The Epistemology of Islamic Psychology in the Thought of Malik Badri: Implications for the Development of Contemporary Psychology


Authors

(1) * Muhammad Farid Azfaruddin   (Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Indonesia)  
        Indonesia
(2)  Uthman Shehu Lawal   (Kaduna State University, Nigeria)  
        Nigeria
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


This study examines the epistemological foundation of Islamic psychology in the thought of Malik Badri and its implications for contemporary psychological development. The research aims to analyze how Badri conceptualizes Islamic epistemology in psychology and critiques the dominance of Western psychological paradigms. A qualitative library research design was employed by analyzing primary data from Badri’s The Dilemma of Muslim Psychologists and relevant secondary literature from academic databases. Data were collected through documentation techniques and analyzed using thematic analysis based on the Miles and Huberman model. The findings show that Badri introduces the “Lubang Biawak” metaphor to describe intellectual dependency of Muslim psychologists on Western theories, particularly psychoanalysis, which often conflicts with Islamic worldview. This study contributes by reconstructing Islamic psychology as an epistemologically grounded discipline rather than a mere adaptation of Western psychology. It implies the need for critical epistemic awareness and integration of Islamic principles in psychological theory and practice.



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