Is It Okay to Share Videos of a Psychologist Who Supports Israel? – Shaykh Muhammad Carr

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr

Question

If a psychologist possesses expertise in the field of psychology but is not Muslim and supports Israel, is it permissible to share segments of their videos that focus on psychology?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. 

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question. 

Sharing psychological information generated by a non-Muslim psychologist is permissible if it aligns with Islamic psychological teachings and principles. 

However, the integrity of such psychologists is compromised if they support Israel, especially considering their involvement in genocide.

The well-known maxim, ‘The source is part and parcel of life orientation, so consider carefully from whom you take your life orientation,’ is particularly relevant in this context.

This principle urges individuals to be discerning when selecting their teachers, scholars, and mentors, as the credibility and authenticity of the sources significantly influence one’s understanding and practice of life.

Benefiting from Non-Muslims

Muslims strive for excellence in every aspect of their lives, guided by the cherished saying, ‘Wisdom is the lost property of the believer.’ Therefore, we embrace the principle of benefiting from diverse sources without reservation. For instance, Ibn Hajar al Haytami emphasizes that when seeking medical treatment, priority should be given to the most proficient individuals, regardless of gender or religion. [Ibn Hajar, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj]. 

The above principle applies specifically to situations where common ground exists. Can this principle be extended to Western Psychology?

Western Psychology and Islamic Psychology

Western psychology is, unfortunately, at loggerheads with Islamic psychology. Modern Western psychology emerged through the secularizing trajectory of the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment project, all of which contributed to the purging of metaphysics and the human soul’s intrinsic connection to the spiritual dimension within the discipline. [Abdal Hakim Murad, Forward to Developing a Model of Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy: Islamic Theology and Contemporary Understandings of Psychology]

Although modern science and its psychology asserts to be neutral and value-free, it is often unaware of its own biases and presuppositions, which perpetuate its monopoly as a discipline and invalidate all other forms of psychology grounded on sacred epistemologies. Its hegemonic assumptions all too often go unchecked. 

Malik Badri asserts, “Unthinking repetition of Western theories and practices in the discipline of psychology probably presents one of the most serious threats to the status of Islamic ideology among our Muslim scholars and laity. Western psychologists propound theories about man’s personality, motivation, and behavior, which are in many ways contradictory to Islam. These theories and their applications are carefully sugar-coated with the attractive cover of ‘science’.” [Rothman, Developing a Model of Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy: Islamic Theology and Contemporary Understandings of Psychology] 

Faith And Effectiveness

The Quran strongly ties efficaciousness to one’s belief or worldview. Allah says, “All that is better for you if believers you could be.” [Quran, 7:85] 

Ibn ‘Ashur explains, “ And its meaning is that obtaining goodness from the things referred to can only occur with faith because the harms of polytheism corrupt the goodness in actions. As for the Hereafter, it is apparent, and as for the worldly life, polytheism either calls to opposites of those virtues or leads to harm that deprives those interests of benefit. [Ibn ‘Ashur, al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir] 

May Allah enable us to understand the teachings from the Quran and Sunna, which explain the nature of the soul or psyche, and realize that the practices decreed in Islam are therapeutic methods for correcting maladaptive behavior, solving interpersonal problems, and achieving self-growth—all primary aims of psychology.  

I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.

[Shaykh] Muhammad Carr

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Muhammad Carr has dedicated his life to studying and transmitting our beautiful deen. His studies have taken him around the globe, where he has benefitted from many luminaries. Under the guidance of his teachers – Shaykh Taha Karan, Shaykh Yaseen Abbas, Shaykh Muadh Ali and many others – Shaykh Muhammad has grown to appreciate the beauty and benefits of diverse scholarship. He completed his memorization of the Qur’an at Dar al-Ulum Zakariyyah in September 1997 and received an Alimiyya Degree in 2006 from DUAI (Darul Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah). He is also affiliated with Masjid Auwal in Bo Kaap, Cape Town (the oldest mosque in South Africa), where he serves as a co-imam, and Dar Al-Safa, where he has taught since 2018. As a teacher, he imparts the wisdom of our heritage and tradition by opening the door for students. As an imam, he has the unique opportunity to serve his community in daily life. 

In addition to his roles as a teacher and imam, Shaykh Muhammad Carr has contributed significantly to the administrative and advisory aspects of Islamic institutions. Since 2023, he has served as the Administrative Director at The Imam Kurani Institute, contributing to the institution’s growth and development. He continues to pursue traditional Islamic Sciences, possessing a keen interest in Islamic Contract Law and Finance. Shaykh Muhammad has been a Shari’ah Board Member for Islamic Asset Management & Insurance Companies since 2001, aligning financial practices with Islamic principles.