Perception of The Practice of Dhikr Among ISRA-CCRC Clients

Drug addiction cases in Malaysia are ever increasing with the majority of addicts are Malays (NADA 2017). While al-Quran explains that the prayer can restrain from illegal behaviours such as drugs abuse, little is known of how rehab centres’ clients perceive the practice of dhikr as part of their rehabilitative program. This study aims to examine clients’ perception of the practice of dhikr in ISRA (Islamic Spiritual Rehabilitation Approach) program settings. 244 Malay male respondents (61.5% single, 21-57 years-old) were randomly selected from three NADA rehabilitation centres. The practice of dhikr in this study comprised of four domains; (a) behavioural, (b) speech, (c) action, and (d) meaningfulness. Results showed that clients perceived more meaningfulness of dhikr than other domains, and that Malay drug addicts still had a high perception for the practice of dhikr. Findings showed that a higher level and understanding of dhikr practice can still be achieved by drug addicts with proper guidance and robust mechanisms. This study suggests that clients’ perception of the practice of dhikr is based on the combination of cultural, environmental and circumstantial settings.