ABSTRACT
Research is a systematic process to collect and analyse information to produce new knowledge or modify existing knowledge. Research from an Islāmic perspective is broader than the notion of the acquisition of knowledge as it is an all-encompassing term focused on theory, action and education embedded with moral and sociopolitical implications.
Research is often classified into different approaches such as qualitative and quantitative, and pure and applied research. There are two methods in the approach to research: inductive and deductive. Inductive research mainly focuses on building new theories or creating new knowledge by the analysis of an observed event or a phenomenon. The inductive method is a bottom-up approach and starts with specific observations and measures to arrive at some general conclusions with broader theories. During the Islāmic Renaissance period, Muslim scientists helped in laying the foundations for an empirical, experimental and quantitative approach to scientific inquiry. The Islāmic scholars use combined methodologies in their quest for new knowledge. Research involves a systematic process of data collection and analysis to find a solution to a problem. The research process is a multiple-stage, cyclic process where the stages are interlinked, in a logical process, with the other stages in the process. Each stage must be worked out sequentially and if changes are made in one stage of the process, all other stages must be reviewed that the changes are reflected throughout the process. This process is used in pure and applied research, regardless of the research methodologies. The aims of this chapter are to provide an overview of historical context of Islāmic scientists, the status and purpose of Islāmic psychology research and the process of research.
