A Story of Human Soul (‘Ilm an-Nafs) – Part 1

We are, in our essence, a spiritual being. Our classical scholars developed a field of study called ‘ilm al-nafs (science of the soul) which has been loosely translated in our times as psychology. The core of this science is rooted in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. The essence of ‘ilm al-nafs is examining human behaviours and experiences from a holistic perspective.

This holistic perspective refers to physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions and the human beings from an Islamic worldview. Each of these dimensions refer to the corresponding and interactions of the various cognitive faculties that has been bestowed to us. These faculties are the nafs (desires), ‘aql (intellect), qalb (heart), rūh (spirit) and jasad (body). The application of ‘ilm al-nafs is based upon Islamic healing and spiritual intervention. 

This course provides a foundational knowledge of classical Islamic understandings of the human soul found in the earliest sources gradually leading into the philosophical and theological traditions in Islam. It follows closely the development of Islamic theological and philosophical ideas and questions rooted in the Qur’ān, the Sunnah and Islamic Thought. 

This course is not a clinical course on psychology. It is also not a Islamic therapy course where we seek healing for some of our emotional, psychological and spiritual illnesses. It is a theoretical exploration of the various descriptions of the human soul by different schools of intellectual thought in our rich heritage. Participants will be introduced to Islamic classical writings on the human soul as grounded in the Qur’ān the Sunnah. 

Simultaneously, we will explore the interdisciplinary approach taken by classical and contemporary Muslim scholars in developing the field of ‘ilm al-nafs. Participants will have the opportunity to read classical texts of key figures who shaped this field from amongst influential philosophers, theologians, Sufi masters and physician-scientists. 

Kindly refer to the program outline below to further understand the journey of those who are interested in partaking this course:

Part 1 Overview:

It explores various ideas of the soul from different schools of scholars.

The study spans 10 weeks, covering topics like fiṭrah, Islamic intellectual heritage, and contributions from various Muslim thinkers and disciplines like philosophy, theology, Sufism, and medicine.

The structure is inspired by a postgraduate diploma course in Islamic Psychology from Cambridge Muslim College.

Part 2 Overview:

Participants can further explore primary texts from classical Muslim scholars. The exploration is divided into three segments, each lasting 20-25 weeks.

Segment  focuses on philosophers and physicians-scientists, while segments 2 and 3 cover Sufism, theologians, and contemporary Muslim scholars.

Texts are selected based on their contributions to ‘ilm al-Nafs’ and availability in English translation.