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Can Muslims Study Philosophy and Psychology?

04 March, 2023
Q Is studying philosophy and psychology allowed in Islam?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

In this fatwa:


Philosophy and psychology are disciplines one can study as long as we do not confuse them as disclosing the whole reality, thus replacing the revealed knowledge.


Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

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Philosophy and psychology are disciplines one can study as long as we do not confuse them as disclosing the whole reality, thus replacing the revealed knowledge. Muslims distinguished our efforts to understand and analyze the sensible world from the knowledge communicated through revelation. 

Philosophy teaches us critical thinking, which is essential for objective assessment. Psychology is a science grounded in the use of the scientific method. It uses knowledge obtained through verifiable evidence of human behavior and mental processes.

Psychological studies are designed very much like studies in other scientific fields. However, we must always be aware of the tentative nature of all our conclusions in social sciences, including psychology.

That is why Ibn Khaldun, often considered the father of social sciences, always concluded his observations by saying, “Allah knows best.” Therefore, Ibn Khaldun recommends that we have a solid knowledge of the Quran lest we fall into reductionism. In other words, the Tawhidi paradigm provided by the Quran can help us link all the disciplines into a coherent whole.

Finally, we must always keep in mind the words of Ibn Khaldun: “The intellect should not be used to weigh such matters as the oneness of God, the other world, the truth of prophecy, the real character of the divine attributes, or anything else that lies beyond the level of the intellect.”

Also, never fail to lose sight of the tentative nature of all our observations and discoveries as we know that every discovery updates a previous discovery going beyond it, and then the new one could also be liable to critique and may be replaced by another. Allah speaks the truth, “You have not been given knowledge, save a little.” (Al-Israa 17:85)

Almighty Allah knows best.

Source: AsktheScholar.com