Beginning With the Basics: Perception

Assalamwalaikum,
Perception is the act of perceiving, which is defined by Dictionary.com, is; "1)To become aware of directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing. 2)To achieve understanding of; apprehend." (www.dictionary.com) Perception is a very key part of Islam, and I believe that it is something that some, if not the majority of people, overlook. From the two definitions given above, definition #1 is definitely applicapable to the context of Islam and perception, however I think that the main aspect of perception that I am going to focus on for this entry is definition #2. The understanding of our ideas, the way we classify reality, which for this topic we are dealing with our world view, and also the interaction between humans are some of the things that can be extremely tainted with and become negative if our perceptions of life aren't realistic and in focus. This topic is such a broad topic that has many subdivisions within itself...however, I was having a hard time deciding where to begin this blog. Okay...the most basic example/concept that I will start with is the question of why we were put on this earth. Some Christian doctorines of thought (I'm not sure if all Christians believe this, so please inform me about who it is that believes this, and please correct me if I am incorrect regarding anything) believe that all men are born sinners. It is known as the concept of original sin. The belief is that no matter who the child is born to, what religious affiliation his/her parents, regardless of any factor, all human beings are born sinners. They believe that the will of any and every human being is to be evil and wicked. Now whether this belief is right or wrong is not an issue that I am going to discuss. The fact of the matter is that your perceptions shape your actions. Whatever you percieve of something, that is exactly how you think of it in your mind, and that is what you are going to convey to others, and that is going to be shown through your actions. One huge part of perception in Islam is optimism versus pessimism, and this is something that I will cover in a different post insh'Allah. Anyways, the perception aspect leads me to refer to a verse from the Holy Qur'an. It goes "I (Allah) am whatever my slave thinks I am" (I'm really sorry I couldn't find the exact verse, if I can't find it I will remove...once again if someone knows the verse, please inform me and correct me if it is wrong). This is very profound, for the reason that many people eventually reject Allah (Astaghfirullah/Nauzhubillah) because of the plain and simple fact that they have incorrect perceptions of God and the world. For this reason, perception is an extremely important factor of life, and there very many different offshoots that I will cover insh'Allah.

Jazakullah-khairun--If I have said something wrong or offensive I ask forAllah's forgiveness...also please add input to these postings insh'Allah.

Assalamwalaium

Introductory Notes

Salaam,
First all of all I would like to say that I am not professionally certified neither in Islam nor in Psychology. I am a student of both, and I am only beginning my quest of learning both of these intertwined fields. I have not been studying the theories and ideas of psychology for very long, I would say for only 2 years maximum have I been formally studying psychology. However, from my experiences throughout my short life thus far, I have been come to understand many things when it comes to the development of individuals, lifestyle choices, and environmental factors. These things I am talking from my own personal experience, not solely just out of a text book. When it comes to Islam, I have been learning, and will continue to learn about the Deen of Islam until the day that I day. Formal education, such as Islamic School and what not, as well as informal education has been two of the ways that I have learned about Islam. The informal education has mainly been through my own accounts and experiences. Many may find it hard to believe, but the lessons of Psychology and Islam are infact very similar. Certain people do not realize it because they have been blind to what is good for them. Anyhow, I am an Undergraduate student of Psychology, who has just begun to take courses, therefore I am not an expert in any way. Regarding Islam, I am also a student of 'Ilm (knowledge), and I long to increase my knowledge at every possible oppurtunity. At this point I do not have a set teacher, but I will insh'Allah, and insh'Allah I will become more and more knowledgable Islam as time comes along.

Al-Fatiha (The Opening)

Assalamwalaikum wa rehmatullahi wa barakatu,
Today marks the beginning of this particular blog, which is my attempt to expand on the true way of life, Islam, and also a subject that is of great interest to me, Psychology. Today will be the beginning of a frequently updated blog, which is mainly a general blog on life. However, since Islam is the way of life, and Human Psychology is a component that undoubtedly correllates with Islam, I have decided to combine the two into one blog. I will (insh'Allah) share experiences with Islam and Psychology, relate Qur'an and Sunnah/Hadith with corresponding theories and psychological facts, review basic fundamentals of Islam as it is with Psych, and last but not least, review Islamic history from sociological perspective. All these aren't the definite bases for my blog posts, but it's just a general idea of where I would like to go with this post. I express my sincere intention of solely making this blog for the sake of pleasing Allah, by the means of sharing, informing, and educating mankind about the various different aspects of mental health. If any of my intentions change through this process (Naudhubillah), then that will be purely from my shortcomings. Jazakullah-Khairun. M'salama.