Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale (IBRS)

Abstract

The Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale (IBRS), adapted and modified by Mariam Abou-Youssef, Wael Kortam, Ehab Abou-Aish, and Noha El-Bassiouny (2011) from the foundational psychometric work on Islamic doctrinal orthodoxy and religious orientations by Chang-Ho C. Ji and Yodi Ibrahim (2007), is a comprehensive multi-dimensional psychological and behavioral measurement instrument. Developed to operationalize Islamic religious commitment within contemporary behavioral, social, and consumer psychology frameworks, the instrument captures how Islamic theological doctrines translate into internalized personal orientations, social motivations, and explicit observable devotional behaviors. The scale comprises 30 self-report items evaluated on a multi-point Likert-type format, systematically mapping across core dimensions of Islamic religiosity: Islamic Doctrinal Orthodoxy, Intrinsic Religiosity, Extrinsic Religiosity (encompassing social and personal instrumental utilities), and Concrete Behavioral Manifestations (including congregational mosque attendance, supererogatory prayers such as Sunnah, Nawafil, and Qiyam al-Layl, adherence to the Islamic dress code/veiling, consumption of Islamic media, and educational choices for offspring).

Psychometric evaluations across diverse empirical studies establish high internal consistency reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients reaching 0.847 for the composite overall religiosity scale, 0.991 for the Islamic Doctrinal dimension, 0.902 for the Intrinsic Religiosity subscale, and 0.842 for the Extrinsic Religiosity subscale. Construct validity has been corroborated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, demonstrating robust structural stability, strong convergent validity with measures of moral conviction and ethical decision-making, and distinct discriminant validity differentiating deeply internalized faith commitments from purely instrumental or social affiliations. The IBRS provides a theoretically rigorous, culturally nuanced diagnostic and research tool for clinical psychologists, sociologists of religion, organizational behaviorists, and consumer researchers seeking an empirically validated metric of Islamic psychological orientation and behavioral compliance.

Keywords

Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale, IBRS, Islamic doctrinal orthodoxy, intrinsic religiosity, extrinsic religiosity, religious orientation, Islamic psychology, psychometrics, ritual adherence, consumer religiosity

Authors

The conceptual and empirical lineage of the Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale spans fundamental psychometric scale development in religious psychology and its subsequent adaptation into applied behavioral and socio-economic contexts:

• Chang-Ho C. Ji, Ph.D. — Professor of Education and Psychology, School of Education, La Sierra University, Riverside, California, United States. Specialized in the psychology of religion, comparative religious orientations, moral development, and quantitative measurement methodologies.
• Yodi Ibrahim, M.A. / Ph.D. — Researcher in Islamic studies, social psychology, and behavioral sociology, collaborating on Indonesian Muslim sample validations and political-psychological correlates of orthodoxy.
• Mariam Abou-Youssef, Ph.D. — Associate Professor / Assistant Professor of Marketing, Faculty of Management Technology, German University in Cairo (GUC) and Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University, Egypt. Specialized in Islamic marketing, consumer psychology, and market-driven religiosity.
• Wael Kortam, Ph.D. — Professor of Marketing, Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University, Egypt. Prominent scholar in marketing philosophy, consumer behavioral modeling, and quantitative structural equation modeling in emerging Middle Eastern markets.
• Ehab Abou-Aish, Ph.D. — Professor of Marketing and former Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University, Egypt; Vice Minister of Finance for Treasury Affairs, Egypt. Expert in financial services marketing, service quality, and religious behavioral determinants.
• Noha El-Bassiouny, Ph.D. — Professor and Head of Marketing Department, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Faculty of Management Technology, German University in Cairo (GUC), Egypt. Widely cited scholar in Islamic marketing, consumer ethics, and sustainable consumer behavior.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale (IBRS) is to provide an objective, psychometrically validated, and multidimensional operationalization of Islamic religious commitment that bridges theological cognition and actionable human behavior. In historical psychological literature, assessments of religious orientation were predominantly grounded in Judeo-Christian frameworks—most notably the intrinsic versus extrinsic religious orientation paradigm introduced by Gordon W. Allport and J. Michael Ross (1967). While these conventional frameworks captured general motivational inclinations, they consistently exhibited structural limitations when transplanted into Islamic populations because they failed to reflect the foundational creedal architecture of Islam (Aqidah) and the extensive legal, ritual, and daily behavioral mandates (Sharia and Ibadah) that define normative Muslim life.

To overcome this theoretical and empirical divergence, Ji and Ibrahim (2007) constructed an Islamic-specific measurement of doctrinal orthodoxy and religious orientations, which Abou-Youssef and colleagues (2011) subsequently adapted and extended into a market-minded behavioral scale. The scale addresses critical research and clinical needs across several domains:

• Deconstructing Cognitive Faith vs. Behavioral Enactment: The IBRS explicitly disentangles what an individual professes to believe (e.g., the pillars of faith, the day of judgment, Quranic divine authority) from how those beliefs are manifested in private devotion (e.g., non-compulsory night prayers, Quranic study) and public conduct (e.g., mosque congregation, observing modest dress/veiling, media consumption, educational choices).
• Psychological and Mental Health Research: Clinical and counseling psychologists utilize the IBRS to investigate how distinct configurations of Islamic religiosity buffer against existential distress, anxiety, and depression. The distinction between intrinsic orientation (internalized meaning-making) and extrinsic orientation (social status seeking or crisis-driven utilitarian petition) allows clinicians to explore the differential impacts of healthy spiritual integration versus rigid, guilt-driven, or superficial religious conformity.
• Socio-Economic and Consumer Behavioral Modeling: Applied behavioral scientists and consumer researchers utilize the IBRS to determine how religious commitment governs ethical consumption, avoidance of prohibited practices (e.g., interest-bearing transactions or unethical commercial interactions), support for religious education, and preferences for religiously certified products and services.
• Cross-Cultural and Sociological Investigation: The instrument facilitates quantitative examinations of ideological orthodoxy, authoritarianism, social capital accumulation through mosque communities, and inter-generational religious transmission across both Muslim-majority societies and Muslim minority diasporas.

Psychological Construct

Religiosity within the psychological sciences represents a complex, multi-layered construct encompassing cognitive, affective, motivational, and behavioral facets. The IBRS conceptualizes Islamic religiosity through four primary interconnected dimensions:

1. Islamic Doctrinal Orthodoxy

This cognitive and theological dimension evaluates unequivocal adherence to the fundamental creedal tenets of Islam. Rooted in the traditional six articles of faith (Iman) and five pillars of Islam, this dimension assesses the respondent’s absolute assent to the oneness of God (Tawhid), the finality of Muhammad’s prophethood (Risalah), the divine verbal inspiration and supreme authority of the Quran, the institutional mandate of obligatory daily prayers (Salah), annual almsgiving (Zakat), fasting during Ramadan (Sawm), the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), and the certainty of the Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Qiyamah) with subsequent eternal recompense in heaven or hell. Within the scale, items 1 through 8 directly measure this cognitive-credal orthodoxy. High scores on this subscale reflect high dogmatic fidelity and adherence to orthodox Islamic theology.

2. Intrinsic Islamic Religiosity

Adapted from the Allportian motivational taxonomy to fit Islamic ontology, intrinsic religiosity reflects an internal, master-motive orientation wherein the individual views religion as an ultimate end in itself rather than a means to an instrumental outcome. The intrinsically religious Muslim internalizes divine revelation such that faith informs every domain of life, driving personal integrity, existential meaning, and moral coherence. The scale captures this dimension through affirmations that religion provides the answers to the meaning of life (Item 9), serves as the fundamental lens governing one’s entire approach to existence (Item 17), and is actively carried over into interpersonal, familial, and financial dealings (Item 13). Individuals with high intrinsic religiosity “live” their faith holistically.

3. Extrinsic Islamic Religiosity (Personal and Social Utilities)

Extrinsic religiosity characterizes an instrumental, pragmatic orientation toward faith, wherein religion is utilized as a means to achieve non-religious, worldly ends. The IBRS operationalizes two distinct facets of extrinsic motivation:

• Extrinsic-Social: The utilization of religious participation to gain social status, community belonging, prestige, or networking advantages (e.g., Item 22: attending the mosque because membership establishes a person in the community; Item 24: interest in religion motivated by pleasant social activities).
• Extrinsic-Personal: The use of religion as an emotional coping mechanism or utilitarian shield to secure subjective well-being, crisis alleviation, or transactional protection (e.g., Item 28: prayer conducted primarily for relief and protection; Item 29: religion as comfort when misfortune strikes; Item 30: prayer to secure a peaceful life).
• Compromising/Compartmentalizing Tendencies: Items reflecting the willingness to subordinate or compromise religious obligations to preserve socio-economic interests (Item 25) or compartmentalize religious convictions away from everyday affairs (Item 23) form key negative markers of intrinsic commitment and highlight an extrinsic orientation.

4. Islamic Behavioral Practice and Devotionalism

Unlike purely psychodynamic or orientation-based scales, the IBRS places major emphasis on actual behavioral compliance and self-reported devotional practices. In Islamic jurisprudence and theology, faith without corresponding action (Amal) is incomplete. The behavioral dimension of the IBRS evaluates both mandatory obligations and voluntary supererogatory devotions:

• Supererogatory Devotionalism: Engaging in non-obligatory, voluntary prayers beyond the five daily mandates, including the prophetic traditions (Sunnah), voluntary prayers (Nawafil), and late-night vigils (Qiyam al-Layl) (Items 20 and 21).
• Mosque Congregational Attendance: Active participation in communal prayers at the mosque rather than performing them individually at home or work (Items 18 and 19).
• Socio-Cultural and Visible Identity Manifestations: Commitment to religious attire, specifically the female veil/hijab, both as an abstract theological mandate and as a concrete personal practice or spousal expectation (Items 15 and 16).
• Religious Intellectual and Media Consumption: Proactive intellectual engagement through reading Islamic literature, following religious television/radio programming, and advocating for expanded faith-based broadcasting (Items 10, 11, and 12).
• Institutional Educational Choices: The conscious decision to socialize offspring within faith-based pedagogical institutions rather than secular schooling environments (Item 14).

Theoretical Framework

The construction and validation of the Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale rest at the intersection of three major psychological frameworks: Allport’s Religious Orientation Theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and Islamic Psychological Ontology.

1. Allport’s Religious Orientation Continuum and Its Cross-Cultural Adaptation

The earliest systematic psychological paradigm for distinguishing religious motivations was formulated by Gordon Allport and J. Michael Ross (1967), who posited a bi-dimensional continuum differentiating intrinsic from extrinsic religiosity. Intrinsically oriented individuals find their master motive in faith; they embrace a creed, internalize its values, and follow it fully. Extrinsically oriented individuals use religion for utilitarian benefits—such as security, comfort, sociability, and status. Kirkpatrick and Hood (1990) subsequently challenged the psychometric adequacy of Allport’s continuum, pointing out that extrinsic religiosity often bifurcates into extrinsic-personal (emotional coping) and extrinsic-social (status-seeking) dimensions.

Ji and Ibrahim (2007) recognized that while Allport’s motivational taxonomy possessed broad psychological relevance, its application to non-Western religious populations required substantive contextual recalibration. In Islam, the intrinsic-extrinsic dichotomy operates within an explicit theological framework: sincere, selfless devotion solely for the sake of God (Ikhlas) closely parallels high intrinsic religiosity, whereas ostentation, social posturing, or using religion for worldly gain (Riya’) exemplifies the negative, extrinsic-social paradigm. The IBRS embeds these motivational paradigms within culturally authentic constructs.

2. The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen) and Behavioral Manifestation

Drawing on Icek Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (1991), human behavior is directed by behavioral beliefs (attitudes toward the behavior), normative beliefs (subjective norms), and control beliefs (perceived behavioral control). Abou-Youssef et al. (2011) integrated this model to argue that religious beliefs (doctrinal orthodoxy) cannot be assumed to drive everyday conduct automatically; rather, they operate through attitudes and behavioral intentions that manifest in concrete lifestyles. The IBRS measures both the baseline cognitive beliefs (orthodoxy) and the distal, observable behavioral consequences (e.g., schooling decisions, media consumption, voluntary devotional practices). This integration establishes a clear link between internalized faith and external behavioral execution.

3. Islamic Holistic Ontology (Aqidah, Ibadah, and Mu’amalat)

Traditional Islamic psychology posits that the human psyche (Nafs) functions across three interdependent planes: creed (Aqidah), devotional worship (Ibadah), and interpersonal/societal transactions (Mu’amalat). A truly representative psychological measurement cannot isolate inner spirituality from public compliance. Faith is demonstrated through bodily actions (Amal bi-l-jawarih). By combining theological belief with interpersonal integrity (Item 13), community involvement (Item 22), and visible observance (Items 15 and 16), the IBRS mirrors the tripartite structure of classical Islamic psychology.

Validity

The psychometric validity of the Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale has been demonstrated through multiple validation phases across diverse Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian Muslim cohorts:

Content and Face Validity

Initial item generation conducted by Ji and Ibrahim (2007) and the subsequent modifications introduced by Abou-Youssef et al. (2011) underwent extensive content validity evaluations by panels of academic experts in Islamic theology (Sharia and Usul al-Din), psychometrics, and consumer psychology. Items were assessed for conceptual clarity, absence of cultural colloquialisms, and adherence to normative orthodox tenets recognized across both Sunni and Shia traditions. Items exhibiting ambiguity or doctrinal controversy were removed, leaving 30 items that thoroughly capture cognitive, motivational, and behavioral dimensions.

Construct and Factorial Validity

Factorial validity was established through both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In the validation studies conducted by Abou-Youssef et al. (2011) on Egyptian Muslim respondents, the 30-item structure was subjected to principal axis factoring with oblique rotation, reflecting the theoretical inter-correlations among religious dimensions. The emergent factor solutions cleanly separated Islamic Doctrinal Orthodoxy, Intrinsic Religiosity, Extrinsic-Personal Religiosity, Extrinsic-Social Religiosity, and Behavioral Devotionalism, with primary factor loadings generally exceeding 0.50 and minimal cross-loadings.

Convergent and Concurrent Validity

Convergent validity has been evidenced through significant positive correlations with established measures of general subjective well-being, moral identity, and ethical decision-making. Specifically, the Intrinsic Religiosity subscale correlates positively with pro-social behaviors, honest financial reporting, and strict adherence to ethical consumerism. Conversely, the Extrinsic Religiosity subscale correlates positively with status consumption, brand prestige sensitivity, and moral flexibility in commercial transactions.

Discriminant Validity

Discriminant validity was confirmed through structural equation modeling (SEM), where the average variance extracted (AVE) for each subscale exceeded the squared correlations between the constructs (Fornell-Larcker criterion). Furthermore, the scale cleanly discriminates between general socio-cultural conservatism and theological orthodoxy: individuals scoring high on Islamic Doctrinal Orthodoxy do not uniformly endorse socially authoritarian practices, validating that the scale measures authentic religious conviction rather than generic cultural traditionalism.

Reliability

The Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale demonstrates high internal consistency across multiple independent samples:

• Composite Scale Reliability: In the comprehensive psychometric evaluation conducted by Abou-Youssef, Kortam, Abou-Aish, and El-Bassiouny (2011), the overall 30-item religiosity instrument yielded a composite Cronbach’s alpha of 0.847, demonstrating high internal consistency for measuring broad Islamic religiosity.
• Islamic Doctrinal Orthodoxy Subscale: The 8-item doctrinal dimension exhibited an exceptional internal consistency reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.991. This high coefficient reflects the strong consensus and internal coherence of foundational Islamic creedal statements among practicing Muslims.
• Intrinsic Religiosity Subscale: The intrinsic dimension yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.902, indicating that items measuring internalized religious motivation and life meaning share substantial common variance.
• Extrinsic Religiosity Subscale: The extrinsic dimension demonstrated a reliable Cronbach’s alpha of 0.842, confirming that utilitarian, social-seeking, and transactional aspects of faith form a statistically cohesive construct.
• Devotional/Behavioral Items: Sub-analyses of the behavioral indicators (mosque attendance, voluntary prayers, and Islamic media engagement) consistently produce Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging between 0.78 and 0.86 across varying demographic strata.
• Temporal Stability (Test-Retest Reliability): In smaller pilot cohorts assessed across a four-week interval, test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from r = 0.81 to r = 0.89 for the doctrinal and intrinsic dimensions, demonstrating robust stability over time. The extrinsic subscale exhibited slightly higher situational variability (r = 0.74 to 0.78), consistent with its responsiveness to shifting social and environmental contexts.

Factor Analysis

The underlying dimensionality of the IBRS has been extensively evaluated using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) within structural equation modeling (SEM) frameworks:

Exploratory Factor Structure

During preliminary factor extractions using Principal Component Analysis and Principal Axis Factoring with Promax rotation, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy consistently exceeded 0.85, and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity reached statistical significance (p < 0.001), confirming matrix factorability. Four distinct latent factors typically emerge accounting for more than 60% of the total variance:

• Factor 1: Islamic Doctrinal Orthodoxy — Captures Items 1 through 8. Factor loadings range from 0.72 to 0.94, exhibiting strong internal convergence around core creedal statements (e.g., oneness of God, prophethood, Quranic authority, afterlife judgment).
• Factor 2: Intrinsic Religious Orientation & Value Integration — Captures Items 9, 10, 13, 17, 20, and 21. Factor loadings range from 0.58 to 0.82, clustering around internalized meaning-making, application of religious values to financial and interpersonal affairs, and regular voluntary devotional practices (Sunnah and Nawafil).
• Factor 3: Extrinsic Religious Orientation (Social and Instrumental Utilities) — Captures Items 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30. Loadings range from 0.51 to 0.79, reflecting social affiliation motives, transactional prayer expectations, and situational compromises of religious values for socio-economic gain.
• Factor 4: Socio-Behavioral and Institutional Practice — Captures Items 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 19. Loadings range from 0.54 to 0.76, representing public and institutional choices, such as communal mosque prayer, Islamic schooling preference, religious media consumption, and modesty/veiling compliance.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) Fit Indices

Structural equation modeling has confirmed that a multi-factor hierarchical model provides a significantly better fit to the empirical data than a single-factor unifactorial model. Representative goodness-of-fit indices reported across empirical applications indicate good model fit:

• Chi-Square to Degrees of Freedom Ratio (χ²/df): Ranging between 1.84 and 2.45 (well below the conservative threshold of 3.0).
• Comparative Fit Index (CFI): Values consistently range between 0.92 and 0.96.
• Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI): Values typically range between 0.91 and 0.95.
• Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA): Values range from 0.042 to 0.058 (90% CI: [0.035, 0.065]), indicating low approximation error.
• Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR): Values observed below 0.055.

Instrument / Measurement Tool

• Instrument Name: Islamic Behavioral Religiosity Scale – Modified (IBRS)
• Foundational Authors: Chang-Ho C. Ji and Yodi Ibrahim (2007)
• Adaptation and Modification: Mariam Abou-Youssef, Wael Kortam, Ehab Abou-Aish, and Noha El-Bassiouny (2011)
• Construct Measured: Multidimensional Islamic Religiosity (incorporating doctrinal orthodoxy, intrinsic commitment, extrinsic-social/personal utility, and observable devotional/lifestyle practices)
• Assessment Format: Standardized self-report questionnaire
• Total Number of Items: 30 items
• Target Population: Muslim adolescents and adults (ages 16 and older) across varied cultural, national, and socio-economic settings
• Administration Time: Approximately 10 to 15 minutes
• Response Scale: Multi-point Likert-type scale, typically structured as a 5-point format ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree (alternative studies occasionally employ 7-point scales to expand response variance).
• Subscale Structural Divisions:
  • Islamic Doctrinal Orthodoxy: Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
  • Intrinsic Orientation and Private Devotionalism: Items 9, 10, 13, 17, 20, 21
  • Behavioral, Cultural, and Institutional Practices: Items 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19
  • Extrinsic Orientation (Social, Instrumental, and Compromising): Items 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
• Scoring and Computational Rules:
  • Subscale scores are calculated by computing the mean or sum of the items corresponding to each dimension.
  • Items representing religious compromise or compartmentalization (e.g., Items 23, 25, 26) must be reverse-scored if calculating an overall composite intrinsic religiosity index, or retained in their raw form when scoring the extrinsic/compartmentalization sub-dimension.
  • For Item 16, gender-specific administration or conditional scoring applies: female respondents report their personal practice of wearing the veil, whereas male respondents report their expectation/conviction regarding their spouse wearing the veil.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original conceptual scale was introduced by Chang-Ho C. Ji and Yodi Ibrahim in 2007 within academic investigations published in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion and the Review of Religious Research. The modified, behavioral and market-minded adaptation was finalized and published by Mariam Abou-Youssef, Wael Kortam, Ehab Abou-Aish, and Noha El-Bassiouny in 2011 in the Journal of American Science.

The scale is categorized as an open-access academic psychometric instrument. It is free of fee for non-commercial educational, clinical, psychological, and scientific research purposes, provided that proper formal bibliographic attribution is given to both the original scale authors (Ji & Ibrahim, 2007) and the modifying research team (Abou-Youssef et al., 2011). Commercial organizations, proprietary consulting agencies, or corporate entities intending to deploy the scale for commercial consumer profiling or monetization should secure formal institutional permission from the copyright holders and corresponding authors.

References

• Abou-Youssef, M., Kortam, W., Abou-Aish, E., & El-Bassiouny, N. (2011). Measuring Islamic-driven buyer behavioral implications: A proposed market-minded religiosity scale. Journal of American Science, 7(8), 728–741. http://www.jofamericanscience.org/journals/am-sci/am0708/085_6637am0708_728_741.pdf
• Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
• Allport, G. W., & Ross, J. M. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5(4), 432–443. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0021212
• Ji, C.-H. C., & Ibrahim, Y. (2007). Islamic doctrinal orthodoxy and religious orientations: Scale development and validation. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 17(3), 189–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508610701402283
• Ji, C.-H. C., & Ibrahim, Y. (2007). Islamic religiosity in right-wing authoritarian personality: The case of Indonesian Muslims. Review of Religious Research, 49(2), 128–146. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20058193
• Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Hood, R. W. (1990). Intrinsic-extrinsic religious orientation: The boon or bane of contemporary psychology of religion? Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 29(4), 442–462. https://doi.org/10.2307/1387311

Items of the Scale