SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE USE OF THE CONCEPT OF TAWAKKAL IN ISLAMIC COUNSELING TO ADDRESS ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Sorotan Karya Bersistematik Penggunaan Konsep Tawakal dalam Kaunseling Islam untuk Menangani Kebimbangan (Anxiety) dan Kemurungan (Depression)

Abstract

Mental health is a vital component of an individual’s overall well-being. However, the increasing prevalence of anxiety and depression among Muslim communities signals the urgent need for a more holistic and integrated intervention. In Islam, tawakkul is a core spiritual principle that encourages a balance between human effort and dependence on divine will. While this concept offers spiritual strength, it is often misunderstood as a passive act may lead to a lack of personal initiative in taking appropriate action towards resolving emotional or psychological struggles. A key obstacle in applying tawakkul within therapeutic contexts is the absence of a specific, psychometrically validated instrument to measure the level of tawakkul in individuals. This gap limits the capacity of Islamic-based counselling interventions to be evaluated systematically and integrated into mental health practice. To address this, the present study conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) guided by the PRISMA protocol. The search strategy was conducted using the SCOPUS database, utilising keywords such as tawakkul, Islamic counselling, anxiety, and depression. Articles were screened through pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. From the review, seven articles were selected and analysed thematically. The findings demonstrate that tawakkul contributes significantly to the reduction of anxiety and depression through several mechanisms including cognitive reappraisal, emotional stability, and enhanced spiritual well-being. Furthermore, counselling interventions that incorporate tawakkul are found to be more effective when integrated with modern therapeutic approaches such as Islamic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) and Islamic Mindfulness Therapy. Despite these positive outcomes, challenges remain. These include the lack of a standardised tawakkul measurement tool and the limited synthesis between Islamic and psychological models. Hence, the study proposes the development of a contextualised tawakkul scale and further empirical studies to evaluate its effectiveness. Such efforts could offer a promising psychospiritual framework for enhancing mental health care among Muslims globally.