The Nature and Method of Islamic Psychology

The aim of this research was to present a systematic and clear theoretical framework for introducing the nature of Islamic psychological knowledge, by integrating a methodical understanding of religious texts with empirical investigation methods, and to distinguish this field of knowledge from other bodies of knowledge. The present study is a foundational-theoretical research of the 'methodological' type, conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. In this article, by analyzing the methodology of empirical science, the methodology of understanding religious texts, and relying on the epistemological validity of each, an attempt has been made to offer a way to integrate them within a narrative-rational-empirical framework that possesses epistemological validity and practical value in the field of psychology. This examination showed that: first, it is possible to achieve an 'Islam-based psychological science'; second, Islamic psychology is not merely a psychological interpretation of Islamic texts, but rather a kind of empirical psychological science based on the Islamic paradigm. In other words, Islamic psychology does not necessarily mean extracting all psychological propositions and practical tools from revealed texts; rather, its being Islamic depends on explaining empirical findings based on Islamic ontological, axiological, and anthropological presuppositions; third, it is possible to integrate the three epistemological methods—narrative (textual), rational, and empirical—for the production of religious science, particularly Islamic psychology, in a way that has sufficient epistemological validity and practical value from an epistemological perspective; fourth, the difference between the non-empirical domain of 'Islamic teachings' and the 'empirical science of Islamic psychology' and the application of each was clarified.