JKPI: Jurnal Konseling Pendidikan Islam

P–ISSN: 2655-9692
E-ISSN: 2746-5977
Vol. 4, No. 1, Januari 2023

THE IMPORTANCE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN ISLAMIC

DA’WAH COMMUNICATIONS
Dian Mego Anggraini
IAI Al-Khairat Pamekasan
Email: dianmego@alkhairat.ac.id
Abstract
This research is related to the urgency of the psychology of communication in Islamic
da'wah communication. This title was raised when looking at the phenomenon of
rejection of preachers by some elements of society. The method used by researchers is a
qualitative research method with library research data sources regarding references
related to communication psychology, communication science, and problems related to
community da'wah. The findings of the research are that a da'i who has an understanding
of communication psychology and communication science is able to convey da'wah
material according to the various backgrounds of the congregation or audience he is
dealing with. The researchers' conclusion is that the psychology of communication and
the science of communication is something that a da'i must have, as evidenced by all of
the preachers' congregational criteria, which are always related to the psychology of
communication, such as exemplary behavior, empathetic nature, information
transactions, mediation, collective vision, mission, and goals.

Keywords: Psychology of communication, science of communication, preaching

INTRODUCTION
Communication is an important part of interacting in everyday life because it aims to
convey information and the aims and objectives to be conveyed. Bungin's opinion
regarding communication is that it is an act of sharing information, ideas, or opinions
from each communication participant involved in it in order to achieve a common
meaning. Referring to this understanding, communication is a complex activity that
involves thoughts, feelings, ideas, and skills in packaging and conveying information and
making sense of it. Communication is something that cannot be avoided in life because it
is present in all fields, in various contexts, and in various scopes (omnipresent), including
the larger and wider scope of communication (Masa). Communication is an important
element in delivering messages, both formal and informal. All activities will run smoothly
according to their respective duties and functions if communication takes place
effectively across all lines. Conversely, failure to foster effective and harmonious
communication will hinder the goals to be achieved (Ahmad et al., 2021).
Meanwhile, Rogers and D. Lawrence Kincaid define communication as a process in
which two or more people form or exchange information with each other, which in turn
results in a deep sense of mutual understanding. (Yanti, 2017) Carl I. Hovland's
explanation of communication is a methodical effort to establish firmly the principles of

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conveying information and forming opinions and attitudes.(Ma, 2018) From some of the
opinions above, it is very clear that communication determines the success of the message
conveyed, whether the audience can understand it or not. For this reason, in
communicating, it is necessary to understand the condition of the audience, which
requires psychology.
George A. Miller explained that the science of psychology has an object of discussion in
the form of the mental or human soul in general; the discussion is scientific in nature,
which is supported by the results of research conducted using the scientific method as
well. This is in contrast to William James, who limited the subject of psychology
discussion to the conscious souls of healthy, educated humans, and so on, which became
the subject of research on behavior related to the adjustment process.This behavior aims
to meet the demands of biological life as individual beings and the demands of social life
as social beings. (Fabriar, 2019) Eti Nur Inah further linked communication and
psychology by arguing that if the communication process is not based on psychology,
then what will happen in life is disharmony or incompatibility. If the psychology of
communication is not going well, it can hinder the pattern of a relationship (Ahmad et al.,
2021). Communication is the key to creating good relationships between individuals
human relationshipsm of the mental or human soul in general; the discussion is scientific
in nature, which is supported by the results of research conducted using the scientific
method as well. This is different from William James, who limited the object of
discussion of psychology to the conscious soul of healthy, educated humans, and so on,
which became the object of research on behavior related to the process of adjustment.
This behavior aims to meet the demands of biological life as individual beings and the
demands of social life as social beings (Fabriar, 2019). Eti Nur Inah further linked
communication and psychology by arguing that if the communication process is not based
on psychology, then what will happen in life is disharmony or incompatibility. If the
psychology of communication is not going well, it can hinder the pattern of a relationship
(Ahmad et al., 2021). Communication is the key to creating good relationships between
individuals (human relationships), because with good relationships, the continuity and
smoothness of an activity can run well. According to Rizki, JWS, one of the problems
that frequently arises in everyday life is disharmony in the relationship between two
people. This problem is caused by barriers that interfere with communication (Akhirudin
& Nurjaman, 2022).
Lack of mass communication skills can lead to a misunderstanding of what is conveyed;
the delivery of religion in Islam is known as da'wah. Da'wah is an effort to convey Islamic
teachings that is carried out consciously and planned by using certain ways to influence
others to follow the objectives of the da'wah without any coercion (Alimuddin, 2007).
Da'wah in this context has a deep understanding, namely that da'wah amar ma'ruf does
not merely convey goodness or God's verses but requires several conditions, namely
finding suitable material, knowing the exact condition of the da'wah subject, choosing
representative methods, and using judicious language (Alimuddin, 2007). Previously,
there was a rejection of a public recitation that was to be held by IPDN Rohis, and it was

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planned to be filled in by one of the preachers. The Radical Ustadz category will be the
one to fill the event. Furthermore, on January 19, 2022, it was reported by news.detik.com
that the same ustadz was rejected when he was about to give a lecture in Palu, Central
Sulawesi. From this explanation, it can be seen that there is an attachment between
communication psychology, communication science, and da'wah; therefore, in preaching,
a da'i needs to understand what is called the "psychology of communication" to find out
the condition of the congregation that is the target of da'wah so that unwanted things don't
happen like rejection, etc.

METHOD
The method used in this research is a qualitative method; a qualitative method is a
research method that departs from the field by looking at phenomena or symptoms that
occur to then produce or develop theories. If in the quantitative research method the
theory is in the form of a hypothesis or definition, then in the qualitative research method
the theory is in the form of a pattern or naturalistic generalization (Murdiyanto, 2020).
The type of research used by researchers is library research using data sources in the
form of reference books and scientific journal articles (Tahmidaten & Krismanto,
2020).In this study, the source of the data relates to references related to communication
psychology, communication science, and problems related to community da'wah. The
procedures carried out include: 1) exploring general ideas about research, 2) Searching
for information that supports the research topic 3) Reinforcing the research focus and
organizing appropriate materials, 4) Searching for and finding data sources in the form of
main library sources, namely books and articles from scientific journals, 5) Reorganize
materials and note conclusions obtained from data sources. 6) Review information that
has been analyzed and is appropriate for discussing and answering research problem
formulations. 7) Enriching data sources to strengthen data analysis; and 8) compiling
research results (Tahmidaten & Krismanto, 2020).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

According to our understanding of the psychology of communication, it is a psychological
event in each individual who is building communication in the environment in the context
of interpersonal and/or intrapersonal relations. Communication psychology seeks to
analyze all the components involved in the process of interpersonal and/or intrapersonal
communication. In the communication process, there are two parties involved according
to their roles, namely, the communicator and the communicator. (Wulandari & Rahmi,
2018). Siregar explained that communication psychology is a science that seeks to
describe, predict, and control the mentality and behavior of communication carried out
through interpersonal communication, inter-group communication, and mass
communication. (Wulandari & Rahmi, 2018) Rakhmat added that communication
psychology is applied with the aim of achieving communication effectiveness, which is
characterized by: 1) understanding, which refers to careful acceptance of the stimulus
content as intended by the communicator; 2) pleasure, which refers to how

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communication can generate pleasure, which makes the relationship warm, intimate, and
enjoyable; 3) influencing attitudes, which is related to persuasive communication, which
is the process of influencing people's opinions, attitudes, and actions by using
psychological manipulation so that the person acts as if he wanted to; 4) Good social
relations; 5) Action, where communication is intended to encourage people to act.
(Ekaningtyas, 2020)
There are four characteristics of the psychological approach to communication, namely:
1) reception of stimuli through the senses (sensory reception of stimuli); 2) processes that
mediate stimuli and responses (internal mediation of stimuli); 3) prediction of response
(prediction of response); and 4) confirmation of response (reinforcement of response).
(Ekaningtyas, 2020). The function of communication psychology actually lies in the
ability to analyze the characteristics of the communicant and the internal and external
factors that influence his communication behavior. Meanwhile, for the communicator,
communication psychology tries to trace its characteristics and ask what causes one
communication source to be successful in influencing others while other communication
sources are not. Its relation to da'wah, in terms of da'wah as it is meant here, is an effort
to invite or call on mankind to be in the way of Allah (Islam) according to nature in an
integral way, both through oral and written activities, or reasoning and deed activities, as
an effort to embody good values. and truth (Al khair) becomes a real activity in everyday
socio-cultural life, seeking to prevent and distance things that are naturally denied by
conscience for the sake of the realization of the chosen people, according to the basic
understanding of Islam (Bungo, 2014).
Da'wah means "invitation" in Arabic.This term is often given the same meaning as the
terms tabligh, amr ma'ruf, nahi munkar, mau'idzoh hasanah, tabsyir, indzhar, wasiyah,
tarbiyah, and ta'lim. According to Muhidin, da'wah is an activity that invites or calls on
mankind to be in the way of Allah (the Islamic system) in accordance with their nature
and spirituality integrally, both orally and in writing, or through reasoning and deed
activities, in an effort to embody the values of goodness and truth.universally spiritual in
accordance with the basis of Islam.
Da'wah can be interpreted as a process of transforming Islamic teachings and values from
a da'i or a group of da'i to mad'u, with the aim of enlightening those who accept the
transformation of Islamic teachings and values and improving their Islamic attitudes and
behaviors. In addition to the above opinion, da'wah can also be interpreted as an effort to
create conducive conditions for changes in thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior
toward more Islamic thoughts and behaviors. In other words, through da'wah activities, a
person or group of people will change their thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors in
a more positive direction in accordance with the teachings of Islam (Alhidayatullah,
2018).
The urgency of the psychology of communication in da'wah is very visible because by
mastering the science of communication psychology, a da'i is automatically able to
convey da'wah material according to the various backgrounds of the congregation or
audience he is dealing with. By mastering the psychology of communication, a da'i has

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the ability to analyze whether the material delivered is accepted by the congregation or
not, whether the congregation will be happy with the material to be delivered, whether
the material to be delivered will bring changes in behavior in a positive direction or not,
and whether it will add ukhuwah islamiyah bonding after the event or not.
Based on the findings above, there is a common thread between the abilities of a preacher
who is in charge of communication psychology in preaching and those who do not have
that ability. When a preacher understands communication psychology and
communication science, he will bring the congregation's love and long-awaited arrival,
as opposed to a da'i who does not understand communication psychology and lacks
communication knowledge, which will only lead to divisions in society and will be denied
presence.The results of Hendra and Hartati's research explained that currently there are
problems or problems that arise and occur in da'wah activities. One example is assuming
that other people are wrong when they have different understandings or disagree with the
preacher in conveying his da'wah. In other cases, there are those who blatantly issue
words that can hurt others when preaching. (Hendra & Hartati, 2019) The results of this
study show that when a da'i does not own and understand the psychology of
communication well, what happens when he delivers material is only hate speech and
blaming other groups that are not in accordance with his understanding. Despite the
Prophet's instruction to preach politely and in accordance with his people,
Ridwan Rustandi's research in the MERAPI community (Assembly for Youth and Islamic
Students) shows that da'wah that can be accepted in society is formulated by innovative
and creative community da'wah formulations. The communication process takes place in
the context of small groups, large groups, organizations, and mass communication. This
communication process takes place both face-to-face and through the media. The process
of communication affects communication behavior. The influence of communication
behavior in the forms of conformity, social facilitation, and polarization These three
changes in communication behavior occur in aspects of knowledge, beliefs, rituals,
experiences, and commitments. (Rustandi, 2020) This research proves that preaching
requires creativity and innovation so that the congregation does not feel bored when
listening to the material or lectures being delivered. In da'wah communication, the
psychology of communication is needed to understand the condition of congregations and
places of preaching so that they are able to adapt to existing conditions. If the
congregation is a villager, a cultural approach is needed; if the congregation is a city
resident, the da'wah material is adapted to the atmosphere and urban conditions.
In conveying his da'wah, a da'i looks first at the condition of his congregation. Do they
really pay attention to the lectures being delivered or just remain silent without giving a
response? If the congregation remains silent without responding, the preacher must
immediately find a way of communicating that can attract the congregation's attention.
For example, by using stories from ancient times. Or tell someone's experience according
to the theme of the lecture. Effective da'wah communication is actually emphasized in the
Qur'an, as Allah's word in QS16:125 means: "Call (people) to the way of your Lord with

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wisdom and good lessons and refute them in a good way." "Indeed, your Lord is He who
knows best who has strayed from His path and He who knows best who is guided."
Therefore, in order for da'wah communication to run effectively and be accepted by the
congregation, it is important for a preacher to pay attention to the first few principles,
which are exemplary. Starting with yourself (ibda' binafsik) and your family is a good
place to start.A da'i must first take care of himself and his family before he reminds and
invites others. This is confirmed by Allah SWT in the Qur'an (QS. 66:6): "Quu anfusakum
wa hlikum nara." A da'i is required to set an example in all aspects of life, including
words, deeds, and behavior towards his people, because the da'i will be a role model. In
this regard, it is necessary to realize that for every glory, there is always an obligation that
accompanies it. Therefore, the akhlakul karimah that is coveted by every Muslim and
Muslimah should be reflected in the deeds and morals of every da'wah or da'i
implementer. Because by doing so, he would not only become a propagator of knowledge
and religion but also set an example.
Second, the principle of empathy Empathy is synonymous with understanding other
people in their life activities, so when conveying a message, the packaging of the message
must contain the principle of empathy. Rasulullah emphasized: Khatibinnas 'ala qadri
'uqulihim. Da'wah messages must be conveyed by using the logic of the people, their
thinking abilities, considering their culture, and if possible, their language.
Communicating with everyone or a community requires a different approach. Differences
in socio-cultural backgrounds cannot be eliminated. Community characteristics include
social and cultural characteristics. Third, when confronted with difficulties and
challenges, preachers must be patient, not sad, and not give up. It is a sunnatullah that
every bearer of truth will undoubtedly face a variety of difficulties. A da'i can only invite,
while the one who gives instructions is Allah SWT.
Fourth, information process and transaction principles Da'wah is a process, and because
of that, da'wah must show an active and dynamic atmosphere that describes a process that
is always continuous. The process of da'wah is a deliberate one; thus, it needs to be
carefully planned. In da'wah communication, there are components involved. Each
component has a different task or character but mutually supports the occurrence of an
information transaction process called da'wah communication. In this communication
process, what is being transacted is a message or piece of information on the truth of
religious teachings. Fifth, the principle of mediation In carrying out da'wah
communication activities, a da'i must position himself as a mediator between the various
existing groups. In other words, in his capacity as a da'i, he stands above and for all
groups. Preachers must be able to bring differences between groups closer together, melt
disputes, and unite those who are scattered, rather than the other way around, by bringing
fire and inflaming divisions and igniting hostility.
Sixth, Collectivity Principles and Building a Positive Image Da'wah activities will be
more meaningful if they are carried out in a collaborative and integrated manner with
others. In the scientific profession, each area of expertise can be visualized as a refinement
of other areas of expertise. Therefore, the collective principle demands planning to enable

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integral and integrated collaboration between professions, disciplines, and expertise. This
is the intended direction of da'wah. However, it is important to pay attention to the
positive image of da'wah because it will affect the smooth communication of the da'wah
itself. A positive image can be built over time with sincerity and consistency, whereas a
negative image can be built instantly by a single fatal mistake by the da'wah actor.
Seventh, the principle of the importance of relevant channels There are several
communication channels, both oral and written, that can be used to convey da'wah
messages. Choosing one of several existing communication channels should not be a
casual decision because each communication channel has advantages and disadvantages.
Eighth, the principle of unity of vision and purpose. Da'wah communication activities
contain treaty dimensions, mercy dimensions, and historical dimensions. The three
dimensions are intended to lead to changes in human behavior both at the individual and
group levels toward behavior that is more Islamic and moral. Therefore, calling to the
way of Allah in carrying out da'wah communication activities must have a unified and
integral vision and goal. Ninth, the principle of settlement. In order to achieve the goal of
da'wah, which has the dimensions of treatises, mercy, and history in order to maintain a
socialistic-religious society, it is suggested that in every residential and industrial area
there should be facilities for worship and mental development activities. It would be even
more effective if preachers were available from among the residents of the settlements
themselves. Tenth, the principle of paying attention to the priority scale. Da'i must pay
attention to the priority scale or the orderly sequence of the center of attention of da'wah,
namely the first priority of preaching in relation to universal matters, namely al khair
(virtue), yad'una ila al khair, then to amar ma'ruf, and then nahi munkar (QS. 3: 104). Al-
khair is a universal goodness that comes normatively from God, such as justice and
honesty, while al-ma'ruf is something that is "socially" seen as appropriate (Junaidi,
2020).

CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of the study, it is possible to conclude that communication
psychology and communication science are important skills for a preacher to possess.
Information, mediation, collective vision, mission, and goals. The ability of a preacher in
communication psychology and communication science can create creative ideas and
innovations in the world of da'wah so that da'wah is not only limited to grand recitations
but has other spaces that can be used as a medium for delivering da'wah.

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