Why the Womb is the Missing Key in Islamic Psychology: Ruhaniat Al-Rahim Cycle Chart
Have you ever noticed how you seem to journey through different emotional realities throughout your menstrual cycle? One week your mind is sharp and clear, another week your heart is tender and your eyes are constantly weeping, and another week you are blossoming with hope, ideas, and dreams.
In Islam, the womb (rahim) is directly tied to Allah’s Name Al-Raḥman, The Most Merciful. And yet, in much of Islamic psychology, the womb is absent. We speak of the mind, the heart, the soul, and the ego, but not the cycle that so profoundly shapes a woman’s emotional and spiritual states, as well as the capacity she has during each phase.
The Ruhaniat Al-Rahim cycle chart was born to fill this silence and bridge the gap between Islamic psychology and the tangible, embodied healing of women. It is a compass, guiding us through the movements of the self by listening to the wisdom of the womb.
Islamic psychology has made powerful strides in restoring balance to holistic healing, returning concepts of the intellect (aql), heart (qalb), ego (nafs), and soul (ruḥ) into contemporary discourse. Yet the womb and her cycle remain absent. Without them, women are left without a compass for one of the most significant rhythms shaping their inner lives and realities.
Without this awareness, many women fall into frameworks built on masculine defaults: constant productivity, linear growth and relentless striving. These do not leave enough room for the elemental, cyclical feminine self, resulting in exhaustion, stagnation, and disconnection from embodied femininity.
Unlike men, who are guided primarily by the circadian rhythm, women carry an additional, unseen rhythm: the menstrual cycle. Each phase leans a woman into a different aspect of the self.
“To truly know oneself as a woman, it is crucial to understand the influence the cycle phases have on these four dimensions of the self. Without this awareness and embodiment, we end up depending on the default masculine ways of healing and spirituality, which do not create enough room for the wild woman within, eventually leading to exhaustion, stagnation and complete loss of embodied femininity.” - The Womb’s Tale
Introducing the Ruhaniat Al-Rahim Chart
By understanding the role of the cycle, women can see how each phase offers its own station:
Luteal (Inner Autumn) → connected to the ego.
Spiritual State: Murāqabah (meditation, contemplation).
Characteristics: slowing down, preparation, shedding of the old.
Archetype: Asiyah (رضي الله عنها) - resilience, patience, and faith.
Menstruation (Inner Winter) → connected to the heart, surrender, release.
Spiritual State: Khalwat al-Raḥim (the solitude of the womb).
Characteristics: rest, introspection, withdrawal from the external.
Archetype: Fāṭimah (رضي الله عنها) - deep spiritual connection and selfless love.
Follicular (Inner Spring) → connected to the intellect, renewal, fresh hope.
Spiritual State: Futūḥāt (openings, new beginnings).
Characteristics: renewed energy, creativity, exploration.
Archetype: Khadījah (رضي الله عنها) - strength, support, new life.
Ovulation (Inner Summer) → connected to the soul, clarity, union.
Spiritual State: Ḥamd (gratitude, praise).
Characteristics: vitality, service, connection with others.
Archetype: Maryam (رضي الله عنها) - strength, nurturing, devotion.
Stories from Women
“I’m a monster before my period comes, and I live with the shame of my behaviour during those two weeks throughout the rest of my cycle.”
Noora, a student, carried deep shame that led to severe anxiety and eventually extremely painful bleeds. After learning the Ruhaniat Al-Rahim chart, she began focusing on tazkiyat al-nafs (purification of the ego) during her luteal phase and allowing rest during menstruation. Within a few cycles, her stress had eased, the shame dissipated, and seeds of self-love and knowledge began to grow.
Maryam, working in a high-paced organisation, realised through the chart that her “inner critic” was cyclical, not permanent. She could work on this critic in autumn (luteal), without expecting herself to carry the summer’s light into every season. Let summer be summer, and autumn be autumn.
Layla grew up believing her bleeds were dirty, a secret to hide even in marriage. Taking time for solitude during her cycle reshaped not only her relationship with herself and with God but also allowed a new vulnerability and intimacy with her husband.
These are just a few of the dozens of stories of women who are now using the chart to understand themselves holistically and cyclically.
Why It Matters
The womb is not only an organ of biology.
Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi: “I am Allah, and I am the Most Merciful. I created the womb and derived its name from Mine. Whoever upholds it, I will uphold him; and whoever severs it, I will sever him.” (At-Tirmidhi)
This direct link between rahim (womb) and al-Rahman (The Most Merciful) shows that the womb carries Divine imprint, a site of mercy, compassion, and relationship.
When women connect to their cycles, they are not only tending to physical health but also opening a doorway to Divine remembrance. The womb becomes a compass, guiding us through life’s shifting seasons and softening the ego’s grip on emotions and states.
And this healing does not remain with one woman alone. When the womb is honoured, families shift, ancestral wounds soften, and communities find new language for mercy. Our relationship with the earth itself transforms for the womb and the land are mirrors, both entrusted with nurturing life, both harmed when neglected, both restored when cared for.
So, how can you begin?
• Track your cycle: Use an app, your phone, or a journal to know where you are in your cycle.
• Notice your emotions: Record your states during each phase until patterns emerge.
• Lean on the Ruhaniat Al-Rahim chart: Begin small changes in each phase.
One healthy tree in an orchard of sick trees can bring healing to the whole grove. One womb is enough to begin healing a family, a community, even the earth itself.
The Ruhaniat Al-Rahim cycle chart is available as part of Barakah’s Womb teachings. To learn more, download the chart, read The Womb’s Tale, or join our next workshop or retreat.
