Islam as therapy: Zakiah Daradjat and the uses of religious-oriented psychology

Abstract

In the wake of decolonisation across the Islamic world in the 20th century, Muslim intellectuals experimented with various theories and approaches of psychology to arrive at a better understanding of and treatment for an array of psychoses and neuroses that affected their societies. This article explores the ideas of a prolific Indonesian psychologist and public intellectual, Zakiah Daradjat (1929–2013), and her endeavour at introducing what was termed as ilmu jiwa agama (religious-oriented psychology). I argue that religious-oriented psychology was an innovative field that called for the integration of the sacred sources of Islam, Muslim psycho-spiritual tradition as well as insights derived from European psychology. Although constrained by the policies of an authoritarian regime and her religious outlook, Zakiah Daradjat hoped that this new body of knowledge would guide 20th-century Muslims to delve deeply into the teachings of Islam as a therapy for their psycho-moral challenges.