Citation

Beshai JA. Omega (Westport) 2012; 66(1): 89-96.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Sage Publications)

DOI

10.2190/OM.66.1.f

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This is a book review of Abdel-Khalek's (2005) Arabic Handbook on "Death and Dying." This review extrapolates the Islamic ontology presented in 492 pages covering 56 empirical and 304 empirical studies published by a host of Arab, American and European psychologists and psychiatrists. The Handbook presents an Islamic ontology on death anxiety for the first time to English readers. Freud's Judeo-Christian view of death anxiety is already familiar to readers of Omega. But the Islamic ontology of death is relatively unknown even though it is relevant. This reviewer finds the Islamic ontology of death to be similar to the Judeo-Christian one. Islam provides believers with assurance of God's mercy regardless of human vulnerability to evil. Death anxiety can be relieved by exercising moderation in relations with others. Quoting from the Qur'an, Abdel-Khalek (2005) makes the claim that there is a judicious path to follow between daily distress and achieving social goals. The Arabic term to describe this path is Surat-Mustakeem. It comes close to Aristotle's Eudaimona or happiness. Death Anxiety is neither negative nor positive in connotation. It is the ethical pursuit of a dialectic of truth and virtue. Death anxiety research shows a convergence between ontology and empirical research.