Psychology in the medieval Islamic world

Islamic psychology or ʿilm al-nafs^[1] (Arabic: علم النفس), the science of the nafs ("self" or "psyche"),^[2] is the medical and philosophical study of the psyche from an Islamic perspective and addresses topics in psychology, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and psychiatry as well as psychosomatic medicine. In Islam, mental health and mental illness were viewed with a holistic approach. This approach emphasized the mutual connection between maintaining adequate mental wellbeing and good physical health in an individual. People who practice Islam thought it was necessary to maintain positive mental health in order to partake in prayer and other religious obligations.^[3]

Concepts from Islamic thought have been reexamined by Muslim psychologists and scholars in the 20th and 21st centuries.^[4]