Taking Faith Seriously in Therapeutic Psychology

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In reading the recent interest of psychologist about the therapeutic benefits of religion to clients suffering from psychological disorders at once get the impression that this is a new phenomenon in the revolution of psychology. This is a particular worldview about the religion of Islam. However, keeping in view the long history of Islamization spread over more than sixty years, some Muslim psychologist pioneered the Islamic adaptation of western psychology. But most of their research was based on general efforts in proving the efficacy of this Islamic adaptation in the context of the strong rejection of most Muslim psychologists who used to believe that psychology was a ‘scientific’ discipline that had nothing to do with religion or philosophy. Nevertheless one of the early ‘Islamizers’ of pyschology of the sixties, I could not have believed that I will live to see Islamic psychology, not only included in the curricula of many departments of psychology in Muslim countries but also being taught in England and the US. Professor Skinner is teaching Islamic psychology in Cambridge and Dr. Carrie in Iowa State University.

It is really very encouraging for us to see that at present new generation of Muslim psychologists have not only benefited from the past work but also is significantly contributing in developing more specialized theories and practices having specific evidence-based benefits to the clients suffering from psychological disorders. Chief among this new generation of scholars is our distinguished Professor Muhammad Tahis Khalily of the Department of Psychology in the International Islamic University of Islamabad.

His book that I am prefacing is quite timely. We are already familiar with the generalities of the spiritual dimension in helping the clients suffering from psychological disorders. However, developing more specific evidence-based research in this area can only be achieved by persevering researchers who are well-grounded in their specialization having the cultural and religious background of their people and who had been bestowed with a creative mind can get benefits from what modern psychology can offer or counter-offer to them. Professor Muhammad Tahir Khalily  is bequeathed with these noble qualities.