Beyond Secular Emotional Intelligence: An Islamic Model of Self-Awareness

Abstract

Self-awareness is considered as an important aspect for the study of Emotional Intelligence (EI); but the dominant models of EI are mostly based on secular cognitive and behavioral approach that fails to explain the moral and spiritual aspect of self in Islamic context. Although there is a lack of research on emotions in the context of Muslim education. This study aims at tackling the shortcoming of the existing EI models in explaining self-awareness in Muslim context as a phenomenon which is also tied to the concepts of accountability, purification, and ethical self-regulation. Using a qualitative conceptual methodology based on the Qur’an, Sunnah, and relevant Islamic psychological concepts, the study proposes the Fiqh al-Nafs Self-Awareness Model. The model conceptualizes self-awareness through four core faculties; nafs, qalb, ʿaql, and rūḥ and five interrelated processes; muḥāsabah, shuʿūr, maʿrifat al-nafs, tazkiyah, and mujāhadah. Unlike conventional EI frameworks that emphasize emotional recognition and regulation for personal or social effectiveness, this model frames self-awareness as a process of moral evaluation, spiritual accountability, and inner reform. In addition to offering an Islamic grounded theoretical framework, the study provides a conceptual basis for the future development and empirical validation of assessment tools for self-awareness-related EI among Muslim undergraduate students.