Psychological Motives for Responding to Divine Guidance in Light of the Qur’an: A Foundational Study

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the psychological motives for responding to divine guidance in the light of the Holy Qur’an. The researcher adopted the inductive–deductive method to address the research problem. Twenty Qur’anic chapters were selected as the study sample, using analysis and deduction as research tools. The researcher reached the following results: there is a strong correlation between psychological motives and the strength of response, such that the stronger the motives in the self, and the more one works to acquire them, the faster the response becomes. The results also emphasized that there are different types of responses, ranging from quickness and delay to hesitation and refusal, and that the Qur’an includes both individual and collective responses. It was also found that there are factors that lead to the multiplicity of such responses, which the researcher termed psychological motives and obstacles to response. Moreover, when considering the Qur’an, it becomes clear that it contains comprehensive psychological principles and foundations for building the human soul, as it is not merely a book of rulings and legislation but also a book of guidance and psychological upbringing. The study concluded with some recommendations, the most important of which is the need to further derive psychological motives from the Qur’an that influence the response.