Psychology and Figh al-Hadith Hadith Appreceation

Mahamoud Gulzari

The present article is the text of speech which Dr Mahmud Gulzari, clinical psychologist and professor of Allama Tabatabaie University of Tehran, delivered in the fifth meeting on hadith scholarship, held on 20 Khordad 1378/9 June 1999 in Qum. The subject of this debate is the use of hadith (hadith teachings) in psychology. Following an introduction on the definition of sunna or hadith, the lecturer pointed to this incorrect popular concepption of psychology, which equate psychology with the science of diagnosis and curing of mental illnesses. He viewed it as an incorrect definition. Referring to authoritative psychology texts, he defined it as the study of behaviour and human psychological processes. He also pointed to certain research methods in psychology. As for the relation of psychology and hadith sciances, Gulzari believes that the former can be applied to the latter. 1. A psychological view to hadiths so as to recognize the reasons for issuing a hadith from the Infalliable figure. 2. Use of field research methods in psychology to understand the hadiths. This can be achieved by questionnaires, interviews, etc. In this way, the instances of the Infalliable figures' hadiths can be verified. 3. Comparison of the assured results carried out in psychology with the hadiths so far transmitted to us. At the and of the lecture, Gulzari made a remark on the western approach to the psychology of religion, hence stressing on the necessity of the due attention to be paid to psychological issues in both the university and the religious academies.

Key Words: Mahmud Gulzari, Psychology, Figh al-Hadith, Hadith Appreceation.

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