THE PSYCHOLOGICAL JOURNEY OF MUSLIMS (THROUGH THE QURAN)

ALIZI ALIAS (PHD) HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, IIUM

BACKGROUND
Each of us have unique and different experience when reading the Quran
This is my personal reflection when reading

the Quran.

 When was the last time I really pondered on the

meaning the personalised meaning of surah al-Fatihah? Once upon a time, when I read In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, I was deeply touched, knowing that there is someone out there, a supreme being who always love me, who has always given me unconditional love in its truest sense

 When I read the whole of surah al-Fatihah, these are the feelings that I encounter: I feel that I have not thanked Allah enough considering that He is our Rabb, our Lord, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Rizq-Provider, our Teacher, and our one true Lover. He even repeats and reinforces the ideas that He is the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate. I fall in love with Him (all over again). But then, He rips off that feeling immediately by reminding me that He is the King and the Owner of Judgement Day! Suddenly, I feel very scared, fearful, anxious, and

perhaps a little bit phobic!

 But somehow, this fear (khawf) does not decrease the level of love (hubb) I have for Him. How can that be? To love and fear someone at the same time? Ive heard that, in general, the Jews fear Allah very much but have little love towards Him (by belittling Allah and His prophets). And Ive heard too that, in general, the Christians love Allah very much but have little fear towards Him (by changing the law on pork, liquor, etc.).

 How lucky I am to have both feelings

simultaneously! They operationalise love and fear as two different concepts. I operationalise love and fear as one concept. I hope I am not a Muslim who is too fearful of going against the literal interpretation of Shari`ah that I have forgotten that I forget to love Him, and forget that He has sent a Shari`ah full of mercy I hope I am not a Muslim who is extremely in love in Allah that I have forgotten my fear towards Him and and gone beyond the Shari`ah boundaries e.g. Shirk, khurafah, bidah, and masiyah

 Isnt it natural, for someone who accepts Allah as his Lord (Rabb), to accept Allah as his God/Deity (Ilah) too?

Thats why we say La ilaha illa Allah to become a Muslim, not La rabba illa Allah.
Hmm when was the first time I really, really said

the shahadah to indicate my entrance to Islam? I dont think its during my puberty Actually, I should feel ashamed of myself. Now by reading surah al-Fatihah, I am renewing my pledge to serve/worship Him and only Him.

I also learnt that I have to have hope (raja). What are my hopes? Wealth, health, or even beauty perhaps?? I hope that Allah will give me divine guidance (hidayah) on the straight path (sirat al-mustaqim). If I love Allah, and fear Him too, isnt that what I should hope for? But, its too general, too conceptual, and too ambiguous. May be I should operationalise the word hidayah. I need and observable, operational, and measurable exemplar of hidayah. Why not look other people? Hmm thats a good idea.

 I ask Allah to help me psychologically identify myself with the group who receives ni`mah from Him. And I ask Allah to help me to psychologically distance myself from the group who receives His wrath or the group who is led astray. Now that sounds more scientific, operational, and achievable. Now I can start my quest for hidayah easily. Dont forget to say amin sincerely, for before this, I have been saying amin because Ive been conditioned to do so. Forgive me o Allah!

But wait a minute! There are still lots of unanswered questions. How can I get hidayah? And what are the characteristics of these three groups? I hope Allah will answer my questions in the next surah. I read a tafsir saying that the group who receive ni`mah include the Prophets, Siddiqin, Shuhada, and Salihin. And the group who receive Allahs wrath are the ancient Jews who have the knowledge (about religion) but do not practice it. And the group who is led astray are the ancient Christians who practise sincerely but do not have the knowledge (especially about God and religion) except those who follow the original Torah (Taurah) and Gospel (Injil).

Phew! Thats a relief. Im very sure Im neither a Jew nor a Christian. But wait! Sometimes I do not practice the knowledge that I have, just like the ancient Jews. And sometimes I practice (sincerely, of course!) what I have no knowledge of, just like the ancient Christians. Okay, now Im very tensed, anxious, maybe even paranoid. Now I really, really need this hidayah. No wonder I have to ask for it at least 17 times a day in my prayers. I should not be overconfident just because Im a Muslim.

 Please o Allah.
Give me more descriptions of these groups. I

really need this hidayah very, very badly, and continuously too. Im very sure now being a Muslim is not enough. I need to know the behaviourial and cognitive characteristics of hidayah-receiving people in terms, of `aqidah, `ibadah, akhlaq everything.

 Surah al-Baqarah. Ah the answer that Ive been looking for. If I want to know how to get the hidayah, the answer is

in the Quran. So, I have to read the whole Quran then. Not just reading surah Yasin every Friday night, or reading surah Yasin to the deads. I guess I can do that. Well, whats more important for than to receive hidayah? My textbook is far thicker than the Quran. It cant be that difficult. I just need a good translation and/or tafsir (plus spiritual readiness) to read the Quran. According to the Quran, only the muttaqin will receive hidayah. Who are the muttaqin? I want to join them.

 Allah reads my mind perfectly. The characteristics of the muttaqin and kuffar are given very briefly. Hmm not much help actually. Too brief. It still creates more questions. Perhaps Allah will detail them out later in the same surah or in other surahs? From what Ive studied in psychology, I understand that the muttaqin shows acceptance of the hidayah by both observable behaviour and mental processes. Whereas the kuffar show rejection to the hidayah by both observable behaviour and mental processes. Ah, thats easy then. Im sure I am with the muttaqqin group. Where else should I be?

 But wait. Ive heard of non-Muslims who read the Quran and

converted to Islam and become good mostly better Muslims compared to me, the so-called muttaqin. There were not muttaqin when they first read the Quran. Perhaps they have this spiritual readiness to find the truth. I remember the root word for taqwa actually means careful or fear. Perhaps the non-Muslims are very careful in their search for hidayah, and fearful that may not find the true path. Thats why they receive hidayah when they read the Quran. Hmm that doesnt make me feel good. I want to become muttaqin too. But, Im very sure Im not from the kuffar group.

 Come to think of it, maybe I should not be too confident that I am not included in the kuffar group (characteristically speaking). After all, the root word kafara means to know the truth and then reject it. It can be any Muslim! Ive heard that , most of surah al-Baqarah, ali `Imran, and al-Maidah are full of stories about the Jews and Christians (the groups that I thought would be included in the kuffar group). .

 And Ive heard that Sahabahs, when they

read the Quran about the Jews and the Christians, they will reflect the ayat to themselves, checking whether they have the characteristics of the ancient Jews and Christians
Oh no! I feel ashamed because when I read the

characteristics of the Jews and the Christians, I usually direct the characteristics to them, and sometimes even to other Muslims whom I think are the fasiqun.

 Then when I read about the characteristics of the munafiqin who show acceptance to hidayah via observable behaviour BUT reject hidayah via mental processes, I feel like fainting again. What? I can become a muttaqin outwardly but a kuffar deep in my heart? I was told that even `Umar RA asked Huzayfah RA whether he is in the munafiqin list! But, its very difficult to measure mental processes right? No wonder Allah gives a very detailed description of the munafiqin group. And no wonder psychology is difficult to islamicise because it involves mental processes.

 What governs these behaviours and mental processes? Must be another element, like soul maybe. Soul? Even psychologists would have problem to explain the concept of the soul. But the soul is there right? I can feel its existence. I have to accept it if I want to find the truth or

hidayah. And theres no way that I want to be included in the munafiqin group.

 When I read about these three groups, it sometimes occur to me, why cant all human beings be in one group, and only one group the

muttaqin. Wouldnt it be nice? One big happy family, no wars, no crimes, no discrimination, no gambling, no liqour, nor riba. All people perform salat, zakat, sawm, and hajj, and be happily married without divorce. Just like staying in paradise. I continue reading

 I keep on reading surah al-Baqarah about the need to serve one God, the Prophethood of Muhammad, the hereafter and final judgement,

the resurrection of man, and God ultimate sovereignty. Yes, I believe in all those things, but this question, that all psychologists have been debating about, is still in my mind, the nature of man the psychology of human soul.

 I dont have to wait long. Its true what they say. When we really, really read the Quran, we will find that, instead of us reading the Quran, the Quran is reading us! In verses 30 and above, Allah talks about the nature of Adam and his role as a khalifah in this world, his intelligence, the angels respect towards him, the birth of sin and temptation, the repentance, and Allahs mercy to him and his wife. I understand now, a little bit, why we are created with dual nature body and soul. It does make sense. But, I still hope that we would have continued to stay in the paradise.

 Although there are still some unanswered question about human nature, I trust that Allah will answer them in the remaining surahs. I was told that the story of Adam is repeated and reinforced, in several other surahs, further details on the idea of the nature of man. And what is Quran but a book full of stories, dictates,

similes, and two-way conversations for man to gain hidayah by further operationalising the behaviours and mental processes that leads to it, for the benefit of my soul.

 Oh yes. In addition to that, questions about Quranic views on wars, crimes, racial and gender discriminations, gambling, liquor, and riba/usury are answered briefly in surah al-Baqarah. Even salat, zakat, sawm, hajj, and yes, marriage and divorce are touched upon briefly, answering some of my previous questions the possibility of having world peace. All these themes are introduced briefly in surah alBaqarah and has kind of sparked my interest to know more about them, creates deeper level questions. But Allah never fails to give the message of hidayah interwoven among the seemingly straightforward fiqh issues and interesting bed-time stories.

 So many issues are introduced in Surah al-Baqarah. Its started to feel burdening. But one thing I am very sure of is I WANT to receive hidayah. I WANT to be on the straight path. But am I capable of understanding and practising all the issues raised briefly in surah al-Baqarah? Im sure they will be lots of dos and donts in the remaining surahs. I had the impression during my school years that Islam is mostly about memorising `aqidah facts (like 20 attributes of Allah), halal-haram and sah-batal rulings, good-bad akhlaq, etc. Im afraid if I read the Quran further, I may be just like the Jews or Christians, lacking in either knowledge or practice.

 Deep in my heart I want to say I hear and I obey (because I need hidayah very badly). Thats how Allah describes a mumin nearing the end of surah al-Baqarah Then I felt relieved. Allah assures me that He will not burden me beyond my capabilities. He even put words from my heart to my mouth. So, as Allah says at the end of surah al-Baqarah, this what I would say: Please dont condemn me if I forget or make mistakes, cleanse my sins, forgive me, have mercy on me, prevent me from being influenced by those who reject truth. And these are my own words: O Allah! My soul is ready to listen to your words and obey you for the sake of hidayah.

 A lot of questions about Islamic and unIslamic practices are still unanswered in surah al-Baqarah. As I would expect, Allah reads my mind perfectly. All those issues are answered bit by bit in different surahs heightening my curiosity motive to read and read more, and increasing the efficiency of my learning. It is as if al-Fatihah is the preface and al-Baqarah is the introductory chapter. In the rest of the Quranic journey, Allah never fails to remind me the concept of hidayah and tawhid, unifying seemingly unconnected issues. As I journey to the end of the Quran, my relationship as a human with Allah is further elaborated making me closer to Him.

 Not until the final few surahs, the message of hidayah is mentioned directly and bluntly focusing on the belief in Allah as the foundation of hidayah, the very essence of human existence.
What is a more perfect way to end my quest about the nature of man and psychology then reading a surah about man itself (al-Nas), accepting Allah

behaviourally and mentally, as mans Rabb and mans Ilah, and asking Him to distance myself from internal (jinn) and external (human) factors that can distract me from receiving hidayah.

 Amazingly, I found out there are only around 500 verses (out of 6300+) verses that talk about fiqh rulings. So, Islam is not just about halal-haram as people like to promote it. And I found out that I dont have to memorise various `aqidah terms and their hair-splitting philosophical meanings when Quran talk about tawhid. Instead, the Quran invites me to think rationally and scientifically to understand the concept of oneness of God. Most of the verses are very psychological in nature talking about my soul and its relationship with Allah, with plenty of illustrations about human behaviour and mental processes.

 This psychological journey with the Quran has been very rocky, or rather like a roller-coaster ride. Sometimes I feel sad, sometimes I feel happy, and sometimes I feel peaceful. In fact, sometimes I even feel ashamed. After all, only Allah and myself have access to my own soul and He knows when to comfort me, encourage me, praise me, or even scold me. But he never fails to give his love and hope with a handful of gentle warnings.

 Some of the verses give me different kinds of physiological reactions, forcing my nervous system to work harder. Sometimes the verses make use of virtual audiovisual strategies (and sometimes involving all five senses) to knock some facts on my head; and sometimes they even teach me how to use

my senses to gain hidayah. Sometimes the verses heighten my level of consciousness, and sometimes they force me to go deeper into my unconscious.

 Sometimes the verses make me learn something valuable or show me how I have learned something evil. Sometimes the verses make me remember certain important issues that I usually forget; and sometimes they show me how I have forgotten those things. Sometimes the verses provoke me to use my cognitive skills to think, to decide, to solve problems, etc. Sometimes the verses sharpen my intelligence, and sometimes they even make me realise what a plain idiot I am!

 Sometimes the verses motivates me to receive hidayah; or

makes me want to ignore certain needs/desires. Sometimes the verses manipulate my emotions; making me feel fearful, surprised, sad, happy, and yes, even disgusted and angry. Sometimes the verses show that my behaviours and mental processes are not in line with my developmental stages. Sometimes, the verses show me that what I think is normal behaviour is actually abnormal; and what I think is abnormal is normal. Sometimes the verses pinpoint how I am easily influenced by others; or how I should influence them. I feel like all the chapters in my introductory psychology textbook have been covered, at a personalised level!

 This is the psychological journey I encounter when I read the Quran. And each time I reencounter the journey starting from Al-Fatihah to al-Nas it is a totally different experience. I found that instead of giving reflection of the Quran, it is the Quran that gives reflections of me. Understanding that I have a dual nature makes me more accepting of myself. I accept the supremacy of God in creating me that way. I too accept that my iman may increase and decrease, that I may perform good behaviour and sinful behaviour. I also know that once in a while, when something bad happened to me, or when I did something bad, I may have certain doubts again about certain issues.

 When I am in that situation, who would be a better person to remind me than a companion, a friend, a confidant, who is always with me through thick or thin, who praises me and scolds me, who knows all my secrets deep in my soul. I know sometimes I neglect him, but he never neglect me. Every time I am in need of a companion, a friend, a confidant, he is always there. He (or rather it), is none other than the Quran which is the word of Allah. Throughout my life, I know that al-Quran my best and close friend will always be there to guide my soul on the straight path. Because that is what my soul always wants hidayah.

 Therefore, if I were to perform a sinful behaviour or mental processes, I will not blame it on the unconscious factor, like the way psychodynamic perspective believes; I will not blame it on the environment, like the way behaviourism believes; I will not blame it on the genetic, neuronal, hormonal, and evolutionary factors; like the way biological perspective believes; I will not believe that my sinful behaviour is actually good behaviour, like the way humanistic perspective believe. I will only blame it to myself but at the same time still have faith in Allah and will not lose hope of Him in giving me divine guidance.

 Thats it! I will repeat my feelings again in surah al-Fatihah. I love you Allah. I fear you Allah. And I will always hope for you. Youre my Rabb

and Ilah. Guide me to the straight path. Help me differentiate between good and bad behaviour and mental processes. Help me to be in the good group and avoid the bad groups. And I hope I will live happily ever hereafter. Amin.