Explaining the construct of motivation according to Islamic sources

The construct motivation has a central importance in the existential structure of man. Theistic religions, as well as human sciences, pay special attention to this construct. However, to date, no cohesive research has been done to explain the construct motivation according to Islamic sources. This study aims to explain the construct motivation according to Islamic sources. The method of this study is descriptive and conceptual analytic. In the descriptive part, concepts invalid dictionaries and Islamic sourcebooks (the Holy Quran and Islamic hadiths) which were related to the construct motivation have been identified and described. In the conceptual analysis part, the obtained data have been explained and analyzed. According to the findings of this study, in the religious sources “intention” is the core concept of motivation and consists of three main factors: strength, direction, and duration. Because religion views the construct motivation as a value, there are two types of intention: good and bad. Good intention consists of three factors: honesty (strength), sincerity (direction), and good structure (duration). Bad intention too consists of three factors: dishonesty (strength), unfaithfulness (direction), and bad structure.