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"Imbue yourselves with characteristics of the Divine."
[Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)]
Personality/shakhsiyyah consists of the human dimensions of intellect and mentality -- 'aqaliyyah and the disposition/nafsiyyah. Islam teaches its adherents that their role on earth is to be God's khalifah/vicegerents and to carry out His commands for the welfare and benefit of all of existence. Such a role relies heavily on the interpersonal conduct, behavior, character and morality of each and every individual Muslim, in essence, the "quality" of each personality. This is one of the foremost responsibilities of Muslims, following the example of the Prophet, to model good human relations. Each human personality is unique. In fact, personality is the sum total of all behavioral and mental characteristics by which an individual is recognized as being unique. The Qur'an expounds in very clear terms a distinct concept of individual growth and development. A human being is body and soul, matter and spirit. It is the unique balance between these that makes humans uniquely what we are, and according to Islamic belief, the highest of all created beings [Qur'an 95:5].
The Core of Islamic Personality - Moral Character/ Akhlaaq
Personality is the manifestation of our character in everything we do in life. Moral character is thus not simply a goal within the life of a Muslim, but the end goal of the Islamic faith itself. On this matter, Prophet Muhammad was asked, "Which Muslim has the perfect faith?" He answered: "He who has the best moral character." In another tradition, they asked the Prophet (pbuh) "What is the best thing given to man?" He replied, "Moral character." Imâm Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali expounds; "Everything in the world has been created with a purpose. Man, being the most exalted of all creation, has a supreme purpose, which is to realize the moral through the proper exercise of the qualities inherent in him. He has to develop those qualities that facilitate moral progress and subjugate those which hinder it. In order to achieve the moral end one has to build a good character that comprises all the virtues, the most important of which is love of God. The actual worth of a virtue is essentially determined by the part it plays in helping man to achieve perfection whereby he attains nearness to God. Good character is the beauty of the soul, and like the beauty of the body it depends on the harmonious and proportionate development of all its elements."
Personality is the manifestation of our character in everything we do in life.
Psychology in Islam
Human personality in the Islamic tradition, is understood through the total makeup of the human being - body, mind and soul. According to Islamic tradition, to understand the overall psychological nature of man and his personality development, one must understand the inner workings, the essence, of the whole person.
According to the Qur'an, all psychological phenomena originate in the Self. The Self is the essence of man, and is often referred to by one of four terms in Arabic -- qalb (heart), ruh (soul), nafs (desire-nature), and 'aql (intellect/reason). Each of these signifies a spiritual entity. Thus, according to Islam, the essence of a person is the Self, which is a spiritual entity, not a physical one. In the Qur'an, personality and behavior are referred to as the nafs, which the Qur'an has used to describe several states of the Self.
Islamic scholars typically highlight the three most commonly referred to states of the Self in the Qur'an as ...
- Nafs Ammara (the Lower Self) - [Qur'an 12:53]. This self is prone to the lower aspects of the Self, representing the negative drives in man. It can be viewed as analogous to the Freudian concept of 'id' e.g. 'I want to do it now ... I don't care if it's right or wrong.' In other words the 'animalistic' level of the self.
- Nafs Lawwama (The Self-reproaching Self) - [Qur'an 75:2]. This state corresponds to the Self when it becomes aware of wrong - doing and feels remorse. A parallel between the Freudian concept of 'superego' and nafs lawwama may be drawn. The feeling of "I shouldn't have done that" or "why did I do that - I wish I hadn't..."
- Nafs Mutma'innah (The Contented Self) - [Qur'an 89:27-28]. This is the state of inner peace and happiness, content with that which Allah is pleased with. This is the state that we are aiming to achieve. In order to achieve the state of tranquility and peace one has to activate the remorseful self (e.g. through sincere repentance) and control the lower commanding self (through self discipline).
According to Islam, man is born in a natural state of purity / fitrah. Although man is not born evil, he is vulnerable to evil stimuli or external sources of misguidance. This property of the human constitution, to be vulnerable to wrong, is intrinsic to man. The emotional and biological impulses of man are not inherently evil, but are readily susceptible to such evil stimuli. Thus, they need to be controlled and directed in accordance with divinely prescribed laws so that the Self (nafs) can be transformed into the highest level of spiritual achievement.
Ideal Human Personality
The ideal human personality belonged to its Prophet, Muhammad bin Abdullah (peace and blessings of God be upon him), who was arguably able to achieve more in his 23 years of prophethood than any person in history.
"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the secular and religious level. ... It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. ... It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history."
[The 100, A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons In History by Dr Michael Hart]
By Br. Sadullah Khan
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