The Nature Of Man and the Psychology of the Human Soul

Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas
Paperback, 42 pages
9789671833650

This monograph is a brief outline and framework for Islamic psychology and epistemology. It starts with the author's overview of human dual nature and man's relation to the Divine Covenant (mithaq or 'ahd) and the religion of Islam. It also contains in one of its notes an explanation on the concept of 'choice' and 'freedom' as denoted by the Islamic term ikhtiyar. In substance, this book is a concise account and reformulation of the faculty of psychology as understood by past Muslim scholars. One can therefore find explanations on human active, perceptive, cognitive and intellectual faculties. Special treatment is also given to man's faculty of imagination and how it is related to the World of Images ('alam al- mithal). In the last few paragraphs, the author also makes an attempt at resolving the dispute concerning the pre-existence of the soul. This is an important work for students and practitioners of psychology and education.