Review: Psychology from the Islamic Perspective by Dr. Aisha Utz

Goodreads rating: 4/5

My rating: 4/5

'Psychology from the Islamic Perspective' is Dr. Aisha Utz's effort to explain the true nature of human psychology based on the Quran and Sunnah.

In this book, she argues that the main weakness of contemporary psychology is it's disregard of the human soul which is significant as her definition of psychology from the Islamic perspective is, "the study of the soul, the ensuing behavioural, emotional and mental processes; and both the seen and unseen aspects that influence these elements.

I had wrong expectations before reading this book. For some reason, I thought this book would have more comparisons between secular psychology and Islamic psychology. I also thought that maybe there would be mentions of cures or different methods from the Quran or Sunnah to deal with mental disorders. I think my misconceptions were due to the title.

In my honest opinion, I would not classify this book as a Psychology book but rather an Islamic one. Dr. Utz's compilation of Quran verses, hadiths, the Prophet's (pbuh) sunnah and study findings is the perfect guide for Muslims to follow to be able to live with a sound body, mind and soul. She elaborated on everyone's one true purpose in life, which is to worship Allah (swt) and how this benefits us if done right, in this life and in the hereafter.

She managed to cover every facet of life and I've learnt a lot that I hope to apply in my life. If I had the physical book, you would have seen a lot of book marks. I will most likely dedicate some time to go through parts of the book that I've marked to write them down somewhere for me to refer back to. For example, did you know that each person is appointed with a jinn and a set of angels? Naturally, the angel encourages the human to follow the path of truth and righteousness while the jinn does the opposite just like in cartoons. Apparently, when we are about to sleep, the angel tells us to end the day with good while the devil tells us to end it with evil. If we are able to remember Allah (swt) until sleep overtakes us, the angel expels the devil and spends the night watching over us. Did you also know that angels send blessings upon those who visit the sick?

"The Prophet (saw) said: "When anyone visits a sick person in the evening, seventy thousand angels go out with him and pray for forgiveness for him until the morning and he will have provision in paradrise. And whoever goes to visit a sick person in the morning, seventy thousand angels go with him, and they pray for forgiveness for him until the evening, and he will have provision in paradise.""

Can you imagine seventy thousand angels praying on your behalf? Wow.

This book consists of a lot more lessons and guidelines for Muslims to abide by. It's full of reminders of how simple it is to secure a place in heaven, if only we choose to follow the word of Allah (swt). That is why though this book is not what I expected it to be, I've still rated it high. How can I not be appreciative of a book that has so many life lessons for me to live by and hopefully teach others of as well?

There is a paragraph within the first few pages that struck me and is one of the reasons I was eager to continue reading despite my lack of fondness for non-fiction:

"Since its true nature is spiritual, the soul requires a spiritual connection to its source, the Creator, just as the body requires food and water to survive. Without this vital nourishment, the soul will suffer anxiety, depression, and despair. Many humans who currently experience mental health problems are suffering from ailments of the soul, not of the mind. The soul is calling out for its food, but instead of getting the real food that it requires - submission and closeness to Allah (swt), it is fed junk food in the form of various psychotherapies and medications. For this reason, the soul continues to call out."

I have to testify to the truth in this statement. Around the time I began my journey to Islam, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I knew in my heart that my medication was not helping me. I kept trying to convince my dad that I did not need medication, that all I needed to do was to become Muslim. Once I embraced Islam, I quit taking the medication and got better. I have not relapsed ever since or ever felt close to being depressed again, thank God. I knew I was lost and that God was reaching out to me, that my soul was yearning for Him, all I had to do was believe and I'm so glad that I did.

This book is not perfect, it would have been nice to read testimonies from Muslims that sought out Islamic forms of psychotherapy. However, I would still recommend this to every Muslim as it is an essential guide but I would not recommend this to a non-Muslim as Dr. Utz is quite strong in her opposition toward non-believers and secular psychology.