The Illusion of Control and Human Fragility

Reconstructing Theocentric Attribution Through Thematic Qur’anic Exegesis

Abstract

The present-day fragility of humans raises a Qur’anic issue of attribution: people are mandated to exert effort, reflect, and engage, yet they often misinterpret their limited agency as control over consequences. This article outlines a Qur’anic paradigm of theocentric attribution by exploring the connections among human exertion, divine decree, triumph, defeat, appreciation, pride, endurance, tawakkul, and aspiration. It applies qualitative library research through thematic Qur’anic commentary (al-tafsīr al-mawḍū‘ī), semantic-contextual reading, inter-verse synthesis, and comparative analysis with al-Ṭabarī, Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Ibn ‘Āshūr, al-Rāghib al-Aṣfahānī, and M. Quraish Shihab. The theory of psychological attribution and the idea of illusion of control function solely as supplementary heuristic facilitators, not as dominant interpretative frameworks. The analysis reveals two interconnected distortions: inflationary self-attribution, illustrated by Qārūn and the owner of the two gardens, which reframes immediate causes as declarations of independence; and punishing self-attribution, wherein loss or failure is seen as a comprehensive assessment of human value. The Qur’an’s discourse amends by upholding responsible agency while placing conclusive outcomes under divine dominion. The essay articulates the ATQ-5 framework: agentic initiative, awareness of control constraints, outcome-driven tawakkul, management of appreciation and patience, and transformative aspiration. The analysis finds that theocentric attribution represents a unified Qur’anic ethic of causality that challenges both self-aggrandizing control and fatalistic resignation.

References

Abdilah, Muhammad Dzikri, Riko Reinaldi, and Mutiara MY. 2025. “An Analysis of the Concept of Tazkiyah al-Nafs in the Qur’anic Tafsir and the Book Mi‘rāj al-Sa‘ādah by Aḥmad al-Narāqī.” Tanzil: Jurnal Studi Al-Quran 8 (1): 25–50. https://doi.org/10.20871/tjsq.v8i1.461.

Aggarwal, Shilpa, Judith Wright, Amy Morgan, George Patton, and Nicola Reavley. 2023. “Religiosity and Spirituality in the Prevention and Management of Depression and Anxiety in Young People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” BMC Psychiatry 23: 729. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05091-2.

AlHarbi, Hind, Paul Farrand, and Ken Laidlaw. 2023. “Understanding the Beliefs and Attitudes towards Mental Health Problems Held by Muslim Communities and Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a Treatment: Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis.” Discover Mental Health 3 (1): 26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44192-023-00053-2.

Arsyad, Muhammad, and Noor Hasanah. 2025. “Integrasi Nilai Al-Qur’an dalam Mengatasi Brain Rot dan Doomscrolling pada Generasi Z.” MAGHZA: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir 10 (1): 87–105. https://doi.org/10.24090/maghza.v10i1.13183.

Aṣfahānī, al-Rāghib al-. 2008. Mufradāt Alfāẓ al-Qur’ān. Edited by Ṣafwān ‘Adnān Dāwūdī. Dār al-Qalam.

‘Āshūr, Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir Ibn. 1984. Al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr. Dār al-Tūnisiyyah li al-Nashr.

Aulia, Qithrotun Nida, Sholahuddin Al Ayubi, and Salim Rosyadi. 2025. “Critical Thinking dalam Al-Qur’an: Analisis Tematik terhadap Prinsip Berpikir Kritis.” Al-Fahmu: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir 4 (1): 131–49. https://doi.org/10.58363/alfahmu.v4i1.473.

A’yun, Putri Qurrota, and Khobirul Amru. 2026. “Slow Living in the Qur’an: A Thematic Analysis of Ḥayāh, Ma‘īshah, Dunyā, Khushū‘, and Muṭma’innah.” Tanzil: Jurnal Studi Al-Quran 8 (2): 253–78. https://doi.org/10.20871/tjsq.v8i2.579.

Aziz, Muhammad Alif, Muhammad Noupal, and R. A. Erika Septiana. 2022. “Kehidupan Dunia Perspektif Al-Qur’an dan Relevansinya terhadap Kesehatan Mental.” Jurnal Ilmu Agama 23 (2): 272–88. https://doi.org/10.19109/jia.v23i2.15084.

Basid, Abd, and Abd Ghani. 2023. “Konsep Ketenteraman Hidup dalam Al-Qur’an: Kajian Tematik tentang Ketenangan Jiwa.” Syariati: Jurnal Studi Al-Qur’an dan Hukum 9 (1): 13–22. https://doi.org/10.32699/syariati.v9i1.4561.

Cetinkaya, Merve, and Jo Billings. 2023. “Systematic Review of the Relationship between Islamic-Sufi Spirituality and Practice and Mental Well-Being.” Mental Health, Religion & Culture 26 (10): 1065–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2023.2256265.

Cregg, David R., and Jennifer S. Cheavens. 2021. “Gratitude Interventions: Effective Self-Help? A Meta-Analysis of the Impact on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety.” Journal of Happiness Studies 22 (1): 413–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00236-6.

Darmawan, Darmawan, Nuri Fikriyati Ulfiyaddin, and Salim Rahmatullah. 2024. “Insecure on the Perspective of Tafsīr al-Jaylānī.” Tanzil: Jurnal Studi Al-Quran 7 (1): 137–54. https://doi.org/10.20871/tjsq.v7i1.359.

Day, Giskin, Glenn Robert, and Anne Marie Rafferty. 2020. “Gratitude in Health Care: A Meta-Narrative Review.” Qualitative Health Research 30 (14): 2303–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732320951145.

Dickens, Leah R. 2017. “Using Gratitude to Promote Positive Change: A Series of Meta-Analyses Investigating the Effectiveness of Gratitude Interventions.” Basic and Applied Social Psychology 39 (4): 193–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2017.1323638.

Faizin, Muhammad, Ahmad Rifa’i, and Nur Kholis. 2024. “Makna Khusyu‘ dalam Al-Qur’an dan Implikasinya bagi Kesehatan Spiritual.” Al Furqan: Jurnal Ilmu Al Quran dan Tafsir 7 (1): 37–55. https://doi.org/10.58518/alfurqon.v7i1.2524.

Farmāwī, ‘Abd al-Ḥayy al-. 1977. Al-Bidāyah fī al-Tafsīr al-Mawḍū‘ī. Al-Ḥaḍārah al-‘Arabiyyah.

Fatimah, Malida, Junanah, and Andi Musthafa Husain. 2023. “Religious Coping among Working Muslim Women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.” Millah: Journal of Religious Studies 22 (2): 495–524. https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol22.iss2.art8.

Ferrari, Madeleine, Clare Hunt, Andrew Harrysunker, Maree J. Abbott, Alissa P. Beath, and David A. Einstein. 2019. “Self-Compassion Interventions and Psychosocial Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis of RCTs.” Mindfulness 10 (8): 1455–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01134-6.

Hidayatullah, Muhammad, and Ahmad Fuad. 2024. “Konsep Tazkiyatun Nafs Menurut Tafsir Al-Mishbah dan Relevansinya terhadap Pendidikan Jiwa.” Attractive: Innovative Education Journal 6 (1): 120–27. https://doi.org/10.51278/aj.v6i1.1098.

Ibrahim, Nurfadila. 2025. “Schizophrenia Zikir Therapy Based on the Interpretation of Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb.” Tanzil: Jurnal Studi Al-Quran 7 (2): 193–208. https://doi.org/10.20871/tjsq.v7i2.407.

Jans-Beken, Lilian, Nele Jacobs, Sanne Janssens, Carsten Peeters, Marieke Reijnders, and Johan Lataster. 2020. “Gratitude and Health: An Updated Review.” Journal of Positive Psychology 15 (6): 743–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1651888.

Langer, Ellen J. 1975. “The Illusion of Control.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32 (2): 311–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.32.2.311.

Lucchetti, Giancarlo, Harold G. Koenig, and Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti. 2021. “Spirituality, Religiousness, and Mental Health: A Review of the Current Scientific Evidence.” World Journal of Clinical Cases 9 (26): 7620–31. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v9.i26.7620.

Mahamid, Fayez Azez, and Dana Bdier. 2021. “The Association between Positive Religious Coping, Perceived Stress, and Depressive Symptoms during the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among a Sample of Adults in Palestine.” Journal of Religion and Health 60 (1): 34–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01121-5.

Martinko, Mark J., Paul Harvey, Douglas Sikora, and William H. Douglas. 2019. “Attribution Theory: An Introduction to the Special Issue.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 40 (5): 523–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2397.

Owens, Jan, Hussein G. Rassool, Joshua Bernstein, Sara Latif, and Basil H. Aboul-Enein. 2023. “Interventions Using the Qur’an to Promote Mental Health: A Systematic Scoping Review.” Journal of Mental Health 32 (4): 842–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2023.2232449.

Pankowski, Daniel, and Kinga Wytrychiewicz-Pankowska. 2023. “Turning to Religion during COVID-19 (Part II): A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Studies on the Relationship between Religious Coping and Mental Health throughout COVID-19.” Journal of Religion and Health 62 (1): 544–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01720-4.

Park, Crystal L., Kevin M. Holt, Denise Le, Jennifer Christie, and Barbara R. Williams. 2018. “Positive and Negative Religious Coping Styles as Prospective Predictors of Well-Being in African Americans.” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality 10 (4): 318–26. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000124.

Rāzī, Fakhr al-Dīn al-. 1999. Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb. Dār Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-‘Arabī.

Riadi, Selamet, Abdul Wahab, and Citra Lestari. 2025. “FOMO in the Perspective of the Qur’an: A Thematic Study on Peace of Mind and Simplicity of Life.” Tanzil: Jurnal Studi Al-Quran 8 (1): 121–34. https://doi.org/10.20871/tjsq.v8i1.469.

Rothman, Abdallah, and Adrian Coyle. 2018. “Toward a Framework for Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy: An Islamic Model of the Soul.” Journal of Religion and Health 57 (5): 1731–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0651-x.

Saunders, Nicola, and Zoe Stephenson. 2024. “Reviewing the Use of the Brief Religious Coping Scale across Diverse Cultures and Populations.” Journal of Religion and Health 63 (5): 3926–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02119-z.

Shihab, M. Quraish. 2002. Tafsir Al-Mishbah: Pesan, Kesan, dan Keserasian Al-Qur’an. Lentera Hati.

Ṭabarī, Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-. 2001. Jāmi‘ al-Bayān ‘an Ta’wīl Āy al-Qur’ān. Edited by ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Abd al-Muḥsin al-Turkī. Dār Hajr.

Thomas, Justin, and Mariapaola Barbato. 2020. “Positive Religious Coping and Mental Health among Christians and Muslims in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Religions 11 (10): 498. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11100498.

Vidal, Javier, Cristina Soldevilla, María García-Campayo, and Javier García-Campayo. 2023. “Effect of Compassion-Focused Therapy on Self-Criticism and Self-Soothing: A Meta-Analysis.” British Journal of Clinical Psychology 62 (1): 70–81. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12394.

Wang, Kainan S., Yun-Yen Yang, and Mauricio R. Delgado. 2021. “How Perception of Control Shapes Decision Making.” Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 41: 85–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.04.003.

Weiner, Bernard. 1985. “An Attributional Theory of Achievement Motivation and Emotion.” Psychological Review 92 (4): 548–73. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.92.4.548.

Weiner, Bernard. 2019. “Wither Attribution Theory?” Journal of Organizational Behavior 40 (5): 603–4. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2398.

Wen, Jennifer H., Robert L. Levenson, Daniela Kaufer, and Wendy Berry Mendes. 2022. “Perceived Control and Reactivity to Acute Stressors: Variations by Age, Race, and Facets of Control.” Stress and Health 38 (3): 419–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3103.

Zulfatmi. 2020. “Al-Nafs dalam Al-Qur’an: Analisis Terma dan Implikasinya bagi Psikologi Islam.” Jurnal Mudarrisuna 10 (2): 192–208. https://doi.org/10.22373/jm.v10i2.7838.