Sufi Pychology: A Primer

Sufi psychology is often referred to as the "science of soul" it is connected to Sufism and it's teachings,a deeply rooted spiritual teachings blending various traditions and thoughts into Islam.

The three basic ideas or tenets of this version of medival psychology are:

Nafs
Qalb
Ruh

Nafs = self, ego...
Qalb = heart
Ruh = spirit

Nafs

Nafs is the lowest principle of man, above it is qalb and ruh. There are various views on this classification by various medival scholars.According to one view nafs is close to a tyrant. A tyrant loves God for his/her own sake...

Nafs as a medival idea roughly translates to ego or grosser aspects of the self, one which is connected to the more baser aspects of man.

Qalb

Qalb is spiritual heart, not the physical one, a deeply connected notion of sufism. The qalb is seen as a meditator between nafs and the spirit.

Ruh

Run is the spirit, the divine spark within that connects man to the divine...

In upcoming posts we'll discuss these ideas in great detail along with other medival and contemporary ideas and how they influenced modern psychology, the more rational neuroscience and it's applications to life coaching et all.

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