TOWARDS AN ISLAMIC BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE

INTEGRATING QALBUN (HEART) INTO THE TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL (TAM)

Abstract

This conceptual paper explores the integration of the Islamic concept of qalbun salim the sound and spiritually purified heart into the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). While TAM emphasizes perceived usefulness and ease of use as determinants of technology adoption, it overlooks the ethical, spiritual, and moral dimensions that are central to Islamic decision-making. Drawing upon Qur’anic verses and classical Islamic scholarship, this paper presents qalbun salim as a reflective, evaluative faculty that filters technological choices through the lens of divine guidance and maqasid al-shariah (objectives of Islamic law). Rather than altering TAM’s empirical structure, this study offers an interpretive integration that repositions the heart as a locus of moral cognition in the technology acceptance process. This framework aims to enrich the discourse on ethical digital behavior from an Islamic epistemological standpoint. It also lays the foundation for interdisciplinary engagement between Islamic thought, behavioral science, and digital ethics.