A scientific paper reveals how 14th-century Islamic scholar Ibn al-Qayyim’s “three-heart model” offers a dynamic blueprint for self-improvement, blending faith, virtues, and math to conquer life’s tests and achieve mental harmony. This Perspective of Islamic Self (PIS) frames humans as psycho-spiritual systems—body, soul, fitrah (innate purity)—navigating temptations toward enlightenment or darkness.
Decoding the Islamic Self Structure
Islam views humans as body-soul unions, with the soul fueling consciousness and divine connection amid basic needs like food and love. The “spiritual heart” (SH or qalb) drives the self: deepest fitrah (God’s light, pure eternity), middle reproachful ego (self-control, jihad al-nafs against evil), surface desire-ego (temptation-prone, pleasure-seeking). Healthy interplay yields serene ego (nafs al-mutmainna); imbalance breeds sick ego (nafs al-marida).
Rooted in Quran and Hadith, this echoes Freud’s id-ego-superego and Jung’s individuation, but ties optimal health to God-closeness via Ummah (global community) values: oneness belief, justice, empathy, prayer, fasting. Life’s “test” (ibtilaa) demands virtue-building—overriding impulses for purity recovery.
Ibn al-Qayyim’s Three Hearts Explained
Ibn al-Qayyim described hearts as: (1) dark (faithless, devil-ruled); (2) battling (faith-lit but impulse-shadowed, win/lose flux); (3) illuminated (veils lifted, distractions burned). PIS math-models this via dynamical social psychology: faith (order parameter) fluctuates; conviction (control parameter k) steers attractors—static dark/bright or dynamic oscillation.
Equation: V(x)=x4/4−x2/2+kxV(x)=x4/4−x2/2+kx, where x=faith, k=conviction. High virtues crush temptations; low ones amplify darkness. Simulations prove: full virtues win life’s test environment-proof.
Simulation Insights: Paths to Victory
Table 1 from the paper shows conviction (k) scenarios, highlighting virtue power.
| Noble Virtues (Fnp) | Temptation (Ft) | Conviction (k) | Heart Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| High (0.95) | High (0.95) | 0.90 | Illuminated (stable win) |
| Moderate (0.50) | High (0.95) | 0.03 | Dynamic battle |
| Low (0.05) | High (0.95) | -0.81 | Darkened (stable loss) |
| High (0.95) | Low (0.05) | 0.95 | Illuminated (easy win) |
Encouraging: High virtues guarantee light, even in temptation storms.
Self-Dynamics: Attractors of Change
Five attractor landscapes emerge: deep valleys (static integration) for pure states; shallow oscillations (dynamic) for flux. Fitrah (Fo=1, unchangeable) multiplies noble force (Fnp) vs. temptation (Ft) and dark force (1-Fnp): k=FoFnp−Ft(1−Fnp)k=FoFnp−Ft(1−Fnp).
Western parallels: Maslow’s self-actualization, but Islam demands divine proximity over autonomy. Fluctuating faith (qalb from qalaba=turn) invites tracking: stable high/low for pure hearts; variable for battlers.
Practical Wins for Modern Life
PIS equips all: Muslims/non-Muslims in health, education, sports. Ramadan fasting? A God-test boosting conviction, outperforming odds—like Olympic Muslims thriving. Globalization demands it: bridges secular-Muslim gaps via virtue-focus (empathy, self-control).
In diverse societies, understanding Islamic self fosters cohesion—coaches see fasting as mental steel, not risk. Free will reigns: build virtues, master temptations, illuminate your heart.
Reference: here
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