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Tawakkul Mediates Between Personality Traits, Depression, and Anxiety in Pakistani Muslim Adults

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Abstract

Tawakkul in Islam is defined as the belief in the sufficiency of Allah (God) that invokes patience and efforts to achieve goals while accepting the outcomes unconditionally. The present research intended to investigate the mediating role of tawakkul between personality traits and mental health (anxiety and depression) in a purposive sample of (N = 350) Muslim adults. Urdu versions of three instruments, namely the Tawakkul Scale (Gondal, et al., 2021), Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale of (DASS 21; Aslam, 2018), and Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; Chishti & Kamal, 2002), were used to measure the variables. Path analysis revealed that extraversion had no association with tawakkul and anxiety, but it was inversely related to depression. Neuroticism was inversely related to tawakkul and positively related to both depression and anxiety, and these relationships were partially mediated by a low degree of tawakkul. Implications of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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Funding

This research was not funded by any funding agency/institution.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan

    Muhammad Usama Gondal, Adnan Adil & Anam Khan

Authors
  1. Muhammad Usama Gondal
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  2. Adnan Adil
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  3. Anam Khan
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Contributions

MUG contributed to data collection and manuscript writing. AA contributed to conception of the research idea, study design, data analyses, and final approval of the manuscript. AK was involved in reporting the statistical tables and formatting of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adnan Adil.

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Competing interests

The authors hereby solemnly declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical Approval

The current research has been approved and monitored by the Research Ethics Committee of the Department of Psychology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Appendix A: English Translated Version of Tawakkul Scale

Appendix A: English Translated Version of Tawakkul Scale

1

I believe that Allah is sufficient for me in every situation

2

I have complete faith that Allah will never leave me alone

3

I hope for the best from Allah in every situation

4

I believe that Allah is capable of everything and He never lets me lose hope

5

I seek Allah’s help for every goal in my life

6

Even if a task remains incomplete, I still have faith in Allah that he will make it better

7

I have complete trust in Allah while doing any task

8

By relying on Allah, I am saved from hardships

9

I have faith in Allah’s power that after difficulty, he surely provides ease

10

I believe that whatever benefits I receive come from Allah alone

11

I never lose hope in any way during illness

12

I believe that when one door closes, Allah opens hundred more doors

13

If I fall ill, I am not worried because everything comes from Allah

14

Even if a misfortune occurs, I will not complain to Allah

15

I do not fear any difficulty because it is a test from Allah

16

If something remains out of order despite trying to fix it, I am not worried because it is the will of Allah

17

Even if I have to live in an old and confined/congested place, I will not complain to Allah

18

I have completely abandoned my own will and accepted Allah’s will

19

I do not desire anything because whatever Allah gives me, I am happy with it

20

Even in difficult circumstances, I do not request anything from Allah because I believe that whatever Allah does for me will be for the better

21

When I am sick, I am confident that Allah will cure me after taking medicine

22

When I go to bed after taking household security precautions at night, I know Allah surely protects me

23

If I thoroughly check my car before going on a journey, I am confident that Allah will complete my journey safely and well

24

I try to fulfill my daily needs so that I may continue to receive sustenance from Allah

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Gondal, M.U., Adil, A. & Khan, A. Tawakkul Mediates Between Personality Traits, Depression, and Anxiety in Pakistani Muslim Adults. J Relig Health 63, 582–594 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01771-1

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