Development and Validation of Ikhlaas Scale for Pakistani Muslim Adults

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Religious Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Ikhlaas, or sincere intention for God's pleasure, is crucial in Islamic psychology and practice.
• A psychometrically sound measure for ikhlaas was lacking, hindering empirical research.
• Understanding ikhlaas is vital for both spiritual well-being and ethical conduct.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a psychometrically sound scale measuring ikhlaas.
• To establish the construct validity of the proposed Ikhlaas Scale (IS).
• To explore the relationship between ikhlaas and other relevant psychological and religious constructs.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory sequential mixed methods design across two studies.
• Study 1: Item generation via thematic analysis and interviews, followed by EFA on Pakistani adults (N=300).
• Study 2: CFA on a larger sample of Muslim adults (N=702) to confirm the scale structure and validity.

Main Results:

• The Ikhlaas Scale (IS) emerged as a 12-item, two-factor measure: ikhlaas in worship and ikhlaas in dealings.
• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed the scale's structure.
• The IS demonstrated convergent validity (positive correlation with taqwa, negative with materialism) and discriminant validity (HTMT < 0.80).

Conclusions:

• The 12-item Ikhlaas Scale (IS) is a psychometrically robust instrument for measuring sincere intentions.
• The scale effectively captures ikhlaas in both worship and interpersonal dealings.
• Further research is recommended to expand the nomological network of the IS across diverse Muslim populations.