The Qur’an and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (ODC): Analysis of Obsessive Aspect from the Perspective of Abu Zayd al-Balkhi (d. 934 CE)

Abstract

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), particularly its obsessive dimension, has been extensively examined within modern psychology. However, its conceptual foundations within Qur’anic discourse remain underexplored. This study investigates the obsessive aspect of OCD through a Qur’anic exegetical framework by employing the psychological thought of Abu Zayd al-Balkhi (d. 934 CE) as its primary interpretive lens. This research adopts a qualitative library-based methodology utilizing thematic (maudhu‘i) interpretation and content analysis. Primary data consist of selected Qur’anic verses addressing inner psychological disturbances, such as waswas (whisperings), specifically khawf (fear), rayb (doubt), and halu’a (anxious complaint). These texts are analyzed in relation to al-Balkhi’s treatise Maṣāliḥ al-Abdān wa al-Anfus and supported by classical tafsir sources and contemporary studies in Islamic psychology. The findings indicate that the Qur’an conceptualizes obsessive disturbances through moral-spiritual and cognitive terminology rather than clinical classification. The concept of waswas denotes recurring intrusive thoughts that disrupt the stability of the heart (qalb) and weaken inner certainty (yaqīn), closely corresponding to the obsessional features recognized in contemporary OCD. Al-Balkhi interprets these disturbances as a psychological-spiritual imbalance arising from internal cognitive vulnerability and external whisperings, and he proposes therapeutic strategies grounded in both rational reflection and spiritual discipline. Qur’anic-based therapy, as derived from this framework, emphasizes patience (ṣabr), certainty (yaqīn), remembrance of God (dhikr), and cognitive redirection as mechanisms for restoring psychological balance. This model reflects an early integrative psychotherapeutic approach that unites ethical, spiritual, and cognitive dimensions of healing. This study concludes that the Qur’an, when interpreted through al-Balkhi’s psychological perspective, provides a coherent conceptualization and therapeutic paradigm for the obsessive aspect of OCD. It affirms the relevance of classical Islamic scholarship for contemporary mental health discourse and supports the development of a Qur’an-based psychotherapeutic approach that is contextual and rooted in Islamic values.