WELLNESS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAMIC PSYCHOLOGY: INTEGRATING THE JASADIYAH, NAFSIYAH, QALBIYAH, AND RUHANIYAH DIMENSIONS IN HUMAN WELL-BEING
Published:
2026-08-31Downloads
Abstract
The concept of wellness in contemporary psychology is largely grounded in a secular-Western paradigm emphasizing physical, psychological, and social dimensions, while spirituality is often treated as a supporting variable rather than the core of well-being (Ryff, 1989; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). For Muslims, spirituality fundamentally shapes views of the self, life, and happiness (Haque, 2004). This article examines wellness in Islamic psychology, identifies its key dimensions, and analyzes its relevance to contemporary well-being models. A descriptive-analytical qualitative approach was employed through library research on primary sources—the Qur'an and Hadith—and relevant scholarly articles, analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings indicate that Islamic wellness is multidimensional, encompassing jasadiyah (physical), nafsiyah-aqliyah (psychological-cognitive), qalbiyah (emotional-heart), ruhaniyah (spiritual-transcendent), and ijtima'iyah (social) dimensions, converging toward sakinah through tazkiyatun nafs and practices such as dhikr, sabr, shukr, and tawakal. These findings align with evidence linking religiosity and subjective well-being among Muslims (Abdel-Khalek, 2022). Islamic wellness therefore offers an integrative framework enriching Ryff's psychological well-being and PERMA by positioning the human-God relationship at its core.
Keywords:
Islamic psychology wellness psychological well-being tazkiyatun nafs sakinah religiosityReferences
Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2022). The pursuit of happiness within Islam: A systematic review of two decades of research on religiosity and happiness in Islamic groups. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 25(6), 629–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2022.2028748
Abdulkerim, N., & Li, C. (2022). How applicable are mindfulness-based interventions to Muslim clients in the U.S.? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 53(3), 253–265. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000454
Abu Raiya, H., & Pargament, K. I. (2010). Religiously integrated psychotherapy with Muslim clients: From research to practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41(2), 181–188.
Abu-Ras, W., Suárez, Z. E., & Abu-Bader, S. H. (2018). Muslim Americans' safety and well-being in the wake of Trump: A public health and social justice crisis. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(5), 503–515. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000321
Achour, M., Bensaid, B., & Nor, M. R. B. M. (2016). An Islamic perspective on coping with life stressors. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 11(3), 663–685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-015-9389-8
Agustin, M., & Hidayah, U. (2024). Optimalisasi pendidikan Islam dalam meningkatkan kesejahteraan mental serta mengurangi burnout di kalangan pelajar. Al-Qalam: Jurnal Kajian Islam dan Pendidikan, 16(2), 198–212. https://doi.org/10.47435/al-qalam.v16i2.3282
Ali, S. A., Ahmed, M., Bhatti, O. K., & Farooq, W. (2020). Gratitude and its conceptualization: An Islamic perspective. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(4), 1740–1753.
Anlı, G. (2025). Positive psychology practices in Muslim communities: A systematic review. Journal of Religion and Health, 64(5), 3448–3470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02357-9
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Butler, J., & Kern, M. L. (2016). The PERMA-Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(3), 1–48. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v6i3.526
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575.
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Erwahyudin, D. D., Muzakki, M., & Latief, A. M. (2024). The concept of nafs in Islamic psychology and its relevance to student development. Al Misykat: Journal of Islamic Psychology, 1(2), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.24269/almisykat.v1i2.7758
Ghiasi, A., & Keramat, A. (2018). The effect of listening to holy Quran recitation on anxiety: A systematic review. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 23(6), 411–420. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_173_17
Haque, A. (2004). Psychology from Islamic perspective: Contributions of early Muslim scholars and challenges to contemporary Muslim psychologists. Journal of Religion and Health, 43(4), 357–377.
Kadafi, A., Alfaiz, A., Ramli, M., Asri, D. N., & Finayanti, J. (2021). The impact of Islamic counseling intervention towards students' mindfulness and anxiety during the covid-19 pandemic. Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal, 4(1), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.25217/igcj.v4i1.1018
Keshavarzi, H., & Haque, A. (2013). Outlining a psychotherapy model for enhancing Muslim mental health within an Islamic context. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 23(3), 230–249.
Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry, 2012, Article 278730. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/278730
Norman, N. A. (2021). Ibn Sina's theory of the soul: A taxonomy of Islamic education. ICR Journal, 12(2), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.52282/icr.v12i2.867
Rassool, G. H. (2024). The healing power of compassion (rahmah), forgiveness (istighfar), gratitude (shukr), hope (raja), and patience (sabr). In G. H. Rassool, Exploring the intersection of Islamic spirituality and psychotherapy. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72724-5_11
Rothman, A. (2021). Developing a model of Islamic psychology and psychotherapy: Islamic theology and the malleable self. Routledge.
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081.
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press.
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14.
Skinner, R. (2019). Traditions, paradigms and basic concepts in Islamic psychology. Journal of Religion and Health, 58(4), 1087–1094. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0595-1
Subandi, M. A., Derin, S., & Setiyawati, D. (2024). Al Ghazali's concept of diseases of the spiritual heart and its significance to the DSM-5-TR diagnosis. Journal of Religion and Health, 63(1), 490–514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01871-y
Wahyuni, S. (2023). Stress management Islamic perspective: Systematic literature review. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-032-9_35
World Health Organization. (1948). Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization. WHO Press.
Zerni, E., Zaini, H., & Irman, I. (2026). An Islamic counseling approach rooted in tazkiyatun nafs: A tafsir analysis of seven Qur'anic verses. TOFEDU: The Future of Education Journal, 5(2), 2296–2304. https://doi.org/10.61445/tofedu.v5i2.1755
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Irianti Usman, Aliza Nur Muhammad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
