Faith as a foundation of post-traumatic growth among muslim survivors of illness and disaster: An Islamic psychological perspective

Jajang Hartono, Muhammad Zein Permana

Abstract


Abstract: This study examines how faith (iman) serves as an ontological foundation for post-traumatic growth (PTG) in Muslim survivors of serious illness and injury. In this context, faith is defined as core belief in Allah and acceptance of divine will (qadha and qadar), which provides a worldview guiding the reinterpretation of traumatic experiences and enabling individuals to transform adversity into spiritual and psychosocial growth. Unlike previous studies that largely focused on religious practices or coping strategies, this study positions faith-based meaning-making as the key process driving PTG among Muslim individuals. Using a qualitative instrumental case study approach, the study conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with four purposively selected Muslim participants. Data were collected between October and December 2025, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed through reflective thematic analysis with validity strategies such as member checking and triangulation. Our results indicate that the process of PTG begins with the shattering of basic assumptions, followed by a shift from intrusive to deliberate rumination and a meaning-making phase. Crucially, participants’ faith shaped how trauma was framed: not only as a test from Allah, but as an opportunity for wisdom and holistic growth. The depth of faith and the quality of social support significantly influenced this transformation. However, this growth was conditional, gradual, and often coexisted with distress. In conclusion, explicitly integrating a faith perspective is essential for the theory and practice of post-trauma recovery in Muslim contexts. It is therefore suggested to develop faith-informed interventions in mental health services, test quantitative models of Islamic PTG, conduct longitudinal studies, and increase sample sizes to enhance generalizability.
Keywords: Post-traumatic growth; faith; meaning-making; social support; Islamic psychology.

Copyright ©2026. The Authors. Published by Psikoislamika: Jurnal Psikologi dan Psikologi Islam. This is an open access article under the CC BY NO SA. Link: Creative Commons — Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Keywords


Post-traumatic growth; faith; meaning-making; social support; Islamic psychology.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/psikoislamika.v23i1.41304

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