SUFISM

The main object of psychology study is the human being as a wealth of body and soul. In
psychology, the human body can function or act when the soul is able to move it in the
form of motive.

The same thing is also a part of Islamic studies of tasawuf or sufism, personality (akhlak)
involves two substances namely the body and spirit. These two opposing substances in
principle need each other.

Sufism is a discipline of self-knowledge and self-acceptance. The goal is to know who we

are. Not just our physical dimension ( body, mind, intellect, social identity etc) but also our
spiritual dimension. Sufi psychology is taking the principles and teachings of Sufism and
applying them to contemporary psychology. Sufism offers one of the most complete road
maps for the stages of transformation of consciousness.

Each seeker travels a unique path based on his/her unique personality characteristics and
spiritual potential. The three central concepts in Sufi Psychology are the heart, the self and
the soul. Each of these technical terms has a different meaning than its common English
usage.

To know the real depth of human being means to deeply know these parts and to be able
to harmonize and unify them. The origin and basis of these terms is Quranic.

Sufism is a very holistic approach for it integrates physical, psychic and spirit and
underlines that Sufism is a spiritual discipline for all people without class and caste.

Humans are made up of souls and bodies that cannot be separated from one another.

There are three central ideas in Sufi Islamic psychology, which are the Nafs (self, ego
or psyche),

the Qalb (heart) and

the Ruh (spirit)

Overview:

I.Nafs:

Etymologically, the nafs (derived from Arabic) has a diverse meaning, ie the spirit or the
soul, the eyes, the blood, the human person, or the essence.

According to Acmad Mubarok the term nafs in al-Qur'an has many meanings, namely: `
1. Nafs means self

2. Nafs means God's self

3. Nafs as the spirit (ruh)

4. Nafs as the soul

5. Nafs as the totality of people who have physical and spiritual dimensions

6. Nafs as the inner side of the human (invisible) that gives birth to behavior

"Nafs" (self or ego) is the aspect of the psyche that can be viewed along a continuum, and
has the potential of functioning from the grossest to the highest level.

The self at its lowest level refers to our negative traits and tendencies, controlled by
emotions, desires and its gratification.

TYPES/LEVELS:

Sufic psychology identifies seven levels of the nafs, which have been identified in the
Quran.
The process of growth depends on working through these levels.

1. The Tyrannical Nafs (nafs al-ammârah)

• Descriptions of this level are like descriptions of the id in psychoanalytic theory.

• Indulged in worldly pleasures and desires.
• seeks to dominate and control others.
• Selfishness
• no morality and compassion

2. The Regretful Nafs (nafs al-lawwâmah)

• At this level, pleasures and desires still dominate, but now the person repents from
time to time and tries to follow higher impulses.
• Here, people do not yet have the ability to change their way of life in a significant
way. However, as they see their faults more clearly, their regret and desire for change grow.
• Self criticism

3. The Inspired Nafs (nafs al-mulhimah):

At this level of nafs, humans begin to feel the true pleasure in praying, meditation and
other spiritual activities.

4. The Tranquil Nafs (nafs al-muthmainnah):

• The seeker is now at peace ( letting go of old Desires and Attachments)

• The ego-self begins to let go, allowing the individual to come more closely in contact
with the Divine.
• The person becomes more liberal, grateful, and trusting.
• This level marks as a period of transition. ("disintegration" and letting go of all
previous concerns with self-boundaries towards "reintegration" as an aspect of the
universal self

5. The Happy Nafs (nafs al-radhiah)

• At this stage, the individual is not only content with his or her life, but pleased with
even the difficulties and trials of life, realizing that these difficulties come from God.

6. Nafs which is Pleasing to God (nafs al-mardhiah):

This stage of the nafs is the level of the inner marriage between the nafs and the soul, At
this level human beings acquire true inner unity and are able to perceive the world as a
holistic entity by entering into the self-denial realm.

7. The Sacred Nafs (nafs al-kamilah):

In the level of the sacred nafs there is no longer ego or self, but the only left is the union
with God (some call it ecstasy).

II. Qalb:

In Sufi psychology the heart refers to the spiritual heart or qalb, not the physical organ.

It is this spiritual heart that contains the deeper intelligence and wisdom.

It holds the deep spiritual knowledge.

In Sufism, the goal is to develop a heart that is sincere, loving and compassionate, and
to develop the heart's intelligence, which is deeper, and more grounded than the
rational, abstract intelligence of the mind.

Just as the physical heart supplies blood to the body, the spiritual heart nourishes the soul
with wisdom and spiritual light, and it also purifies the gross personality traits.

It is said that when the 'eyes of the heart' open, one can see beyond the surface appearance
of existence, and that when the 'ears of the heart' open, one can hear the reality of the truth
behind the words.

According to Sufic psychology emotions are from the self or nafs, not from the heart.

Nafs - Qalb (mediator) - Spirit

III. Ruh:

The spirit ruh is in direct connection with the Divine, even if one is unconscious of that
connection.

The spirit has seven levels or facets of the complete spirit.

These levels are: mineral, vegetable, animal, personal, human, secret and secret of secret
souls. P V M-H A S -S

Each level represents the stages of evolution, and the process that it goes through in its
growth.

1.The mineral soul . Our deep mineral structure, connected to the skeletal system, includes
our basic sense of connection, at atomic and subatomic levels, with all the universe.
However, its characteristic is , like a crystal, to be rigid.

2.The vegetable soul . It is located in the liver and related to the digestive system. At this
level transmission of energy and transmutation begins. Nourishment and growth is one of
its functions. To have a healthy vegetable soul, we need healthy nourishment ( at physical,
emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels)

3.The animal soul . It includes our basic emotional states, passions and fears. It is located
in the heart and the circulatory system. Passions and fears are functional, they can be useful
and give us vitality and strength. but they must not dominate our lives otherwise they distort
our perception and behaviour. Emotional unbalance in the student dervish is the first area
of concern which the sufi teacher addresses with appropriate practices and correctives.

4.The personal soul , located in the brain and the nervous system. It allows us to elaborate
advanced response to the environment by developing complex thinking models and
planning. This centre is also connected with the ego and the sense of personal identity or
self.

5.The human soul is located in the inner or spiritual heart, it is the focus for spiritual values
such as compassion and creativity. This is heart intelligence

6.The secret soul, is what remembers our divine origin and it is therefore the seat of inner
consciousness. It is also located in the inner heart.

7 .The secret of secrets , the soul of the soul, totally transcendent (beyond space-time).

Each of the souls ( except the last two) have positive as well negative characteristics, the
negatives occurring as a result of unbalance. The last three souls (human and secret souls)
can be seriously damaged, even anesthetised and deadened by abuse of substances such as
drugs and alcohol. For this reason these are forbidden in Islam.

The spirit is holistic, and extends to all aspects of the person, i.e. the body, the mind and
the soul.

Each level of the spirit has valuable gifts and strengths, as well as weaknesses.

The goal is to develop the strengths and to achieve a balance between these levels, not
forgoing the lower ones to focus only on the higher ones.

PRINCIPLES OF SUFISM

The Principles of Sufism, called Irfan in the original Persian, have been repeatedly
presented (Angha,N, 1996, pp. 27-28):

ZIKR(to remember) - remembering God at all times

FIKR(to think, meditate) - being in the state of wondering
SAHAR(to awaken) - awakening of soul and body
JUI’I(to hunger) - having exterior hunger (mind) and interior hunger (Heart) to persist in
the search and to obtain the truth.
SUAMT(to observe silence) - ceasing to think and talk about worthless things
SAUM(to fast) - fasting of body, mind and Heart
KHALVAT(to observe solitude) - praying in solitude, externally and internally
KHIDMAT(to serve) - dissolving in the truth of the master and dissolving in the truth of
existence

SUFISM IN PSYCHOLOGY

Ego psychology deals with the animal soul, outlining the main motivation for existence
being that of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.

Behavioural psychology focuses on the conditioned functioning of the vegetable and

animal soul.

Cognitive psychology deals with the mental functions of the personal soul.

Humanistic psychology deals with the activities of the human soul.

Transpersonal psychology deals with ego-transcending consciousness of the secret soul

and the secret of secret souls.

HAPPINESS IN SUFISM

• Understanding through the "heart's intelligence" is superior to understanding through

the intelligence of the head.
• Going beyond the limited notions/pre-assumptions/ conclusions of mind and intellect
(right and wrong)
• The intelligence of the heart is the only instrument that can be used to discover the
ultimate truth.