Document Type : Original
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the limitations of contemporary psychology in fundamentally alleviating the pervasive emotions of grief (huzn) and fear (khawf), and to present an alternative framework derived from the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. While mainstream approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focus on symptom management and fostering individual adaptation to suffering—often without guaranteeing complete and lasting recovery—the Qur'an proposes a transcendent objective: attaining a state where "no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve" (Yunus: 62). Employing a descriptive-analytical and comparative method, this research argues that the impasse in psychology stems from its reliance on instrumental calculative rationality and finite human resources, which can inadvertently perpetuate anxiety. In contrast, the Qur'anic model proposes a three-layered strategy to nullify the cognitive roots of distress: (1) at the cognitive level, by redefining real "good" and "evil" and shifting the locus of trust from the self to God (tawakkul); (2) at the behavioral level, by equipping the individual with practical techniques such as remembrance (dhikr), patience (sabr), and benevolence (ihsan); and (3) at the existential level, by attaining divine tranquility (sakinah) and contentment (rida), which culminates in the actualization of the "contented self" (nafs al-mutma'innah). The findings suggest that this model, by transcending self-centric calculations and recontextualizing suffering within the framework of divine trial (ibtila), aims not merely to manage the symptoms but to dissolve the very cause of fear and grief.
Keywords
- Grief
- Fear
- Psychology
- Qur'؛ an
- Emotion Regulation
- Tawakkul (Reliance on God)
- Nafs al-Mutma'؛ innah (The Contented Self(
Main Subjects
)