User:Kylabruce/Sufi psychology

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Article Draft

I chose to edit the Lead section and and the Happiness in Sufism section and each part of the article body. The lead was very hard to follow in the original article, and each part could be worked on, they're a little bit hard to understand for someone who is unfamiliar with the topic. Happiness in Sufism relies too much on references, sentences seem choppy or too complex to understand. I copied and pasted the sections from the original article and I will be editing them and adding to them.

Lead: Overview Sufi Psychology

Sufi Psychology is believed to be referred to as the Science of the Soul, the goal of Sufi Psychology is to reinforce the idea that an individual is more than the situations they experience, more than the circumstances they face, and to ultimately encourage the desire to explore their true selves. ^[1] Sufi Psychology is also linked to the Islamic culture and religion, this is referred to as Islamic Sufism. Which can be characterized as the spiritual path evoked by love and ignites any physical, psychological, and personal changes that will occur in one's life. As one continues the pathway, the more positive life changes begin to arise themselves. ^[2] There are three central ideas in Sufi Islamic psychology, which are the Nafs (self, ego or psyche), the Qalb (heart) and the Ruh (spirit). The origin and basis of these terms is Qur'anic and they have been expounded upon by centuries of Sufic commentaries.

Article Body: Breakdown of Sufi Psychology

Nafs

"Nafs" (self or ego) is the aspect of the psyche that can be viewed along a continuum, and has the potential of functioning from the grossest to the highest level. In the Qur'an it is implied that the Nafs are told to be the true inner core of human beings in which can be related to behavioral impulses, attitudes and behavior itself.^[3] The self at its lowest level refers to our negative traits and tendencies, controlled by emotions, desires and its gratification. The self at its highest level refers to our positive traits and tendencies, controlled by faith, love, and loyalty. ^[3] Sufic psychology identifies seven levels of the Nafs, which have been identified in the Quran. ^[4] The process of growth depends on working through these levels. These are: tyrannical self, regretful self, inspired self, serene self, pleased self, pleasing self and the pure self.^[5][6]

Qalb

In Sufi psychology the heart refers to the spiritual heart or qalb, not the physical organ. It is this spiritual heart that contains the deeper intelligence and wisdom. It holds the Divine spark or spirit and is the place of gnosis and deep spiritual knowledge. In Sufism, the goal is to develop a heart that is sincere, loving and compassionate, and to develop the heart's intelligence, which is deeper, and more grounded than the rational, abstract intelligence of the mind. Just as the physical heart supplies blood to the body, the spiritual heart nourishes the soul with wisdom and spiritual light, and it also purifies the gross personality traits. According to Sufic psychology emotions are from the self or nafs, not from the heart. The qalb mediates between the Nafs and spirit. Its task is to control the nafs and direct the man toward the spirit.

Ruh

The Ruh is referred to as the spirit or soul, in which is in direct connection with the Divine, even if one is unconscious of the connection. ^[7]The spirit is broken up into seven levels or facets of the complete spirit. These levels are: mineral, vegetable, animal, personal, human, secret and secret of secret souls. All seven levels represent a stage of evolution, and the processes, feelings, and changes associated with that stage of evolution. The spirit entails many parts in order to make it whole which include all aspects of a person, i.e. the body, the mind and the soul. Each level of the spirit accompanies our valuable gifts and strengths, whole also housing our weaknesses. The goal is to develop the strengths and to achieve a balance between these levels, not forgoing the lower ones to focus on the higher ones. Different types of psychology deal with the different levels associated with the spirit. These are: Ego Psychology deals with the animal soul, Behavioral Psychology focuses on the conditioned functioning of the vegetable and animal soul, Cognitive Psychology deals with the mental functions the personal soul. Also, Humanistic Psychology deals with the activities of the human soul and Transpersonal Psychology deals with the ego-transcending consciousness of the secret soul and the secret of secret souls. The spirit has surpassed the realm of creation, in which the spirit is directly linked to Alam e Lahoot (Unity of attributes and names) which is from Amr Allah (Command of Allah). Ultimately, the spirit knows the ins and outs of everything including its own source.^[7]

Happiness in Sufism

Sufism aspires towards developing a soft, feeling, compassionate heart. It is essential to understand that the "heart's intelligence" is superior to the understanding of the intelligence of the brain. In Islamic culture it is believed that the intelligence of the heart is the only genuine instrument that can be used to discover one's true self. ^[8] To Sufis, reason is limited in many ways and cannot outgrow its inherent limitations. Specifically, when reason denies intuitive knowledge and "blinds the eye of the heart", it becomes the target of strong criticism from Sufism. On this basis, happiness cannot be achieved by reason and intellect, rather happiness is pursued via intuition and mystical experience.^[8] Another part of us that can be detrimental to our happiness is our ego, our ego can often lead us to make wrongful decisions and mess up our spiritual path. If we let our ego get the best of us it can ruin our true intentions with our heart if not controlled by the divine aspect of the personality. In order to achieve raw and authentic happiness, the ego must continuously be fought against through our entire lives. To become the highest level of happiness an individual must annihilate ones self and become one with the Divine Being. ^[8]

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