The Arab Heritage and Psychology

The article highlights that Western historians of psychology have largely overlooked the significant contributions made by Muslim scholars to the field of psychology. This neglect is attributed to a lack of awareness regarding the scientific heritage of Muslim scholars and their unique psychological ideas, concepts, and theories, many of which predated Western formulations. The author, Souad Khalil from Libya, emphasizes that Muslim scholars employed scientific methods like introspection, observation, and case studies, dispersing their psychological insights across various scientific and philosophical works. The piece calls for modern psychologists to devote more attention to studying and disseminating this rich scientific heritage, citing Anwar Mahmoud Zanati's work which underscores the astonishing breadth of Arab and Muslim contributions found in biographical dictionaries and literary and philosophical texts.