REFRAMING ADDICTION THROUGH QUR’ANIC NARRATIVES: A CONCEPTUAL SYNTHESIS OF TAFSĪR AND PSYCHOLOGY
Abstract
Addiction has become a latent human problem that continues to evolve to this day. Muslims need to understand this issue comprehensively to address it effectively. One essential step is to seek guidance from the foundational source of Islamic teachings, the Qur’an. This study aims to explore the Qur’anic perspective on addiction in a specific and systematic manner. Employing a qualitative design, the research uses a thematic exegesis (tafsīr mawdhū‘ī) approach enriched by a synthetic elaboration between classical and contemporary exegetical interpretations and the psychological context of addiction. The study reveals several Qur’anic narratives that contain indications related to addictive processes, including matā‘ al-ghurūr (deceptive gratification), la‘ibun wa lahwun (play and diversion), al-tazyīn wa al-ighwā’ (adornment and seduction), al-khaṭa’ wa al-nisyān (error and forgetfulness), and ittakhadha ilāhahū hawāhu (following one’s desires as a deity). These narratives correspond to cognitive distortion, core beliefs, dopamine-driven reinforcement, loss of control, and loss of autonomy within the psychological framework of addiction. The article contributes theoretically by elucidating the Qur’anic perspective on addiction and practically by offering guidance on the mindset and personal strengths that Muslim individuals need to develop.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
American Psychological Association. (2015). APA dictionary of psychology. American Psychological Association.
Bensaid, B., Machouche, S., & Tekke, M. (2018). An Islamic spiritual alternative to addiction treatment and recovery. Journal of Religion and Health, 57(1), 127–146.
Bergamin, A., et al. (2013). Defining autonomy in psychiatry. Journal of Medical Ethics, 39(1), 4–9.
Birchard, T. (2013). Overcoming sex addiction: A self-help guide. Routledge.
Carnes, P. (2001). Out of the shadows: Understanding sexual addiction (3rd ed.). Hazelden.
Colman, A. M. (2015). A dictionary of psychology (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Dillon, J. (2002). Gin: The much lamented death of Madam Geneva—The eighteenth-century gin craze. Review Press.
Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. Viking.
Fāris, A. ibn. (1979). Mu‘jam maqāyīs al-lughah (Vols. I–V). Dār al-Fikr.
Herie, M., & Skinner, W. (2018). Fundamentals of addiction: A practical guide for counsellors (2nd ed.). Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Ibn ‘Āshūr, M. al-Ṭāhir. (1984). Tafsīr al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr (multiple vols.). Al-Dār al-Tūnisiyyah li al-Nashr.
Izwar, D. L. (2021). Psychotherapy and addiction management: A single case study of a client with online gambling addiction. Journal of Islamic Psychology, 3(1), 44–58.
Koob, G. F. (2015). The neurobiology of addiction: A neuroadaptational view relevant for diagnosis. Addiction, 110(1), 24–36.
Levine, H. G. (1978). The discovery of addiction: Changing conceptions of habitual drunkenness in America. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 39(1), 143–174.
Manẓūr, I. (1994). Lisān al-‘Arab (multiple vols.). Dār Ṣādir.
Mukti, D., & Handayani, S. (2020). Trends in Islamic psychotherapy for enhancing spiritual well-being in drug addiction recovery. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Psychology, 2(1), 93–108.
Nawāwī al-Jāwī al-Bantanī. (n.d.). Marāḥ labīd li kashf ma‘nā al-Qur’ān al-majīd (multiple vols.). Dār al-Fikr.
Sha‘rāwī, M. M. (1997). Tafsīr al-Sha‘rāwī (multiple vols.). Akhbār al-Yawm.
World Health Organization. (2019). International classification of diseases for mortality and morbidity statistics (11th Revision). World Health Organization.
Copyright
The author(s) retain full copyright of the published article without restrictions. This includes the right to share, distribute, and reproduce the article in any form, including depositing the published version in institutional repositories or other platforms.
The author(s) also retain full publishing rights and may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version, provided that the original publication in this journal is properly acknowledged.
The author(s) grant the journal the right of first publication, as well as the right to distribute the article in both electronic and print formats. The journal is also granted the right to create, store, and maintain electronic archival copies of the article.
License to Publish
Rausyan Fikr: Jurnal Ilmu Studi Ushuluddin dan Filsafat is an open-access journal and under the licence of Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–Share Alike 4.0 (CC–BY–NC–SA), which allows journal users to use the article under the following conditions.
Under this license, users are permitted to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — Appropriate credit must be given to the author(s) and the original source, a link to the license must be provided, and any changes made must be indicated. This must be done in a reasonable manner without suggesting endorsement by the author(s) or the journal.
- NonCommercial — The material may not be used for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike — If the material is remixed, transformed, or built upon, the resulting work must be distributed under the same license as the original.
No additional restrictions may be applied that would legally limit others from doing anything the license permits.


_(1)1.png)

















This work is licensed under a