Through the principles of sufism each individual can come to know his or her innermost self, the self which is much more than simply thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sufism is both a way of life and also a psychological theory of the human psyche. Higher than the nafs is the qalb heart, and the ruh spirit. This tripartition forms the foundation of later, more complicated systems. Robert frager on psychology from viewpoint of sufism. Drawing on the words of the great sufi poet rumi, as well as traditional material and personal experience, this book integrates the wisdom of sufism with the needs of contemporary life. Sufism is often considered external to the mainstream doctrine of islam, and has at times encountered opposition and hostility. Spiritual psychology is the study and practice of the art and science of the human evolution of consciousness. The premises for my argument are the lack of literature between jungian psychology and sufism despite the obvious potential of comparative materials, while jungs relation to other religious traditions is relatively well documented. Toward a sufism psychotherapy international association. The chapter argues that at another level, however, they reflect the. Sufism islam and jungian psychology download ebook pdf. Understanding the concept of islamic sufism shahida bilqies research scholar, shahihamadan institute of islamic studies university of kashmir, srinagar190006 jammu and kashmir, india. The ninetynine day program is available as a pdf download, or as a threering binder.
Sufism, let me suggest what sets burckhardt s study apart. Crisis in psychology due to strict adherence to experimentalanalytical paradigm logical empiricism. Most forms of sufism and quasi sufism known in the west place a high priority on love. Words, being limited, can never really express the perfection of the absolute, the unbound. Whereas, in much of western psychology, it is assumed that one can only know of ones client what one derives by inference from information gathered through the senses, sufism recognizes another kind of knowing, received directly from the unity. So far, more than one thousand people have worked with this program and it is being periodically refined. The heart occupies an important place in sufism and is considered to. It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. S21523 january 20 with 1,350 reads how we measure reads. Spirituality being an integral part of most of the religious philosophies provides the value system for the majority of people. Our goal is to share, without costs of any kind, psychology knowledge between academic and professional psychologists and with a wider audience of nonpsychologists. Later, the term most often referred to those sufis who incurred blame by shunning islamic literalism and.
This thesis proposes a comparison of the individuation process in jungian psychology and the purification of the nafs the self in sufism. The psychology of sufism del wa nafs hardcover august 1, 1993 by dr. Psychology and sufism, both investigates for the inner mysteries of humans and suggest some ways to help them improve their lives. Outlining the four principles of repentance, sincerity, remembrance, and love, it traces the fundamental stages and states of the spiritual novices transformative journey, emphasizing the importance of embracing both human limitations and gods limitless love.
Contents preface vii a note on sources ix 1 the sufi path 1 2 the sufi tradition 22 3 name and reality 39 4 selfhelp 49 5 the remembrance of god 63 6 the way of love 74 7 the neverending dance 91 8 images of beatitude 121 9 the fall of adam 141 10 the paradox of the veil 178 notes 201 suggested reading 212 index of names and terms 217 index of hadiths and sayings 230 index of koranic verses 232. Human cognitions and behaviors are determined largely by a set of facts and values. In contrast to the western psychological viewpoint of the brain being in charge of the human being and the main agent for change, sufi psychology focuses on the heart. Robert frager, who has both, sufi and psychologist hats, evaluated human growth comparatively.
This is called the tariqat, the spiritual path or way towards god. Sufism, being the marrow of the bone or the inner dimension of the islamic revelation, is the means par excellence whereby tawhid is achieved. He holds that the nafs is peculiar to the zalim tyrant, the qalb to the muqtasid moderate, and the ruh to the sabiq. Sufi cosmology and psychology arvan harvat the purpose of the present essay is to clear a heap of misunderstanding that has accrued around the sufi concept of latifa pl. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. Similar to sufism, the science of spiritual psychology and social work concentrate on. Bismi allahirrahmanirrahim the word sufi is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool and which refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the prophet muhammad pbuh and by his close companions. The arabic term sufi has been used in islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of sufism. When it first appeared in 1964, the sufis was welcomed as the decisive work on the subject of sufi. Heart, self, and soul is the first book by a western psychologist to explore the rich spiritual tradition of sufism as a path for personal growth. The practice of sufism is the intention to go towards the truth by means of love and devotion. Pdf fitra and the self psychology of islam jalaledin. Click download or read online button to get sufism islam and jungian psychology book now.
This is well and good, and burckhardt himself points out that ibn iarab the greatest master of sufi theoretical teachings put love at the pinnacle of concerns. An introduction to sufism and spiritual psychology, developed by kabir helminski, providing a structure for spiritual practice through study, awareness activities, and correspondence with a mentor. Most forms of sufism and quasisufism known in the west place a high priority on love. As an undergraduate student majoring in history at the college of wooster ohio, chittick spent the 19641965 academic year abroad, studying islamic history at the american university of beirut. Pdf human experience in, health and disease, always has a. Legacy of an anatolian sufi from a psychological perspective. Sufi practices, like those of many other world religions, enable people to combat this tendency, seeking to discover and bring forth the higher or true self, that spark within each person.
At one level, these simply retell the folk wisdom of the muslim world, especially through the delightful stories of nasruddin, and this is one reason for the success of shahs books. This chapter looks at the most widely read western writer on sufism, idries shah, providing an overview of shahs career and his writings. Sufism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf e. It is an entirely voluntary operation, disseminating free psychology information. It is written in a way that makes the ancient yet timeless wisdom of sufism accessible to those who seek understanding of the practical benefits of this path and its psychology, as well as.
Idries shah and sufi psychology oxford scholarship. The sufi psychology of growth, balance, and harmony. Members from around the world are working to bring together the application of sufi principles and practices and the study of psychology through research, translation, and discussion. The psychology wiki founders, administrators, and editors make no money from this site. Sufism and psychology forum international association of. Psychology in sufism is an introductory text in which the psychological process of transformation of the self is explored from within the context of sufism. See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The heart is the gateway to the spiritual dimension of each individual and should control the brain and body. This is a definitive book on the sufi way of blame that addresses the cultural life of sufism in its entirety. An introduction to sufism and spiritual psychology, developed by shaikh kabir helminski in the form of a 99 day program, providing a structure for spiritual practice through study, awareness activities, and correspondence with a mentor. Gold winner of the 2012 benjamin franklin award and the 2012 independent publisher book award.
The ninetynine day program pdf download version the. Nafs is considered to be the lowest principle of man. Sufism has been a prominent spiritual tradition in islam deriving. The psychology of interrogations pdf book and confessions a handbookgisli gudjonsson is a professor of forensic psychology at the institute of psychiatry, kings college, london, and head of the forensic psychology services at the maudsley. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines.
To a sufi meditation implies that state of mystical experience in which the mind is not distracted by psychological impacts, because in the profound stillness one. The way of blame originally designated a group within larger sufism that focused on the psychology of egoism and engaged in selfcritique arabic malam, or blame. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. The facts are mostly derived from the science and the values have their origin in religious or nonreligious philosophies such as humanism and existentialism. Central institute of psychiatry, ranchi, india, 1school of psychology, university of wales. Classical sufi texts, which stressed certain teachings and practices of the quran and the sunnah. Sufism and mental health article pdf available in indian journal of psychiatry 55suppl 2. The practice of sufism is the intention to go towards the truth, by means of love and devotion. Javad nurbakhsh the psychology of sufism del wa nafs dr. There are three central ideas in sufi islamic psychology, which are the nafs self, ego or. His experience in india in the early 1970s led him to a lifelong exploration of the spiritual as well as clinical dimensions of jungian depth psychology.
Sufism, particularly in the area of iran, turkestan, afghanistan and india, a welter of elaborate and frequently conflicting systems of esoteric psychology and physiology had developed. Reza arasteh combined westernized psychology with sufism to emerge as an important voice in the integration of psychology and religion. The psychology of interrogations pdf book and confessions. How is sufi psychology different from regular psychology. The ninetynine day program seems to be answering a real need. Originating in ninthcentury persia, the way of blame arab. It is a way to expand the current limitations of psychology to encompass the entirety of the human being. Javad nurbakhsh this book is a guide to help the reader understand the nature of man and the obstacles to becoming a true. As an adjective, the arabic word latif means subtle. Meaning the substance of sufism is the truth and the meaning of sufism is the selfless experiencing and actualization of the truth.
The sufism and psychology forum spf was created to explore the relationship between the study of sufism and of psychology. Sufism seems to have achieved an understanding of the human mind that goes far beyond that of modern psychology, many of whose tenets e. The principles of sufism is a mystical guide book to help others on their spiritual path. Pdf sufism the transformation of the heart download full.