ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Islam, Iman, and Ihsan: The Role of Religiosity on Quality

of Life and Mental Health of Muslim Undergraduate
Students
Tajul Ariffin AHa, Abdul Khaiyom JHa,b, Md Rosli ANc
a
Department of Psychology, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
b
International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC-IIUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
c
Department of Psychiatry, Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The current study examines the relationships between religiosity, quality
of life, and positive mental health among Muslim students in an Islamic university in
Malaysia. This study uses the operational definition of religiosity based on Hadith Jibril,
which defined Islam into three elements: Islam, Iman, and Ihsan. MATERIALS AND
METHODS: One hundred and seventy-nine students participated in this cross-sectional
Keywords study. Three measures were used to measure religiosity (IIUM Religiosity Scale), quality of
Islam, Mental Health, Quality of Life,
Spirituality life (WHO Quality of Life-BREF Scale), and positive mental health (Positive Mental
Corresponding Author Health Scale). RESULTS: Significant relationships between religiosity, quality of life, and
Dr. Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom
Department of Psychology positive mental health were found. Further analysis found that i) Ihsan highly predicts the
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge
and Human Sciences physical and psychological domains of quality of life and mental health; ii) Islam shows the
International Islamic University Malaysia,
Jalan Gombak, 53100, Kuala Lumpur,
highest prediction on social-based quality of life, and iii) Iman highly predicts the
Malaysia. environmental-based quality of life. CONCLUSION: Religiosity plays a vital role in
Email: [email protected]
predicting an individual’s quality of life and mental health. These findings provide hope
Received: 22nd November 2022; Accepted:
4th Jan 2022 for future research and utilisation of Islamic elements as an intervention for psychological
Doi: https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v21i3 wellbeing among students.

Quality of life is defined as an individual's view towards quality of life had an increased risk of experiencing mental
him/herself regarding their expectations, goals, and distress and burnout than young adults with good quality
standards in the society and culture they lived in.1 A of life.3
person with a high quality of life indicates greater life
satisfaction. These satisfactions are categorised into This is in line with the trend that young adults (16 to 29
physical health, mental and psychological wellbeing, years old) are at risk of developing mental health problems
social and environmental support. Being mentally healthy such as depression and suicide. Statistics show that Suicide
is one of the pivotal needs of every individual. It also is the second-highest cause of death among young adults.4
encompasses a person's spirituality, religion, and personal In Malaysia, mental health problems among this
belief of an individual.2 WHO described mental health as population increased from 10.7% in 1996 to 29.2% in
a "...state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes 2015.5 These alarming trends indicate that satisfactions
his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of toward life and mental health among youth are an essential
life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can concern that should be tackled globally.
contribute to her or his community".2
Malaysia is estimated to hold about 32.68 million people
Hence, the negative associations between quality of life that come from different races and religions. The
and mental health issues are documented in a systematic Bumiputera population (including Malays and other
literature review by Ribeiro et al. (2018).3 The study indigenous ethnicities) constitutes up to 61.8% of the
results found that young adults who reported a low Malaysian population, followed by other major ethnic

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groups, Chinese (21.4%), Indian (6.4%), others (0.9%), that religiosity helps in increasing one's quality of life and
and non-residents (9.6%).6 Due to the diversity of culture mental health status.17 In another clinical study, believing
in Malaysia, Malaysians perceive mental health issues in a higher power (i.e., God) is found to mediate and
differently from their Western counterparts.7 Psychiatric improve the outcome of psychological interventions for
illness may be perceived as a punishment by Allah due to patients diagnosed with depression.18
a spiritual weakness among Malaysian Muslims.8 This
perception then facilitated a fear of being stigmatised by From an Islamic perspective, Baasher (2001) concluded
society, which caused some Muslim patients to suppress that focusing on Islamic guidance, following Islamic
their mental problems and hinder them from seeking the practices such as fasting and pilgrimage helped restrain
appropriate treatments.7 Despite this finding, Islam as a oneself from committing negative behaviours and
religion may also positively influence (e.g., positive improve one's psychological wellbeing.19 Desmukh and
religious/spiritual coping) a person's mental health.9 Ismail (2012) also explained that people with high levels of
This is supported by integrating Islamic tenets, and the religiosity are more submissive to God's will and
framework of modern psychotherapeutic practice can can peacefully confront world-related problems, which
promote positive wellbeing.10 positively affects their wellbeing.20 Furthermore, another
study conducted among Malaysian college students found
Islam is the predominant religion in Malaysia in line with that higher religiosity helps people cope with their life
the declaration of Islam as the official federal religion as challenges.21 This evidence shows that engaging in
per the Malaysian Constitution.11 Al-Quran and Al-Hadith religious thoughts and behaviours may help Muslim
are regarded as the primary sources of Islam, which believers increase life satisfaction and wellbeing.
comprise the words of God and His Prophet's sayings
and deeds. According to Sahih Bukhari, the Muslim faith Despite the studies mentioned above on the positive
can be categorised into three levels, namely Islam, Iman, association between psychological wellbeing and one's
and Ihsan. The latter is regarded as the most excellent religiosity, there is no sufficient body of research to
level of faith that a Muslim can achieve.12 Mohd Mahudin explain this phenomenon clearly. Abdel-Khalek (2010)
and colleagues (2018) develop IIUM Religiosity Scale13 found that very minimal study was conducted to
and defined a person's level of religiosity based on their understand the role of religiosity among Muslims
behaviours or actions (Islam), understanding or beliefs in compared to the Western counterpart.22 Due to this,
God (Iman), and the level of devotion and actualisation of religiosity may be left underutilised from being a
virtues to Allah (Ihsan). The spiritual element of Ihsan can potential resource for Muslim undergraduates. Therefore,
be obtained by being sincere in and excellently this current study examines the relationship between
completing tasks and duties.14 Besides that, they worship religiosity, quality of life, and mental health status among
Allah (the one and only God), which is also regarded as Muslim undergraduate students in an Islamic university.
the central purpose in life. Lastly, a person's level of It is hoped the study results may assist in further
religiosity can also be measured by being obedient understanding Islam and how it is related to the quality of
towards God's rule by speaking kindly and engaging in life and mental health status among young Muslim adults.
good deeds to please Allah.15 Furthermore, in contrast to
the prevailing notion in the Western world, there is no MATERIALS AND METHODS
dichotomy between religion and spirituality in Islam.16
Participants
In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goal number 3 (i.e., ensuring healthy lives and promoting Using a sample size calculator for regression analysis23 and
wellbeing for all ages),4 many studies have studied the role literature review to determine appropriate sample size in
of religiosity in quality of life and mental health problems survey research24, 119 is the minimum sample size for
among young adults. For example, some studies found this study. Considering 15%-20% outliers, the minimum

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sample size for the survey should not be less than 143. distributed using the university's social media platforms.
The inclusion criteria for the study participants were i) Their informed consent was also requested before
Muslim, ii) undergraduate students, iii) students from the answering the questionnaire. The collected data were
selected Islamic university in Klang Valley of Malaysia, statistically analysed through IBM SPSS version 25.
and iv) Malaysian.
RESULTS
Measures
Socio-demographic information
IIUM Religiosity Scale (IIUMRelS)
A total of 179 Muslim undergraduate students were
IIUMRelS consists of 10 self-administered items to recruited. Their age ranged from 20 to 27 years old (M =
measure religiosity among Muslims.13 It is a unique scale 22.51 SD = 1.24). The majority of the participants were
designed within the framework of Islam and covers the female students 62% (n = 111). In terms of marital status,
religious and spiritual aspects of Islam, e.g., "bodily action around 98% reported that they are single. They were
or human activity (Islam), the mind or understanding of recruited from seven different faculties in one of the
God (Iman), and the spirit or actualisation of virtue and university's campuses. The majority of students came
goodness (Ihsan)." A higher score indicates a high from Islamic Studies and Human Sciences schools
agreement on a particular item. It has an excellent internal (30.7%). This is relevant because the school has the
consistency (α=0.98) and good convergent validity. The highest number of students in the university. In addition,
current study reported a Cronbach alpha of 0.83. 33 (18.4%) students reported mental health consultations
with psychiatrists, psychologists, general medical doctors,
counselors, religious practitioners, traditional healers
WHO Quality of Life-BREF Scale (WHOQoL-BREF)
(bomoh), and other individuals or organisations. Based on
the results, counselor (n=17) and religious practitioner
WHOQoL-BREF Scale consists of 26 self-reported items
(n=7) were the most preferred individual consulted by the
with four domains; physical health, psychological, social
participants. The socio-demographic profile of the
relationships, and environment.25 A higher score indicates
participants is presented in Table I.
a higher quality of life. This instrument has good test-
retest reliability, content validity, and discriminant validity.
The scale shows a high internal consistency of 0.89 in the Level of religiosity, quality of life, and positive mental
current study. health and its gender differences

Positive Mental Health Scale (PMH-Scale) Table II shows the mean score for the student's level of
religiosity, quality of life, and positive mental health status.
PMH-Scale was developed to measure the positive The study sample presents a higher mean score in
mental health of an individual.26 It is a self-administered IIUMRelS, WHOQoL-Bref, and PMH-Scale, which
instrument that consists of nine items. A higher score indicated that the students have high levels of religiosity,
indicates higher positive mental health status. PMH-Scale quality of life, and positive mental health status.
demonstrates good convergent and discriminant
validity.26 The current study shows a good internal There was no significant difference between male
consistency of the scale (α = .89). (M=33.34, SD=3.97) and female students (M=34.08,
SD=3.85, t (177)=-1.239, p= 217, two-tailed) in their level
of religiosity. For quality of life, there was also no
Procedure
significant difference between male (M=94.04, SD=
12.16) and female students (M= 94.06, SD=11.68, t (177)
The participants were recruited using an online survey
= -.01, p = .992, two-tailed). Similarly, in terms of positive

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Table I: Descriptive statistic for socio-demographic profile Table II Descriptive statistics on IIUMRelS domains (Islam, Iman, and Ihsan),
WHOQoL-Bref domains (physical, psychological, social, and environment), and
Socio-
Rang PMH-Scale
demographic N Minimum Maximum Mean
e All Partcipants Male (n = 68) Female (n = 111)
information
(N=179)
Age 179 7 20 27 22.51 Mean Std. Mean Std. Mean Std.
Deviation Deviation Deviation
Frequency Percentage
IIUMRelS 33.15 4.57 33.34 3.97 34.08 3.85
Gender Male 68 38.0
Female 111 62.0 Islam IIUM- 6.30 1.24 6.19 1.32 6.37 1.20
RelS
Marital status Single 175 97.8
Iman IIUM- 17.26 2.02 17.11 2.03 17.36 2.022
Married 4 2.2 RelS
Nationality Malaysian 179 100.0 Ihsan IIUM- 10.23 1.31 10.04 1.21 10.35 1.36
Faculty ISHS 55 30.7 RelS
WHOQoL- 92.33 14.28 94.04 12.16 94.06 11.68
Education 23 12.8
BREF
ICT 17 9.5
Physical 14.09 2.31 14.13 2.27 14.07 2.34
Laws 20 11.2 QOL
Architecture 16 8.9 Psychological 14.16 2.14 14.18 2.22 14.14 2.11
Economics 21 11.7 QOL
Engineering 27 15.1 Social QOL 14.38 2.90 14.10 3.42 14.55 2.54
Experience in Environment 14.87 2.04 14.88 2.06 14.87 2.04
mental health No 146 81.6 QOL
consultation PMH-Scale 26.61 5.48 27.60 4.53 27.34 4.53
Yes 33 18.4
Consulted with
No 176 98.3 Notes: IIUMRelS = IIUM Religiosity Scale; WHOQoL-BREF = WHO Quality
psychologist of Life – Brief version; PMH-Scale = Positive Mental Health Scale.
Yes 3 1.7
Consulted with Relationship between Religiosity, Quality of Life, and
No 175 97.8
psychiatrist
Yes 4 2.2 Positive Mental Health
Consulted with
No 162 90.5
counsellor
Yes 17 9.5 Table III shows a significant positive medium correlation
Consulted with the No 177 98.9
general medical
Yes 2 1.1
between religiosity with quality of life (r =.36, p<.01) and
doctor
Consulted with the No 172 96.1 positive mental health (r =.33, p< .01). Further analysis on
religious practitioner
Yes 7 3.9 the components of religiosity and quality of life portrayed
Consulted with the No 178 99.4
traditional healer significant positive relationships; quality of life and Islam
(bomoh) Yes 1 .6
Others No 173 96.6
(r =.25), Iman (r = .32), and Ihsan (r =.34). Similar results
Befrienders 3 1.7 could be seen between positive mental health and Islam
Their peers 3 1.7 (r =.26), Iman (r =.27), and Ihsan (r =.32). Based on the
Notes: ISHS = Islamic Studies and Human Sciences; ICT = Information and Computer
Technology; Befrienders = a registered non-profit organisation in Malaysia providing
current results, the higher the level of religiosity, the
emotional support 24/7 to people who are lonely, in distress, in despair, and having suicid- higher the quality of life and positive mental health among
al thoughts without charge.
the sample.
mental health, there is no significant difference
between male (M=27.6, SD=4.53) and female students
Religiosity Predicts Quality of Life and Positive Mental
(M=27.34, SD=4.53, t(177)=.374, p=.709, two-tailed).
Health
Table III, the table shows the results of each domain of
religiosity and quality of life. There was also no significant
Table IV displays the variation of religiosity domains,
difference between the domains of religiosity (Islam, Iman,
namely Islam, Iman, and Ihsan, in predicting the quality of
and Ihsan) and quality of life (physical, psychological,
life and positive mental health. In general, a person’s
social, and environment) for male and female students.
quality of life can be explained via a 13.6% variance in
The non-significant result on the gender differences
level of religiosity (F (3, 175) = 9.22, p < .001) followed by
indicates that male and female students in the present
11.7% variance in positive mental health (F (3, 175) =
study are similar in their religiosity level, quality of life,
7.76, p < .001). The contribution of Islam, Iman, and Ihsan
and positive mental health.
in predicting quality of life and positive mental health is

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 Table III Relationship between the domain of religiosity with the domain in quality of life and positive mental health
Islam Iman Ihsan Physical Psychological Social Environment PMH-Scale
IIUMRelS IIUMRelS IIUMRelS QOL QOL QOL QOL

Islam IIUMRelS

Iman IIUMRelS .59**

Ihsan IIUMRelS .52** .60**

Physical QOL .12 .16* .19*

Psychological QOL .28** .32** .34** .64**

Social QOL .27** .18* .24** .40** .45**

Environment QOL .17* .32** .31** .53** .62** .60**

PMH-Scale .26** .27** .32** .69** .71** .40** .56**

Notes: IIUMRelS = IIUM Religiosity Scale; WHOQoL-BREF = WHO Quality of Life – Brief version; PMH-Scale = Positive
Mental Health Scale.

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

also presented in the same table. The results indicate that Table IV Religiosity in predicting domain in quality of life and positive mental
health
the domain of Ihsan shows the highest prediction in Variance (%)
physical and psychological domains of quality of life and Measure/Domain Religiosity Islam Iman Ihsan
Quality of life 13.6 6.2 10.3 11.4
positive mental health. Items that represent Ihsan in the Positive mental health 11.7 6.7 7.2 10.3
scale are; 1) I feel bad doing something forbidden even if I know Measure Domain Beta Sig.
Quality of Life Physical Islam .005 .96
others are also doing it, 2) I am pleased with what I have, and 3)
Iman .080 .43
For fear of Allah, I will always tell the truth. Whereas, the Ihsan .13 .17
element of Islam predicted the most in the social aspect of Psychological Islam .08 .35

quality of life (e.g., I teach my family members the greatness of Iman .16 .10
Ihsan .20 .03
Allah), and Iman highly predicted the environment quality
Social Islam .21 .02
of life aspect (e.g., I strive to follow my aql (rationality) more Iman -.03 .78
than my nafs (lust).) This shows that Ihsan accounted for the Ihsan .14 .13
Environment Islam -.07 .41
strongest unique contribution in explaining two domains
Iman .24 .01
in quality of life and positive mental health compared to Ihsan .20 .03

Islam and Iman. Positive Mental Health - Islam .10 .30

Iman .08 .42
Ihsan .22 .02
CONCLUSION
to undergoes mental health consultations. This is in line
The present study examines the level of religiosity (Islam, with the study conducted by Oswalt and colleagues,
Iman, and Ihsan), quality of life (physical, psychological, whereby mental health services utilisation on campus was
social, and environment), and positive mental health 18.75%.27 Most of the students in the current study were
among Muslim undergraduate students in an Islamic seeking treatment with their counselors. Counselor plays a
university in Malaysia. At the same time, the relationship role in helping clients to overcome their problems and
between the variables and the role of religiosity in assist them in making appropriate changes in their lives.
predicting quality of life and positive mental health were Therefore, it is assumed that the students were less likely
also examined. to be involved in major or serious mental health problems
that require them to consult with psychiatrists or clinical
Students' involvements in mental health consultations psychologists. This is also in line with the high mean score
were descriptively examined in this study. The current for quality of life and positive mental health in this study.
sample reported less than 20% of students had reported

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There is no significant difference between male and predicts the social domain of the WHOQoL-BEF scale
female students in their level of religiosity (Islam, Iman, and compared to Iman and Ihsan. This result has taken a
Ihsan), quality of life (physical, psychological, social, and critical insight as the domain of Islam is highly associated
environment) status, and level of positive mental health. with the social wellbeing of a Muslim. The benefit of
The results were inconsistent with previous studies, these obligatory and recommended acts has been taught
indicating higher mean scores for males in religiosity, in the Holy Book of Islam, the Quran, and the Prophet
quality of life, and subjective wellbeing.22 This may be due Muhammad (SAW) himself. The element of Islam is
to the similar demographic environment, and Islamic regarded as the medium that connects an individual with
values inculcated to all the students, regardless of their his/her God.30 It is the incorporation of the profession
gender. Therefore, this acted as an advantage where the of faith ("there is no God except Allah, and Prophet
values of maintaining the quality of life and mental health Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah")
could be easily generalised to the population of students in and observations on the other four Islamic obligations
the university, regardless of their genders. ('ibadah) such as praying five times daily, fasting during
the month of Ramadhan, giving alms (Zakat) to the
Echoing the scientific evidence provided by past needy, and performing pilgrimage (Hajj). Having a good
researchers, it is now possible to state that there are relationship with Allah is very important in purifying the
significant positive relationships between religiosity, inner dimension of a person. This can also be enabled by
quality of life, and positive mental health.22,21,28,29 Statistical improving social relationships with other people.
analysis of religiosity's correlation and prediction of its
domains toward quality of life and positive mental health The following significant result is the third level of Islam
resulted in an important finding. Religiosity was found to which is Ihsan. Our present research demonstrated that
be positively correlated with the domains in quality of life Ihsan highly predicted the physical and psychological
and positive mental health. It might be further stated that components in quality of life and the positive mental
the increased religiosity level indicated higher quality of health status of the sample. Ihsan represented the highest
life and positive mental health level among Muslim predictor for the current sample's quality of life and
university students. In addition, the study also found that positive mental health status compared to Islam and Iman.
the domain of Ihsan has significantly predicted the physical This finding was in line with the principle of Islam, which
and psychological domain of quality of life and positive places Ihsan as the highest level of submission to Allah,
mental health compared to Islam and Iman, which mostly and Iman and Islam, which serve as the foundation of
predicted the social and environmental elements in the faith. According to Qadir (2018), Ihsan incorporates the
quality of life, respectively. highest consciousness development, which elevates
oneself from animal instincts and becomes Divine
According to the narration of Hadith Jibril, Islam, Iman, and consciousness.14 It can be seen as the perfection of
Ihsan are regarded as the three levels of Islam that Islamic religiosity.31 Being highly conscious of a believer's
comprehensively cover all Islamic aspects.12 In the present position will elevate one's positive mental health.32 Ihsan
research, Iman acted as the root of religion as Iman in is spiritual excellence that every Muslim should strive to
Arabic term means faith or belief, which denotes the by purifying the heart from blameworthy qualities (envy,
metaphysical aspect of Islam. This study found that Iman anger, excessive pride, and showing off) and integrating
highly predicted the environmental part of the quality of oneself with praiseworthy qualities such as doing
life, such as living place, financial status, and health righteous deeds and respecting others.33
services. Having a firm trust and reliance toward the
Oneness of God, His Angels, the Holy Books, the Given the positive impact Islam, Iman, and Ihsan pose on
Prophets, the Hereafter, and the Fates and Destiny will wellbeing; these can be integrated into psychological
help a person be more positive and patient in his/her life. intervention and therapy. For example, accepting
On the other hand, the next domain, Islam, significantly weakness, awareness of neediness, absorbing compassion

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and applying reflective thoughts serve as the Quranic importance of Ihsan at a national level.
guiding principles to promote overall wellbeing.34 In conclusion, the present study has shown that religiosity
Stemming from this, further inculcation of positive plays a vital role in psychological assessment. In this
actions, i.e., acceptance (rida), positive thoughts (husn al- current study, religiosity, quality of life, and positive
zann), remembrance of God (dhikr), patience (sabr), mental health were statistically analysed. The survey of the
gratitude (shukr), detachment (zuhd), prayer and level of Islam (Iman, Islam, Ihsan) has discovered beneficial
supplication (dua), and psychosocial support (takaful), will information applicable in the Muslim belief system and
nurture psycho-spiritual wellbeing.34 practical application to the body of knowledge. The
element of Ihsan is found to strongly contribute to
However, the present study encountered several predicting one's quality of life and positive mental health.
reservations and limitations throughout the research. These findings provide hope for future research and
While the study showed a positive correlation between utilisation of Islamic elements, e.g., Ihsan, as an
religiosity and positive mental health, it is beyond the intervention for psychological wellbeing among students.
scope of this study to suggest that mental illness is directly
contributed by irreligiosity. Despite the general DECLARATION OF INTEREST
understanding that religion and spirituality help patients to
overcome depression and anxiety, it must be admitted that All the authors declare that they have no conflict of
specific vulnerable populations (e.g., people with family interest.
problems, psychiatric patients with substance abuse; do
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