Nafs in Sufi Thought:  A Bibliometric Analysis and Academic Trends

Edibe Taş; Nuriye İnci

Article Details

Nafs in Sufi Thought: A Bibliometric Analysis and Academic Trends

Authors:

Edibe Taş | Nuriye İnci

Publisher:

Yozgat Bozok University

Main Topics:

Tasavvuf

Journal:

Bozok Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 27, pp.509-534

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352256

pISSN:

2458-9934

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This study examines nafs, a fundamental concept in Islamic thought, from an interdisciplinary perspective using bibliometric analysis. Nafs is a multidimensional idea at the heart of human inner life, spiritual development, and moral journey. As a key concept in Islamic philosophy, Sufism, psychology, and ethics, nafs plays a crucial role in self-awareness and self-discovery. The research aims to create an interdisciplinary understanding by connecting traditional Islamic literature with insights from modern sciences. It analyzes 357 articles from the Web of Science WoS database, utilizing the keywords nefs, nafs, human soul, human self, and nefis to identify relevant publications. These articles were assessed based on publication trends over the years, contributions by country, keywords used, citation counts, and the journals in which they appeared. The analysis results show a significant increase in academic interest in nafs, particularly since 2013. This growth underscores the multifaceted nature of the concept and its interdisciplinary relevance, explored across various academic fields. The incorporation of modern psychology, neuroscience, and ethics has enriched the interdisciplinary perspective on nafs. The findings indicate that academic works on nafs often associate it with keywords like soul, spirituality, self, and ethics, highlighting its essential role in human spiritual, psychological, and social development. One of the prominent studies in the research is Hisham Abu-Raiyas comparative analysis of the Qurānic understanding of nafs alongside Freud and Jungs personality theories. Abu-Raiya investigates the stages of nafs in Islamic thought related to the structures of the unconscious, ego, and superego in modern psychology, emphasizing the similarities and differences in these two intellectual traditions regarding human psychology. Martina Pavlikova and Bojan Zalec explore Kierkegaards notion of authenticity, framed by individual identity struggle, about the Sufi concept of nafs purification. These studies provide in-depth analyses of how individuals navigate inner conflicts and achieve spiritual maturity. These prominent studies reveal the guidance potential of the concept of nafs when the modern individual is searching for spiritual fulfilment. This study underscores the role of nafs in individual spiritual, psychological, and social development and highlights the importance of addressing the concept within an interdisciplinary framework. Nafs serves as an essential guide in self-discovery, achieving inner balance, and establishing ethical harmony in social relationships. The research demonstrates that integrating this concept with modern sciences within a broader academic scope can contribute to both individual and societal development. This study offers significant value by filling gaps in the literature, connecting nafs with various scientific disciplines, and paving the way for future research. Exploring the interdisciplinary dimensions of the nafs concept will deepen our understanding of the human inner journey and create new opportunities for innovative theoretical and practical approaches in this field.

 This study examines nafs, a fundamental concept in Islamic thought, from an interdisciplinary perspective using bibliometric analysis. Nafs is a multidimensional idea at the heart of human inner life, spiritual development, and moral journey. As a key concept in Islamic philosophy, Sufism, psychology, and ethics, nafs plays a crucial role in self-awareness and self-discovery. The research aims to create an interdisciplinary understanding by connecting traditional Islamic literature with insights from modern sciences. It analyzes 357 articles from the Web of Science WoS database, utilizing the keywords nefs, nafs, human soul, human self, and nefis to identify relevant publications. These articles were assessed based on publication trends over the years, contributions by country, keywords used, citation counts, and the journals in which they appeared. The analysis results show a significant increase in academic interest in nafs, particularly since 2013. This growth underscores the multifaceted nature of the concept and its interdisciplinary relevance, explored across various academic fields. The incorporation of modern psychology, neuroscience, and ethics has enriched the interdisciplinary perspective on nafs. The findings indicate that academic works on nafs often associate it with keywords like soul, spirituality, self, and ethics, highlighting its essential role in human spiritual, psychological, and social development. One of the prominent studies in the research is Hisham Abu-Raiyas comparative analysis of the Qurānic understanding of nafs alongside Freud and Jungs personality theories. Abu-Raiya investigates the stages of nafs in Islamic thought related to the structures of the unconscious, ego, and superego in modern psychology, emphasizing the similarities and differences in these two intellectual traditions regarding human psychology. Martina Pavlikova and Bojan Zalec explore Kierkegaards notion of authenticity, framed by individual identity struggle, about the Sufi concept of nafs purification. These studies provide in-depth analyses of how individuals navigate inner conflicts and achieve spiritual maturity. These prominent studies reveal the guidance potential of the concept of nafs when the modern individual is searching for spiritual fulfilment. This study underscores the role of nafs in individual spiritual, psychological, and social development and highlights the importance of addressing the concept within an interdisciplinary framework. Nafs serves as an essential guide in self-discovery, achieving inner balance, and establishing ethical harmony in social relationships. The research demonstrates that integrating this concept with modern sciences within a broader academic scope can contribute to both individual and societal development. This study offers significant value by filling gaps in the literature, connecting nafs with various scientific disciplines, and paving the way for future research. Exploring the interdisciplinary dimensions of the nafs concept will deepen our understanding of the human inner journey and create new opportunities for innovative theoretical and practical approaches in this field.

 This study examines nafs, a fundamental concept in Islamic thought, from an interdisciplinary perspective using bibliometric analysis. Nafs is a multidimensional idea at the heart of human inner life, spiritual development, and moral journey. As a key concept in Islamic philosophy, Sufism, psychology, and ethics, nafs plays a crucial role in self-awareness and self-discovery. The research aims to create an interdisciplinary understanding by connecting traditional Islamic literature with insights from modern sciences. It analyzes 357 articles from the Web of Science WoS database, utilizing the keywords nefs, nafs, human soul, human self, and nefis to identify relevant publications. These articles were assessed based on publication trends over the years, contributions by country, keywords used, citation counts, and the journals in which they appeared. The analysis results show a significant increase in academic interest in nafs, particularly since 2013. This growth underscores the multifaceted nature of the concept and its interdisciplinary relevance, explored across various academic fields. The incorporation of modern psychology, neuroscience, and ethics has enriched the interdisciplinary perspective on nafs. The findings indicate that academic works on nafs often associate it with keywords like soul, spirituality, self, and ethics, highlighting its essential role in human spiritual, psychological, and social development. One of the prominent studies in the research is Hisham Abu-Raiyas comparative analysis of the Qurānic understanding of nafs alongside Freud and Jungs personality theories. Abu-Raiya investigates the stages of nafs in Islamic thought related to the structures of the unconscious, ego, and superego in modern psychology, emphasizing the similarities and differences in these two intellectual traditions regarding human psychology. Martina Pavlikova and Bojan Zalec explore Kierkegaards notion of authenticity, framed by individual identity struggle, about the Sufi concept of nafs purification. These studies provide in-depth analyses of how individuals navigate inner conflicts and achieve spiritual maturity. These prominent studies reveal the guidance potential of the concept of nafs when the modern individual is searching for spiritual fulfilment. This study underscores the role of nafs in individual spiritual, psychological, and social development and highlights the importance of addressing the concept within an interdisciplinary framework. Nafs serves as an essential guide in self-discovery, achieving inner balance, and establishing ethical harmony in social relationships. The research demonstrates that integrating this concept with modern sciences within a broader academic scope can contribute to both individual and societal development. This study offers significant value by filling gaps in the literature, connecting nafs with various scientific disciplines, and paving the way for future research. Exploring the interdisciplinary dimensions of the nafs concept will deepen our understanding of the human inner journey and create new opportunities for innovative theoretical and practical approaches in this field.

 Bu çalışma, İslam düşüncesinin temel kavramlarından biri olan nefsi bibliyometrik analiz yöntemiyle disiplinler arası bir perspektifte ele almaktadır. Nefs, insanın içsel dünyasının, manevi gelişiminin ve ahlaki yolculuğunun merkezinde yer alan çok boyutlu bir kavramdır. İslam felsefesi, tasavvuf, psikoloji ve etik gibi alanlarda önemli bir inceleme konusu olan nefs, bireyin kendini tanıma ve öz farkındalık geliştirme sürecinde kritik bir işlev üstlenmektedir. Çalışma, bu kavramın geleneksel İslam literatüründeki yansımalarını modern bilimlerin yaklaşımlarıyla ilişkilendirerek, disiplinler arası bir anlayış geliştirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma, Web of Science veri tabanında nefs, nafs, human soul, human self ve nefis anahtar kelimeleriyle yapılan tarama sonucu elde edilen 357 makale üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu makaleler, yıllara göre yayın dağılımı, ülkelerin katkıları, kullanılan anahtar kelimeler, atıf sayıları ve yayımlandıkları dergiler gibi kriterler çerçevesinde değerlendirilmiştir. Analiz sonuçları, nefs kavramına olan akademik ilginin özellikle 2013 yılından itibaren belirgin bir artış gösterdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu artış, kavramın çok yönlü yapısının ve farklı disiplinler tarafından ele alınmaya başlanmasının bir sonucudur. Modern psikoloji, nörobilim ve etik gibi alanların da bu kavrama katkı sağlaması, nefsin disiplinler arası doğasını daha geniş bir perspektifle ele alınabilir hale getirmiştir. Çalışmanın bulguları, nefs üzerine yapılan akademik çalışmaların sıklıkla ruh, maneviyat, benlik ve etik gibi anahtar kelimelerle ilişkilendirildiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu durum, kavramın insanın manevi, psikolojik ve toplumsal gelişimindeki kritik rolünü vurgulamaktadır. Araştırmada öne çıkan çalışmalardan biri, Hisham Abu-Raiyanın, Kurândaki nefs anlayışını Freud ve Jungun kişilik teorileriyle karşılaştırdığı çalışmasıdır. Abu-Raiya, İslam düşüncesindeki nefs hallerini modern psikolojideki bilinçaltı, ego ve süperego gibi yapılarla ilişkilendirerek bu iki farklı düşünce sisteminin insan psikolojisini anlamadaki benzerliklerini ve farklılıklarını incelemiştir. Martina Pavlikova ve Bojan Zalec ise Kierkegaardın bireyin kimlik mücadelesi üzerine geliştirdiği otantiklik kavramını tasavvufun nefs terbiyesi anlayışıyla ilişkilendirmiştir. Bu çalışmalarda, bireyin içsel çatışmalarını çözerek manevi olgunluğa ulaşma süreci derinlemesine analiz edilmiştir. Öne çıkan bu çalışmalar, modern bireyin manevi tatmin arayışı içinde olduğu bir dönemde nefs kavramının rehberlik potansiyelini gözler önüne sermektedir. Bu çalışma, nefs kavramının bireyin manevi, psikolojik ve toplumsal gelişimindeki yerini vurgulamakta ve kavramın disiplinler arası bir bağlamda ele alınmasının önemini ortaya koymaktadır. Nefs, bireyin kendini keşfetme, içsel dengesini sağlama ve toplumsal ilişkilerinde ahlaki bir denge kurma süreçlerinde kritik bir rehberdir. Araştırma, bu kavramın modern bilimlerle ilişkilendirilerek daha geniş bir akademik çerçevede ele alınmasının bireylerin ve toplumların gelişimine yönelik önemli katkılar sağlayabileceğini göstermektedir. Çalışma, literatürdeki boşlukların doldurulması, nefs kavramının farklı bilim dallarıyla ilişkilendirilmesi ve gelecekteki araştırmalar için temel oluşturulması açısından önemli bir değer taşımaktadır. Nefs kavramının disiplinler arası boyutlarıyla ele alınması, insanın içsel yolculuğunu daha derinlemesine anlamaya olanak tanıyacak ve bu alanda yenilikçi teorik ve pratik yaklaşımların geliştirilmesine kapı aralayacaktır.

Article Details

Nafs in Sufi Thought: A Bibliometric Analysis and Academic Trends

Authors:

Edibe Taş | Nuriye İnci

Publisher:

Yozgat Bozok University

Main Topics:

Tasavvuf

Journal:

Bozok Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 27, pp.509-534

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352256

pISSN:

2458-9934

Sufism

Bibliometrics

Nafs

Soul

Self

SpiritualityTasavvuf

Bibliyometri

Nefs

Ruh

Benlik

Maneviyat

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Edibe Taş | Nuriye İnci

Publisher: Yozgat Bozok University

Main Topics: Tasavvuf

Journal: Bozok Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 27, pp.509-534

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001352256

pISSN: 2458-9934

Issues

Authors:

Edibe Taş | Nuriye İnci

Publisher:

Yozgat Bozok University

Main Topics:

Tasavvuf

Journal:

Bozok Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 27, pp.509-534

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352256

pISSN:

2458-9934