Honoring Dr Malik Badri's Legacy

On Monday February 8, 2021 the world lost a giant of a man. Professor Malik Badri was more than the founder of modern Islamic psychology, he was an example of the purification of the heart. Professor Badri made it his life's mission to bring to light what Islam has to offer the world for healing and wellness and he left behind a vehicle to carry on his legacy.

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Dr Abdallah Rothman was a student of Dr Badri as well as his in-law, colleague and close personal friend. Read some of Dr Abdallah's reflections on his teacher in the wake of his recent passing.

On Monday, February 8, 2021, Professor Malik Badri returned to his Lord in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur with his loving family by his side. We ask Allah to bless him with the breadth of His Mercy and to make him dwell in spaciousness with friends, martyrs, righteous and good companions. We ask Allah to grant mercy and consolation to the hearts of those he left behind: his family, colleagues and students in many different parts of the world.

Professor Malik, who we affectionately called “Baba Malik” was unanimously known throughout the world as the father of Islamic psychology. His pioneering and visionary work in developing this field was unsurpassed by another other. He went beyond the narrow borders of his home country of Sudan to global horizons, with his books, research and theories in psychology being admired and appreciated by major international universities and research centers. He will always be remembered for his brilliant mind and his incredible insights and contributions to the study of psychology in general. For those who knew him personally know that beyond his public work his real legacy is his enormous heart and good nature. Not only did he teach about Islamic psychology being about the purification of heart and soul, he was a living example of a pure soul. 

Professor Malik dedicated his life to the development of Islamic psychology. At 89 years old he continued to give lecturers, give counsel and work on his last book all the way up until his final few months. His legacy will live on in his foundational publications, in his students, and in the mission and work of the IAIP which was his final vision for continuing the work that he started in pioneering the field of Islamic psychology.

​The world lost a giant today and I lost my mentor. Professor Malik Badri was a teacher to me just like he was to everyone who listened to him talk or read his books. But more than that he was like a grandfather to me. My own biological grandfather was a psychologist and as much as I felt like I was following in his footsteps, he died before I became a psychologist and before I became Muslim. I met Prof Malik right after finishing my MA in psychology and embracing Islam. It was as if he was the stand in for my grandfather, guiding me to my path in Islamic psychology. My interactions with him were colored more by the gentleness of his love and care for me than the lessons about concepts, theory and practice. His teaching was from the heart to the heart. My heart has been filled with his illumination Alhumdulillah, but right now it aches from his loss. May Allah raise him to the highest station and sanctify his soul. From Him do we come and to Him to we return.

Dr Abdallah Rothman
Executive Director of IAIP