Behavioural Revival of Arabs through Psychological Trait 'Shaping': An Analytical Discourse

In: Journal of Islamic thought and civilization, Band 11, Heft 2

Abstract

In pre-Islamic era, the Arabs practiced many vices and abominable acts which were extremely harmful for the individuals as well as the society. The evil practices and habits were a direct result of the Arabs' polytheistic beliefs which had cast negative impact on every aspect of their lives and collective behaviour. The abominations were so deeply entrenched in their psyche that it was next to impossible to break their habits within a short span of time and replace them with new and better ones. So, the Qur'ān and Prophet's shariah adopted gradual approach to reform the character of entire Arabia and this approach is called 'shaping' in modern psychology. It is a process of learning a certain behaviour in a gradual manner through a series of reinforcements. Thus, the Arabs did not quit all their vices at once just after a single order; it took a certain period of time as the Qur'ān gradually revealed instructions as per the recipients' psychological preparedness and finally brought about a revival which was unprecedented in the history of mankind. This article explains the conditions, habits and difficulties found in pre-Islam Arabs' lifestyle and how the Qur'ān and shariah exercised 'shaping' to reform them.