Taqwa, Spiritual Shame, and Divine Forgiveness in Islam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33897/fujp.v9i1.827Keywords:
taqwa, spiritual shame, divine forgivenessAbstract
Background. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of taqwa on divine forgiveness moderated by spiritual shame in Pakistani adult Muslims.
Method. A convenient sample of 329 women and 206 men (N = 535) Pakistani adult Muslims (age range 19-75 years; M = 30.68 years, SD = 11.92 years) from Sargodha, Lahore, and Rawalpindi was recruited. We collected data using Urdu-translated versions of the Taqwa Scale (Nazam et al., 2022), the Divine Forgiveness Scale (Fincham & May, 2022), the offense-related shame subscale that was taken from the Offense-related Shame and Guilt Scale (Wright & Gudjonsson, 2007) in a cross-sectional survey design.
Results. Data were analyzed with SPSS and moderation analysis by PROCESS macro (Model 1) for SPSS. Findings revealed significant main and interaction effects of taqwa and spiritual shame on divine forgiveness. Analysis of the conditional effects revealed that spiritual shame strengthened the positive association between taqwa and divine forgiveness.
Conclusion. By revealing how spiritual shame can augment the relationship between taqwa and seeking divine absolution, the research provides valuable insights into one of the mechanisms of forgiveness in Islamic theology, emphasizing the role of self-reflection, repentance, and emotional states in establishing a relation with the divine.
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References
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Tangney, J. P., & Dearing, R. L. (2002). Shame and guilt. Guilford Press.
Tangney, J. P., Miller, R. S., Flicker, L., & Barlow, D. H. (1996). Are shame, guilt, and embarrassment distinct emotions? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(6), 1256-1269.
Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J., & Mashek, D. J. (2007). Moral emotions and moral behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 345-372.
Topbas, N. O. (2009). Ikhlas and taqwa sincerity and piety. Istanbul-Turkey: Erkam Print House.
Triyuwono, I. (2016). Taqwa: Deconstructing triple bottom line (TBL) to awake human’s consciousness. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 24(5), 89-104.
Wahab, M. A. (2017). Investigating the nexus between personality traits and Islamic work. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 22, 183-213
Wright, K., & Gudjonsson, G. H. (2007). The development of a scale for measuring offence-related feelings of shame and guilt. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 18(3), 307-316.
Ayoub, M. (1997). Repentance in the Islamic tradition. In A. Etzioni and D. E. Carney (Eds.), Repentance: A comparative perspective (pp. 96-121). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Bonab, B. G., Miner, M., & Proctor, M. T. (2013). Attachment to God in Islamic spirituality. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 7(1), 77-104.
Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 1 (3), 187–16.
Exline, J. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Expressing forgiveness and repentance: Benefits and barriers. In M. E. McCullough, K. I. Pargament, & C. E. Thoresen (Eds.), Forgiveness: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 133-155). Guilford Press.
Exline, J. J., & Rose, E. (2013). Religious and spiritual struggles. In K. I. Pargament (Ed.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality (Vol. 1, pp. 459-475). American Psychological Association.
Exline, J. J., Yali, A. M., & Lobel, M. (1999). When God disappoints: Difficulty forgiving God and its role in negative emotion. Journal of Health Psychology, 4(3), 365-379.
Fincham, F. D., & May, R. W. (2022) No type of forgiveness is an island: Divine forgiveness, self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(5), 620-627.
Fincham, F.D., & May, R.W. (2019). Self-forgiveness and well-being: Does divine forgiveness matter? Journal of Positive Psychology, 14, 854-859.
Granqvist, P., & Hagekull, B. (2001). Seeking security in the new age: On attachment and emotional compensation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40(3), 527-545.
Hall, T. W., & Fincham, F. D. (2008). The temporal course of self-forgiveness. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27(2), 174-202.
Hawa, S. (2004). Tarbeitena alruhia. Cairo: Dar-Alsalam.
Jabeen, M. (2018). Thoughtful intelligence: A practical guide for moral development. Author House.
Kang, H. W., & Shaver, P. R. (2004). Individual differences in emotional complexity: Their psychological implications. Journal of Personality, 72(4), 687-726.
Khatami, S. M., & Tawa, M. (2015). Interpreting the Islamic concept of piety into architecture. International Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Society, 5(3), 43-51
Khwaja, J. (2012). Living the Qur’an in our times. New Delhi: Sage Publication.
Lewis, H. B. (1971). Shame and guilt in neurosis. International Universities Press.
Maham, R., & Bhatti, O. K. (2019). Impact of taqwa (Islamic piety) on employee happiness: A study of Pakistan’s banking sector. Cogent Business & Management, 6(1), 1678554. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2019.1678554
McCullough, M. E., Fincham, F. D., & Tsang, J. A. (2003). Forgiveness, forbearance, and time: The temporal unfolding of transgression-related interpersonal motivations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(3), 540.
Mohammad, J., Latiff, A., Salam, Z. A., & Jamil, R. (2015). Towards developing conceptual framework of Islamic leadership: The role of Taqwa as a moderator. International Journal of Innovation & Business Strategy, 3(1). Retrieved from https://ijibs.utm.my/index.php/ijibs/article/view/32
Nazam, F., Husain, A., & Gull, M. (2022). Standardization of Taqwa (Piety) Scale for Muslims: An exploratory study. Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal, 5(1), 30-39.
Ohlander, E. S. (2005). Fear of God (Taqw?) in the Qur'?n: Some notes on semantic shift and thematic context. Journal of Semitic Studies, 50(1), 137-152.
Pargament, K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion and coping: Theory, research, practice. Guilford Press.
Qutob, S. (1986). Tafsir fi zilal Al- Quran. Kaherah, Mesir: Dar Syuruk.
Rahman, Z. A., & Shah, I. M. (2015). Measuring Islamic spiritual intelligence. Procedia Economics and Finance, 31, 134-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)01140-5
Randall, M. J., & Bishop, A. J. (2013). The role of religion in forgiveness. In L. J. Miller (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of psychology and spirituality (pp. 132-145). Oxford University Press.
Tahir, R. (2018). Repentance as a way of life: Islam, spirituality, and practice. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. Retrieved from https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/repentance-as-a-way-of-life-islam-spirituality-practice
Tangney, J. P. (2000). Spiritual shame: A new understanding of moral discomfort. In religion and the clinical practice of psychology (pp. 345-365). American Psychological Association.
Tangney, J. P., & Dearing, R. L. (2002). Shame and guilt. Guilford Press.
Tangney, J. P., Miller, R. S., Flicker, L., & Barlow, D. H. (1996). Are shame, guilt, and embarrassment distinct emotions? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(6), 1256-1269.
Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J., & Mashek, D. J. (2007). Moral emotions and moral behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 345-372.
Topbas, N. O. (2009). Ikhlas and taqwa sincerity and piety. Istanbul-Turkey: Erkam Print House.
Triyuwono, I. (2016). Taqwa: Deconstructing triple bottom line (TBL) to awake human’s consciousness. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 24(5), 89-104.
Wahab, M. A. (2017). Investigating the nexus between personality traits and Islamic work. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 22, 183-213
Wright, K., & Gudjonsson, G. H. (2007). The development of a scale for measuring offence-related feelings of shame and guilt. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 18(3), 307-316.
Published
2025-01-21
How to Cite
Ameer, S., Ghayas, S., & Adil, A. (2025). Taqwa, Spiritual Shame, and Divine Forgiveness in Islam. Foundation University Journal of Psychology, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.33897/fujp.v9i1.827
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