompassed

neurology and psychiatry),al-‘ilaj al-nafs ("psychotherapy"),al-tibb al-ruhani

("spiritual and psychological health") and tibb al-qalb ("mental

medicine").Some of the most important advances in medieval Islamic

psychology include the establishment of the first psychiatric hospitals, the

development of a humanist approach to mental illness, and the development of a

clinical and experimental approach to psychology, among a number of other

advances.

"Muslim physicians did not specialize in a single subject, but conducted studies

in a wide range of fields, including pharmacology, surgery, ophthalmology,

gynecology, physiology, bacteriology and hygiene. One of the most noted

Andalusia physicians was Ibn Juljul (?-992), who conducted extensive studies

on medical herbs, and produced works on the history of medicine and medical

herbs. Another distinguished physician of the time was Abu Ja'far Ibn al-Jazzar

(?-1009) from Tunisia, who mastered the science of drug therapy for the

treatment of specific symptoms and diseases, and authored more than 30 books.

Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi (1162-1231) is known for his studies in anatomye.t.c.

Islamic psychology is based on 'Ilm un-Nafs.”

“And indeed We have created man, and We know, what his nafs (soul/self)

whispers to him; and We are nearer to him [by knowledge] than [his]

jugular vein.” [Qur’an 50:16]

Islamic psychology reflects the values of Islam and has some important

difference to psychology as developed in the western world. We will discuss

contributions of some of the Muslim philosophers.

1.Abu Rayyan al Biruni

Born in Khwarizm on 4th September 973 and died in Ghazni on 13th

December 1048.

Persian Muslim scholar polymath and a psychologist.

He is regarded as one of greatest scholar of medieval Islamic era .

He was also earliest leading exponents of “experimental scientific

method”

George Sarton, the father of the history of science, described Biruni as:

"One of the very greatest scientists of Islam, and, all considered, one of the

greatest of all the times”

Unlike his contemporary Avicenna's scientific method where

"general and universal questions came first and led to

experimental work", Biruni developed scientific methods where

"universals came out of practical, experimental work" and "theories

are formulated after discoveries.”

In his debate with Avicenna, Biruni made the first real distinction

between a scientist and a philosopher, referring to Avicenna as a

philosopher and considering himself to be a mathematical scientist

latest of all times”

In Islamic psychology, al-Biruni was a pioneer of experimental

psychology, for his use of empirical observation and

experimentation in his discovery of the concept of reaction time.

He said that:

“Not only is every sensation attended by a corresponding change

localized in the sense-organ, which demands a certain time, but also,

between the stimulation of the organ and consciousness of the perception

an interval of time must elapse, corresponding to the transmission of

stimulus for some distance along the nerves."

2. Ali ibn Sahl Rabban Al Tabari

830 CE – 870 CE.

He was a Muslim Hakeem, Scholar, physician and a psychologist.

He gave one of the first encyclopedias of Medicine.

He was a pioneer of pediatrics and child development.

He emphasized the strong ties between psychology and medicine.

He was in favor of psychotherapy and counseling.

He wrote that patients frequently feel sick due to delusion or

imagination and these illnesses are treated through wise counseling

by smart and witty psychologist.

His books include FIRDOUS-UL-HIKMA and KITAB-UL-RUQA.

Firdous al-Hikmah written in the 9th century was the first work to

study psychotherapy in the treatment of patients

He also clearly highlighted mental illness as a specialty of its own,

and in the chapter on mental illness, he first described thirteen types

of mental disorders, including madness, delirium, and Fasad Al-

Khayal Wal-Aqo ("damage to the imagination, intelligence and

thought")

His ideas were primarily influenced by early Islamic thought and

ancient Indian physicians such as Sushruta and Charaka.

3.Abu-al-Walid-Muhammad-Ibn – Rushd

1146-1198

Known as AVERROES in west (word derived from Latin).

His view was that the study of Psyche is a part of physics.

He discussed his most of point of views in his book “Talkbis

kitab-al-Nafs” where he divided soul into five faculties:

Nutritive, Sensitive, Imaginative, Rational and Appetitive.

He said that faculty of plants and animals are only Nutritive

and Vegetative one. And higher faculties are dependent upon

Nutritive faculty.

Ibn Rushd's thought on the intellect, notably in his Middle

Commentary on De Anima where he combines the positions of

Alexander and Themistius for his doctrine on the material

intellect and in his Long Commentary.

He said, the human soul is a separate substance ontologically

identical with the active intellect; and when this active intellect

is embodied in an individual human it is the material intellect.

Ibn Rushd’s theory of the material intellect was something

foreign to Aristotle.

Ibn Rushd speaks of the soul as “a faculty that comes to

resemble the focus of its intention, and when its attention

focuses more upon eternal and universal knowledge, it become

more like the eternal and universal. As such, when the soul

perfects itself, it becomes like our intellect."

This opposed the explanations of human soul and intellect

found among the Neo-Platonists, allowing a further argument

for rejecting of Neo-Platonist discharge theories.

4. Al Tirmidhi

750 CE-869CE.

He classified knowledge as of two kinds ILM-E-WAHBI (which is

given) and ILM-E-IKTISABI (which is acquired).

The former is inspired by the God and the latter is acquired through

ordinary means.

He also used the words of ILM-BATIN and ILM-ZAHIR.

Al tirmidhi’s psychological system, as given in Bayan al-farq is

primarily concerned with description of heart (qalb) and self (nafs).

Al tirmidhi divides Heart into four parts: breast (sadr), the heart

proper (qalb), the inner heart (fu’sd) and the intellect (lubb).

He was in view that starting from breast, the outer most part is

followed by inside proper heart and then inner heart and at last the

intellect.

Wisdom is the lost property of the believer; he takes it from wherever

he finds". Prophet Muhammad. (Narrated by at-Tirmidhi).

5. Muhammad bin Yakub ibn Miskawayh

941-1030

He was a contemporary of Ibn-e-sina and Al-biruni.

He used the Platonic concepts of nature of soul that it

apprehends the great variety of immaterial and abstract entities.

He said that soul is not an accident. It is immortal and

independent substance that controls the body.

Ibn-Miskawayh considered religious rituals in their functional

aspects only; to help in adapting religious life.

He said that our happiness arises through upwards movements,

our misfortune through movement in opposite directions.

He also distinguished between human justice and divine

justice.

Human justice is variable and divine justice is what to be done

everywhere and at every time.

Ibn Miskawayh wrote the books Tahdhib al-Akhlaq

(Cultivation of Morals) and Al-Fauz al-Asgar (The Lesser

Victory), in which he gives psychological advice on certain

issues, such as the fear of death, the need to develop traits to

restrain oneself from faults, and the concept of morality.

He also introduced the concepts of "self-reinforcement" and

response cost, where he advises Muslims who feel guilt to

learn to punish them physically or psychologically through

charity, fasting, etc.

6.Ibn Khaldun 1332–1406

Considered a father of sociology and the social sciences.

He was another Muslim scholar who significant contributions

to the area of social psychology.

His book Muqaddimah (known as Prolegomena in the West)

was a classic on the social psychology of the peoples of the

Arabian Peninsula, particularly the Bedouins.

7.Muhammad ibn Zakariya Al- Razi

854CE-925CE

He was a Persian polymath, philosopher and important figure

in the history of medicine.

He was the pioneer of experimental medicine.

He was among the first to use Hu moralism to distinguish one

contagious disease from another.

In the early 10th century, Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi

reported a psychotherapeutic case study from a contemporary

Muslim physician who treated a woman suffering from severe

cramps in her joints which made her unable to rise. The

physician cured who by lifting her skirt, putting her to shame.

He wrote: "A flush of heat was produced within her who

dissolved the rheumatic humor.

He believed that mental illnesses were caused by the demons.

Demons were believed to entered to the body and possess the

body.

He promoted psycho-therapy just like his mentor At-tabari.

He believed that unexpected high emotional outburst has a

quick healing effect on psychological, psychosomatic and

organic disorders.

He was master of Prognosis and Psychosomatic medicine.

He wrote a treatise on how to measure intelligence.

His book hawi fit-tibb is the largest work ever done in Islamic

medicine.

Al-Razi include MUJARABBAT, a book of hospital

experiences, tibb-al-mansuri- a book on medicinal healing art

and al tibb-al-ruhaniwhere he discussed ways to treat moral

and psychological ills of human spirit.

He also wrote that sound medical practice depends on

independent thinking and treated soul as substance and brain

as instrument.

On professional level Al-Razi introduced many useful,

progressive, medical and psychological ideas.

While he paid attention to cure body ills, he also worked on

weaknesses of soul.

His concerns for and penetration into human nature, its

complexities and directions leading to it confirms his

appreciations for importance of psychotherapy and psychology

as two important parts of healing arts.

He also wrote that religious pressures can be overcome by

reason for better mental health.

8. Al Ash’ath bin Qais Al Kindi

801-873 Al Kindi (Latin Alchendius) from Baghdad is considered as first Muslim

philosopher. He wrote more than 239 books and short treatises. Some of his treatises were related to psychology like “sleep and dream”,

“first philosophy” and “eradication of sorrow”. He was the first one to use Experimental methods in psychology. He used cognitive strategies to combat depression and discussed

functions of soul and intellectual operations in human beings. He reminded that souls through the act of will develop a good structure. Kindi write in “Epistle on the soul” that it is basically synopsis of larger

work of both Aristotle and Plato. He also, distinguished between upper and lower worlds.

Upper world: uncreated beings like intellect, nature and the soul. Lower world: created beings like body, creation, matter and form that

are finite. He argued that GOD cannot be understood by intellect that actually led to

negative theology. Islamic theology greatly influenced Al-Kindi’s ideas. He believed that soul might only find contentment when it no longer lusts

for world and seeks intellectual treasure. He was idealistic who believed that human senses are sometimes

deceptive and what we gain through our senses can be easily lost. He defined soul through free will. Al-Kindi was the first to realize the therapeutic value of music. He was the first to experiment with music therapy, and he attempted to

cure a quadriplegic boy using this method. He discussed the intellectual operations of human beings. He also stated that "sorrow is not within us we bring it upon

ourselves.” He also added: "If causes of pain are discernable, the cures can be

found." He described sorrow as "a spiritual (Nafsani) grief caused by loss of

loved ones or personal belongings, or by failure in obtaining what one lusts after"

9. Abu Ali Al Husayn Ibn Sina:

Known as Avicenna in west. 980-1037 He integrated Aristotelian and platonic philosophy with Islamic theology

and further divided the knowledge into theoretical (meta-physics) and practical (ethics and politics).

He was interested in soul. He adopted Aristotle’s idea of three types of soul namely Vegetative, Animal and Rational souls.

He also believed that human and animals share five senses that bound to earth.

He developed basic fear, shock and musical therapies to cure mental illnesses caused by demons.

He also learnt importance of connection between body and mind and suggested that humans have ability to overcome physical illnesses through convincing one that can get better.

He was pioneer of neuropsychology. He also earned a term “ psychosomatic illness” He established a basis of mental disorders and his excessive work on

memory disorders, hallucination, paralysis, stroke, vertigo etc. He also discovered a relationship between pulse rate and emotions. He also devised a method known as Love sickness. Avicenna often used psychological methods to treat his patients. One

such example is when a prince of Persia had melancholia and suffered from the delusion that he is a cow, and who would low like a cow crying "Kill me so that a good stew may be made of my flesh" and would never eat anything.Avicenna was persuaded to the case and sent a message to the patient, asking him to be happy as the butcher was coming to slaughter him, and the sick man rejoiced. When Avicenna approached the prince with a knife in his hand, he asked "where is the cow so I may kill it." The patient then lowed like a cow to indicate where he was. "By order of the butcher, the patient was also laid on the ground for slaughter." When Avicenna approached the patient pretending to slaughter him, he said, "the cow is too lean and not ready to be killed. He must be fed properly and I will kill it when it becomes healthy and fat." The patient was then offered food which he ate eagerly and gradually "gained strength, got rid of his delusion, and was completely cured.

Avicenna was the first to recognize "physiological psychology" in the treatment of "illnesses involving emotions" and develop "a system for associating changes in the pulse rate with inner feelings" which is seen as an anticipation of "the word association test of Jung.

Avicenna identified love sickness (Ishq) when he was treating a very ill patient by "feeling the patient's pulse and reciting aloud to him the names of provinces, districts, towns, streets, and people." He noticed how the patient's pulse increased when certain names were mentioned, from which Avicenna deduced that the patient was in love with a girl whose home Avicenna was "able to locate by the digital examination." Avicenna

advised the patient to marry the girl he is in love with, and the patient soon recovered from his illness after his marriage.

He described melancholia (depression) as a type of mood disorder in which the person may become doubtful and develop certain types of phobias. He stated that anger indicated the transition of melancholia to mania, and explained that moisture inside the head can contribute to mood disorders. He recognized that this occurs when the amount of breath changes: happiness increases the breath etc.

He dedicated three chapters of The Canon of Medicine (1020s) to neuropsychiatry, in which he defined madness (Junun) as a mental condition in which reality is replaced by fantasy, and discovered that it is a disorder of reason with its origin in the middle part of the brain.

Avicenna also discovered a condition resembling schizophrenia which he described as JununMufrit (severe madness), which he clearly distinguished from other forms of madness such as mania, rabies, and manic depressive psychosis.

Avicenna's contributions in neurology and neuropathology include his diagnosis of facial nerve paralysis, his distinction between brain paralysis and hyperaemia, and most importantly his discovery of meningitis.

In The Canon of Medicine, Avicenna extended the theory of temperaments to encompass "emotional aspects, mental capacity, moral attitudes, self-awareness, movements and dreams." Avicenna's work is considered by some to be a "forerunner of twentieth century psychoanalysis”.

10. Ashraf Ali Thanvi:

1863-1943 He gave reading therapy which contained psychological factors, based on

free association techniques. Basic and most important thing of his therapies was “Believe in ALLAH”

He reformed and trained masses. His famous books include BehistiZaiver, bayanul Quran

andTarbiyyat-ul-Shalik. He gave causes and classification of diseases. He argued that when person deviated from right path, he becomes

vulnerable to mental illnesses. He said that early age of children is also important in which mother plays

a great role in his training. He also gave personality theory. He was in view that everyone is innocent by nature; it’s the environment

that has its influence. According to him personality is of three types. NAFS-AMMARAH: That easily turns to evil. NAFS-LAWWAMAH: that directs towards right or wrong and curses

after sin.. NAFS-MUTMAINNAH: That follows divine path. He divided diseases as functional and organic. Organic can be cured by medicines but functional are to be cured by

individual or group therapies. Thanvi retired from teaching and devoted himself to reestablish spiritual

Centre (khanqah) of his sheikh in Than Bhawan. He devised a method of individual and group therapy. According to him there are two kinds of therapy Reading Therapy: it’s an individual therapy in which patient must be

conscious about his trouble. Thanvi used to guide his clients to write down their problems and then read them aloud or exchange of letters was also there.

Communication therapy: it’s usually group therapy. He used to call clients to his Khanqah known as IMDADIA. Where people always gather to listen his sermon. Then they were asked to reproduce what they remember, again and again.

11. Abu Nasr Mohammad Ibn Al-Farakh (Al-Farabi)

(870–950) Al Farabi, also known as Alpharabius, Avenasser, or Abynazar was

Turkish. In psychology, al-Farabi's Social Psychology and Model City were the

first treatises to deal with social psychology. He stated that "an isolated individual could not achieve all the perfections

by himself, without the aid of other individuals." He wrote that it is the "innate disposition of every man to join another

human being or other men in the labor he ought to perform." He concluded that in order to "achieve what he can of that perfection;

every man needs to stay in the neighborhood of others and associate with them.

His work on the Cause of Dreams, was a treatise on dreams, in which he was the first to distinguish between dream interpretation and the nature and causes of dreams.

Al-Farabi wrote more than 80 books on different topics. According to him man is composed of two principles: Body and soul. His theory of human nature is dualistic. Body and soul have no essential

connections with each other. Al Farabi also wrote a treatise on the Meanings of the Intellect and the

therapeutic effects of music on the soul. Like other Muslim philosophers of his time, al-Farabi wrote

commentaries on the Greeks, independent treatises, and refutations on the works of both philosophers and theologians.

Many of his treatises on meta-physics are considered the crown of his intellectual works, e.g., Treatise on the Aims of Aristotle’s Metaphysics,

Bezels of Wisdom, The Book on the One and the Unity, Explanatory remarks on Wisdom, etc.

12. Abu Zaid Al-Balkhi

(850-934) A Persian Muslim physician, mathematician, geographer and scientist who was the first to define the medical psychology first to distinguish between neuroses and psychoses. categorized neurotic disorders demonstrated in detail the importance of using rational and spiritual

therapies to cure specific disorders categorized neuroses into four emotional disorders: anxiety, fear,

aggression and anger, depression and sadness, and obsessions believed that there was an interaction between physical and psychological

disorders demonstrated in his writings that these interactions result in

psychosomatic disorders suggested, the best way to maintain good health is to have balance

between the mind and body. developed the idea of treatment of the body and reciprocal approaches

with respect to the imbalance. categorized depression into sadness—normal depression—reactive

depression and endogenous depression

13. Al Zahravi

936-1013 C.E Abul Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas al-Zahrawi known in the west as Abulcasis born in Zahra in the neighborhood of Cordova. became one of the most renowned surgeons of the Muslim era and was

physician to King Al-Hakam-II of Spain. best known for his early and original breakthroughs in surgery as well as

for his famous Medical Ecyclopaedia called Al-Tasrif, which is composed of thirty volumes covering different aspects of medical science.

The more important part of this series comprises three books on surgery, which describe in detail various aspects of surgical treatment as based on the operations performed by him, including cauterization, removal of stone from the bladder, dissection of animals, midwifery, stypics, and surgery of eye, ear and throat.

He perfected several delicate operations, including removal of the dead foetus and amputation.

Al-Tasrif contains numerous diagrams and illustrations of surgical instruments, in use or developed by him, and comprised a part of the medical curriculum in European countries for many centuries.

Al-Zahrawi was the inventor of several surgical instruments, of which three are notable: (i) an instrument for internal examina- tion of the ear, (ii) an instrument for internal inspection of the urethra, and (iii) and instrument for applying or removing foreign bodies from the throat.

He specialized in curing disease by cauterization and applied the technique to as many as 50 different operations.

In his book Al-Tasrif, Al-Zahrawi has also discussed the preparation of various medicines, in addition to a comprehensive account of surgical treatment in specialized branches, whose modern counterparts are E.N.T., Ophthalmology, etc.

In connection with the preparation of medicines, he has also described in detail the application of such techniques as sublimation and decantation.

Al-Zahrawi was also an expert in dentistry, and his book contains sketches of various instruments used thereof, in addition to a description of various important dental operations.

He discussed the problem of non-aligned or deformed teeth and how to rectify these defects.

He developed the technique of preparing artificial teeth and of replacement of defective teeth by these.

In medicine, he was the first to describe in detail the unusual disease, haemophelia.

According to Dr. Cambell (History of Arab Medicine), his principles of medical science surpassed those of Galen in the European medical curriculum.

14. Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali

1058–1111 A Persian Muslim theologian and philosopher whose ideas significantly

shaped the Muslim world and the Western medieval world. Al-Ghazali discussed the concept of the self and the causes of its misery

and happiness. He described the self using four terms: Qalb (heart), Ruh (spirit), Nafs

(soul) and 'Aql (intellect). He stated that "the self has an inherent yearning for an ideal, which it

strives to realize and it is endowed with qualities to help realize it."

He stated that the self has motor and sensory motives for fulfilling its bodily needs.

He wrote that the motor motives comprise of propensities and impulses, and further divided the propensities into two types: appetite and anger.

He wrote that appetite urges hunger, thirst, and sexual craving, while anger takes the form of rage, indignation and revenge.

He further wrote that impulse resides in the muscles, nerves, and tissues, and moves the organs to "fulfill the propensities."

Al-Ghazali was one of the first to divide the sensory motives (apprehension) into five external senses (the classical senses of hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch) and five internal senses:

a. common sense (Hiss Mushtarik) which synthesizes sensuous impressions carried to the brain while giving meaning to them;

b. imagination (Takhayyul) which enables someone to retain mental images from experience;

c. reflection (Tafakkur) which brings together relevant thoughts and associates or dissociates them as it considers fit but has no power to create anything new which is not already present in the mind;

d. recollection (Tadhakkur) which remembers the outer form of objects in memory and recollects the meaning;

e. memory (Hafiza) where impressions received through the senses are stored.

He wrote that, while the external senses occur through specific organs, the internal senses are located in different regions of the brain,

He discovered that the memory is located in the hinder lobe, imagination is located in the frontal lobe, and reflection is located in the middle folds of the brain.

He stated that these inner senses allow people to predict future situations based on what they learn from past experiences.

He writes that "the self carries two additional qualities, which distinguishes man from animals enabling man to attain spiritual perfection", which are 'Aql (intellect) and Irada (will).

He argues that the intellect is "the fundamental rational faculty, which enables man to generalize and form concepts and gain knowledge."

He also argues that human will and animal will are both different. He writes that human will is "conditioned by the intellect" while animal

will is "conditioned by anger and appetite" and that "all these powers control and regulate the body."

He further writes that the Qalb (heart) "controls and rules over them" and that it has six powers: appetite, anger, impulse, apprehension, intellect, and will.

He states that humans have all six of these traits, while animals only have three (appetite, anger, and impulse).

Al-Ghazali writes that knowledge can either be innate or acquired. He divides acquired knowledge into phenomenal (material world) and

spiritual (related to God and soul), he divides acquired knowledge into imitation, logical reasoning,

contemplation and intuition. He also argues that there are four elements in human nature: the sage

(intellect and reason), the pig (lust and gluttony), the dog (anger), and the devil (brutality).

He argues that the latter three elements are in conflict with the former element and that "different people have such powers in different proportions."

Al-Ghazali divides the Nafs into three categories based on the Qur’an: a. Nafs Ammarah (12:53) which "exhorts one to freely indulge in

gratifying passions and instigates to do evil",b. Nafs Lawammah (75:2) which is "the conscience that directs man

towards right or wrong", and c. Nafs Mutmainnah (89:27) which is "a self that reaches the ultimate

peace." As an analogy between psychology and politics, he compares the soul to

that of a king running a kingdom, arguing that the bodily organs are like the artisans and workers, intellect is like a wise vizier, desire is like a wicked servant, and anger is like the police force.

He argues that a king can correctly run the state of affairs by turning to the wise vizier, turns away from the wicked servant, and regulating the workers and the police;

in the same way, the soul is balanced if it "keeps anger under control and makes the intellect dominate desire."

He argues that for a soul to reach perfection, it needs to evolve through several stages:

a. sensuous (like a moth which has no memory), b. imaginative (lower animal), c. instinctive (higher animal), d. rational ("transcends animal stage and apprehends objects beyond

the scope of his senses")

e. divine ("apprehends reality of spiritual things").

He stated that there are two types of diseases: physical and spiritual.

He considered the latter to be more dangerous, resulting from "ignorance and deviation from God",

he listed the spiritual diseases as: self-centeredness; addiction to wealth, fame and social status; and ignorance, cowardice, cruelty, lust, waswas (doubt), malevolence, calumny, envy, deception, and greed.

To overcome these spiritual weaknesses, al-Ghazali suggested the therapy of opposites ("use of imagination in pursuing the opposite"), such as ignorance & learning, or hate & love.

He described the personality as an "integration of spiritual and bodily forces" and believed that "closeness to God is equivalent to normality whereas distance from God leads to abnormality."

Al-Ghazali argued that human beings occupy a position "midway between animals and angels and his distinguishing quality is knowledge."

He argues that a human can either rise to "the level of the angels with the help of knowledge" or fall to "the levels of animals by letting his anger and lust dominate him."

He also argued that Ilm al-Batin (esotericism) is fard (incumbent) and advised Tazkiya Nafs (self-purification).

He also noted that "good conduct can only develop from within and does not need total destruction of natural propensities".

15. Ibn Bajjah

(1095–1138) Ibn Bajjah or Avempace was from Spain. He was a physician, philosopher and scientist. His psychological theories were based on physics

Ibn Bajjah’s writings focused on active intelligence and believed it was the most important ability humans possessed  

He was also interested in sensations and imaginations he believed that knowledge cannot be obtained by both senses and active

intelligence, which is the governing intelligence of nature He believed that matter, form and intelligence are important components

that make-up the “soul.” He believed sound knowledge could only be acquired through

intelligence, which permits humans to acquire success and construct characters

His writings also emphasized on the connection of the rational soul and the individuals identity with the virtue of its contact with the active intelligence become one of those lights that gives glory to God

Moreover, Ibn Bajjah believed that with spiritual knowledge, Active intelligence and Divine intervention humans could acquire freedom

He begins his discussion of the soul with the definition that bodies are composed of matter and form and intelligenceis the most important part of man—sound knowledge is obtained through intelligence, which alone enables one to attain prosperity and build character.

He writes on the unity of the rational soul as the principle of the individual identity, yet, by virtue of its contact with the Active Intelligence ‘‘becomes one of those lights that gives glory to God.’’

His definition of freedom is that when one can think and act rationally and the aim of life should be to seek spiritual knowledge and make contact with Active Intelligence and thus with the Divine.

16. Abu Bakar Ibn Tufail

(1110-1185) Ibn Tufail was a known in the West as Abubacer, a Spanish physician and scholar whose work emphasized the concept

of human’s spiritual and philosophical abilities and treatment of the soul

He wrote Pococke later translated Ibn Tufail’s famous book “The Living, Son of the Awake” into Latin “Philosophicus Autodidactus” (Ockely, 1989).

Ibn Tufail’s book inspired many Western philosophers and writers such as Daniel Defoe, who later wrote Robinson Crusoe.

Ibn Tufail emphasized on the mind and believed in Active intellect that is guided by divine intervention.

He suggested that culture; language and religion are unnecessary and could hinder the development of the mind

17. Muhyid-Din Muhammad Ibn Ali (Ibn Arabi)

(1164–1240) Ibn Ali influenced the field of psychology with his writings on the soul,

perception, imagination, dreams and the nature of desire He believed the human heart is connected with the body and mind

however it is also an independent mechanism that reveals esoteric knowledge.

He described the heart as a rational symbol and has the ability to perceive reality.

He was influenced by Aristotelian ideas and believed the human soul has three aspects—rational soul, animal soul and vegetative soul.

REFERENCEShttp://psychologyoftheeast.umwblogs.org/timeline/

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-mind/

http://islamandpsychology.blogspot.com/2009/02/muslims-in-psychology.html

http://www.academia.edu/848056/Psychology_from_Islamic_perspective_Contributions_of_early_Muslim_scholars_and_challenges_to_contemporary_Muslim_psychologists

https://explorable.com/islamic-psychology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_al-Qasim_al-Zahrawi

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