The Quran Acknowledges the Reality of Mental Illnesses and Negative Emotions
The Quran acknowledges the reality of these emotions and, by extension, acknowledges the reality of mental illnesses.
Hello, Dear Readers and followers, welcome back to my new story, I hope all’s well. In this article, we explore the Quranic perspective on mental health and well-being. There are some chapters and verses in the Quran which can be recited when we are sick physically and deal with emotions closely connected to mental health, they can be useful in understanding how to navigate mental health and Allah will bring the cure to the ailment through the blessing of those verses.
‘O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.’ Quran [10:57]
This article presents various instances where the Quran addresses strong emotions such as grief and sorrow, extracting lessons from some chapters and verses from the different chapters of the Quran that may help with mental health and well-being.
As in the previous article I already talked about some common mental illnesses and their symptoms. In today’s post, my main focus is on the Quranic perspective on mental health and well-being.
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Quran Acknowledges the Reality of Mental Illnesses & Negative Emotions
Life is never a bed of roses. We suffer from heartbreak, pain, and calamity, any of which might drive us to mental illness. However, at times any other mental illness can just be there for no specific reason at all, and when this happens it is imperative that we seek help for it.
Allah SWT The Creator of the Universe has revealed The Noble Quran as a guide for mankind till the end of time, giving us a guide to help us through depression.
Psychology in Islam is used in everyday practices but under different guises, such as spiritualism. Islam values the importance of good mental health and emotional well-being.
The entire Quran is a cure, and it is mostly a spiritual cure. Many times, the Quran reminds one that there is no grief or fear if one remains steadfast and that the Hereafter is free of all those negative and overwhelming feelings and situations (Quran 43:68, 46:13).
The Quran acknowledges the reality of these emotions and, by extension, acknowledges the reality of mental illnesses.
Physical, mental, and spiritual health are intrinsically linked and therefore the Quran can serve as an effective means of healing.
“Say, ‘It is, for those who believe, a guidance and cure.’” (Quran 41:44)
The Qur’an can be used as a guide to those suffering from emotional distress and aims to lead people to a meaningful quality of life. ‘There is no disease that Allah SWT has created, except that He also has created its treatment’ (Hadith).
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ALLAH TELLS US THIS IS THE CURE TO ALL OUR SICKNESS
Illnesses, diseases, grief, and difficulties remind us of how weak we really are. Despite our extremely well-protected body systems, we fall ill quite often. This should make us surrender to Allah much more easily.
‘…There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people.’ Quran 16:69
Illnesses help mankind see and understand his weakness, for we are ever forgetting the blessings being showered upon us every second. But Allah has not left us in these conditions without hope and expectation in Him.
Allah (S.W.T) test us
Muslim or Non-Muslim, each one of us inevitably faces trials in our lives. Life is not a bed of roses for anyone. There are people who struggle with poverty, there are people who struggle with their health and then there are those who struggle with their family. A common question which everyone asks in the middle of the tempest is this.
Why Allah tests us?
Simple. As testimony to ourselves. Understanding the issue of Allah’s tests takes a while to figure out, but the main rule is true. Yes, Allah does test those people whom He loves most. Prophets, those nearest to Allah, always had very difficult lives. If you read about the lives of all of God’s Prophets, you will find that they all went through very difficult hardships.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said:
The most severely tested people are the prophets, then the next best, then the next best. A man will be tested in accordance with his level of commitment to God.
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So, I think it’s easy to love Allah and thank Him when we have blessings such as enjoying good health. But part of this life and the test that He has put for us in it is to see whether we would thank Allah in sickness and poor health.
How would we react when things aren’t going our way?
In that situation, a Muslim is taught to have patience with Allah and ask Him to remove the distress and the ill health and in its place give good health, prosperity, and happiness.
Sabr (Patience) in Quran
PATIENCE or Sabr is a central Islamic value and teaching. It is the ability to endure difficulties and be calm in the face of adversity. It is also considered a virtue that will reap great rewards, as Allah s.w.t. says in the Quran:
Say “O My servants who believe! Be mindful of your Lord. Those who do good in this world will have a good reward. And Allah’s earth is spacious. Only those who endure patiently will be given their reward without limit.” (Quran 39:10)
It is repeatedly stressed in the Quran. There are other words with a similar meaning in the Quran — for instance, eraaz, which means avoidance of conflict. These two words, sabr and eraaz, appear in the Quran more than 100 times. This indicates the great importance that the Quran gives to patience and avoidance.
There are two aspects of sabr (patience) and eraaz (avoidance). One is related to this worldly life — that is, the pre-death period of our life. The second is related to the world Hereafter, that is, the post-death period of our life.
Our worldly life is beset with challenges. The reason being the world we are living in presently is a world where everyone is free. This freedom creates competition and challenges which in turn creates problems constantly. We very well know that we cannot abolish the freedom given to man by God Himself. So, no human being has the power to abolish that situation which leads to competition and challenges. Hence, we are compelled to live in a situation of problems.
The Quran invites people to have rational patience and fortitude when faced with hardships because impatient and uncalculated reactions only cause more stress.
‘Seek help from patience and prayer (and gain power by controlling your urges and mention of Allah) and this is a difficult task save for those with fortitude’. (Quran 2:25)
There are also other religious teachings that invite people to be patient, suspect the best, have certainty, be humble, help each other and have Self-esteem and strength of heart.
Patience is a culture of prophets; a method of prophets; a way of prophets. It is a very lofty quality. It is a culture of a man of mission. All the prophets adopted the culture of patience and avoidance of confrontation.
The solution lies in adopting the concept and teaching of sabr. It tells us that we simply have to learn the art of problem management, rather than seeking to eliminate problems, which in any case is impossible. Problems arise because of the differences in nature amongst people. Sabr is only another name for the management of these differences. Sabr is thus the basic condition for success in this world. The Prophet of Islam said: “God’s help is for those who keep patience.” (Musnad Ahmed)
Sabr is not a passive attitude. It is not cowardice. The Quran says:
“Have patience, then, as had the steadfast Messengers before you.” (46: 35).
Keep patience, just like the prophets. Patience is a culture of prophets;
a method of prophets; a way of prophets. It is a very lofty quality. It is a culture of a man of mission. All the prophets adopted the culture of patience and avoidance of confrontation.
Without patience, without avoidance, one cannot gain any valuable achievement. This is a law of nature, and “there is no altering the creation of God.” (30: 30). One of the teachings of the Prophet talks about a believer (a person of deep faith in God) relying on patience. He makes patience or sabr his divine shield. To further explain how sabr can be a divine shield one needs to just look at nature to find an illustration of avoidance and patience.
In nature, you can perceive a validation of the benefits of avoidance and exercising patience. Consider a mountainous stream. When it flows, it encounters many boulders in its way. What does the stream do? What is its way? It isn’t the method of the stream to seek to remove the obstacles that lie in its path.
Instead, it adopts the method of avoidance of confrontation. It flows on, swirling around the boulders, instead of clashing against them. This is what the Prophet of Islam meant when he said that patience is what a believer relies on. Patience is a divine shield for the believer. Like the stream the believer moves on with his mission without clashing with others.
This positive response of forgiveness in the face of provocation is a main source of cultivating a positive personality.
There is another illustration given to us in nature — the rose plant. On every branch of it you will find both flowers as well as thorns. Although they live side by side, the flowers never try to eliminate the thorns or vice versa. They live in total compatibility together. So, the rose plant has adopted what may be called the principle of peaceful coexistence.
We need to adopt this same principle in our lives, too. Otherwise, there is no gain, no success, and no achievement. The only other option is destruction. So, when achievement in the world depends on patience, one cannot underestimate its importance in every aspect of life — personal, social, national and international.
A verse in the Quran says: As-sulh khair, meaning, “reconciliation is best” (4: 128). It means if there is some controversy between two parties, one must adopt a conciliatory course of action, rather than a confrontational course of action. This is as-sulh khair.
The same principle is applicable to the other aspect of our life — our spiritual life. The Quran says: “That [Paradise] is the recompense for those who purify themselves.” (20: 76). Only those people will find entry into Paradise who are purified souls. And who are purified souls? Those who are able to convert negativity into positivity.
In this world, we experience many negative situations. Every now and then we face provocations. How can one live amidst these negative experiences with positive thinking? How is it possible? There is a verse in the Quran which says that those who believe “forgive when they are angry.” (42: 37). This positive response of forgiveness in the face of provocation is a main source of cultivating a positive personality.
Once, a man came to the Prophet and asked him for a master-advice by which he could manage all the affairs of his life. The Prophet replied:
“Don’t be angry.” (Sahih al-Bukhari). What does this mean? It means that when one is provoked, one should be able to keep control over anger.
If you become angry and react it will become a distraction for you. Patience and avoidance save you from this distraction. When one discovers Truth, one becomes cautious and avoids all distractions. One is able to save oneself from all negative thoughts thereby becoming a positive person.
The foremost benefit of patience is that one is obeying Allah. When Allah has mentioned sabr and similar words in the Quran around 100 times, there can be no doubt about its importance.
Allah has informed us in the Quran that He loves those who are patient and steadfast. Allah says;
And how many a prophet [fought and] with him fought many religious scholars. But they never lost assurance due to what afflicted them in the cause of Allah, nor did they weaken or submit. And Allah loves the steadfast. [Quran 3:146]
Another verse in the Quran says:
“Truly, those who persevere patiently will be requited without measure.” (39: 10).
People of patience will be awarded unlimited reward. According to the Quran, only sabr has this special quality.
It is very important to know that one cannot find entry into Paradise simply by reciting some words like the Islamic creed declaring belief in God and the prophethood of Muhammad or by performing some rituals. All these things are not enough for entry into Paradise. In addition, one has to be a totally positive personality.
However, we must know that it requires a continuous process to build a positive personality. It begins from the discovery of Truth.
Allah says in Surah al-Furqan that He will reward people who are patient in the face of difficulties with Paradise. There, the people of patience will be received with greetings of peace.
Allah says in Surah al-Anfal that He is with the people who are patient. Additionally, He says in Surah az-Zumar that He will reward, without account, those people who are patient.
As previously mentioned, the Prophet (PBUH) stated that Allah will forgive the sins of the people who go through hardships and are patient.
Discovery means awakening. The discovery of Truth creates a storm in the soul. It gives one the art of positive thinking and the art of positively managing challenges. Without this discovery, there is no revolution in the personality. This discovery makes one a truly living person; a positive person. Faith can become stagnant, hence, discovery is important for faith to be a living faith. When one discovers Truth, one becomes cautious and avoids all distractions. One is able to save oneself from all negative thoughts thereby becoming a positive person. The Quran uses the word purified to describe positivity and says that it is the purified soul which will be successful in the Hereafter. In other words it is the purified soul which is deserving of Paradise, a place of unlimited reward.
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Final Thoughts:
Islam is a complete and comprehensive religion And the keys of the unknown are with him (Allah) and no one else knows of them. He (Allah) knows all that is in the seas and on land, no leaf falls (from a tree) without Allah’s knowledge and there is no seed in the darkness of the earth and nothing wet nor dry that isn’t recorded in an open and eternal book’). And the holy book of Islam, the Quran, has all the necessary guidelines for the betterment of mankind We have counted and recorded all that is in a book’).
Quran covers all aspects of human life, has detailed and careful plans for every problem, and even considers problems and hardships as means of returning to Allah’s side and recommends people to have patience and fortitude.
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The Quran along with tradition can lead mankind to eternal life. Thinking about the verses of the Quran not only helps people avoid stress and anxiety but also grants ways for keeping one’s peace of mind and hope and helps in trying to find ways of overcoming hardships of life.
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And all praise and thanks are due to Allah, without Whose help and guidance nothing can be accomplished. May Allah bless you with happiness, success, guidance, health, and knowledge. May Almighty Allah give us the strength to follow the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and make us part of the group who is among the most righteous! Ameen.
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