Stages of Life and Unconscious Mind: A Fundamental Understanding of Islamic Worldview

Abstract

Islamic worldview can be described as the beliefs, values and attitudes of a Muslim. Understanding of this aspect could enhance therapeutic alliance with Muslim clients. The main objective of this paper was to enhance the understanding of Islamic worldview with reference to (i) the concept of human nature, (ii) the stages of human life across different worlds, and (iii) Allah as The Creator, in the context of existing knowledge of Islam and Psychology. A qualitative research design was applied. Thematic analysis was conducted of the relevant (selected) verses of Qur’an and the Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. For this purpose, English Translation of Qur’anic verses by Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahib called ‘The Meanings of The NOBLE QUR’AN’ (2023) and English translation of exegesis of Qur’an, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Sahib, called Ma’ariful Qur’an English (2010) was used. English Translations of Hadiths of Prophet Mohammad ﷺ were taken from mobile application named ‘Islam 360’. Analysis identified that the Living Self of human being consisted of Physical Self and Spiritual Self along with Cognition. Secondly, there are three life stages of a human in three different worlds, i.e. (a) Aalam e Arwah, with reference to the Covenant of Alast, which is in the unconscious mind and can be related to Carl Jung’s collective unconscious, (b) Aalam e Dunya (the present world) and (c) Aalam- e Mahshar, which is in the conscious and refers to the Day of Resurrection. The third theme reflected that Allah is The Lord of all the Worlds. Additionally, 3 Ts (Tauheed, Tawakkal and Taqwa) were identified as the key components with reference to how a Human (as servant, the Living Self) is connected to Allah (The Lord of all the Worlds). This connectivity is the core concept of the Islamic Worldview. Based on the themes identified, a theoretical model has been developed, which would help to reveal the real purpose of life in the present World and also facilitate the Muslim population to live it. The concepts can be integrated in the practices of Islamic psychology and Islamic education in general.