MHAS & MMD presents
Stress & Depression, an Islamic Perspective
By Sheikh Abu Abdillah Yunus
Firstly it is paramount to know, if you have sadness or depression then this in itself does not automatically equate to you having a weak Imaan. For example, in Islamic history, there is a year known as the year of Sadness, this was the year the Prophet’s salAllahu alayhi wa
Sallam uncle (Abu Talib) and his beloved wife (Khadijah) passed away, within six months.
Similarly Yaqub alayhis Salaam, upon his son Yusuf alayhis salaam departing from him, suffered years and years of sadness. So for us to accuse someone of having a weak Imaan if they are suffering from sadness, is incorrect.
If a person has four or more of these symptoms then it is paramount one acknowledges they may need professional help and thus must go and seek it, for one cannot be helped if they do not help themselves first.
1.
Always feeling sad and anxious
2.
Loss of interest and lack of enjoyment
3.
Constant pessimism
4.
Feeling of guilt, worthlessness and social alienation
5.
Inability to express feeling to others
6.
Trouble in sleeping, either over sleeping and under sleeping
7.
Eating disorders, either over eating or under eating
8.
Chronic physical pain
9.
Continuous crying
10.
Become tense really quickly and easily
11.
Constantly tired and unable to do any physical activity
12.
Inability to concentrate and make sound decisions
You must remember, that if you warn someone off from seeking professional help and demand they are weak in Imaan and must seek help only from Allah then you will be held accountable for this. It is important to not talk about things which you do not have knowledge off, especially if the effects will be detrimental. Depression is an illness and Allah has provided means and methods for its treatment. There is nothing wrong with seeking professional help in conjunction with the help of Allah, in fact this must be encouraged.

Causes
We will now look at the causes and break them down further:
[1] No Cause
This is when one has no idea why they are sad, they cannot recall committing any sins, no previous bad experiences, no trigger. No idea why they feel like this
[2] There is a cause, there is a trigger a) You are the cause, you made a mistake b) Other individuals are the cause, someone else harmed you c) No one harmed you, situation is uncontrollable, i.e. and illness/death
Precautions
There are precautionary measures which we can take for the above causes.
[1] No Cause

Seek refuge in Allah from all sorts of sorrow and sadness, make sincere du’aa to
Allah

Check your connection with the Qur’an, establish a solid connection with the Qur’an along with du’aa, hand in hand. Allah has said:
O mankind! There has come to you a direction from your Lord & a healing for the
(diseases) in your hearts & for those who believe a Guidance & a Mercy. [Qur’an; 10:57]
[2] There is a cause, there is a trigger a) You are the cause, you made a mistake

Try your best to avoid committing sins

As for when you commit a sin, it wavers up and down in the chest, a guilt forms.
This is a trigger, that you are doing something wrong, pay attention to this trigger.
The more you ignore it, the more weaker your sub conscious will get towards sinning and it’ll become easier to sin

Regular self reflection will help to analyse yourself and how you can change yourself for the better b) Other individuals are the cause, someone else harmed you
 If you were violated by another person, then it is important to change your mindset. The more you think of yourself as a victim, the more you will feel hard done by and the more you will spiral into deeper sadness.
 Muhammad salAllahu alayhi wa Sallam said “A believer does not allow himself to be stung twice from the same hold” [Bukhairi] This is an advice that we must learn from our previous mistakes and if we do not then we are asking for trouble
 It is important to have a good opinion of Allah and that Allah can change our situation at any time, Allah has said, “I am as my servants think I am” therefore it is essential to maintain a good opinion of Allah.


It is also important to maintain a good relationship with Allah. Having a long distance relationship, i.e. only calling upon Allah in times of hardship, then naturally you will not understand God’s wisdom and the Hikmah behind your hardship. c) No one harmed you, situation is uncontrollable, i.e. and illness/death
 Learn your Islamic history, learn about the hardship and difficulties the Prophets and the companions went through.
 Understand that in this life, you will be tested, just like those before you were tested and those after you will be tested.
Remedies
Islam came in its entity for the whole of mankind, in Islam we find many remedies and cures for many situations.
[1] No Cause

Surah Baqarah is an amazing antedote to overcome spiritual void. Read it from the beginning to the end, with sincerity and conviction. Not with the intention of trial and error, to see if it works, but read it with conviction that this will better your relationship with Allah and in turn help your worldly affairs.
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Make sure not only are you reading your Salah, but ensure you are reading it on time
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Read your morning and evening adhkaar, you can find them here: http://www.islamawareness.net/Dua/Fortress/027.html

Repent regularly

Keep making du’aa and ask Allah regularly. Seek help from him and call upon him instead of exhausting all other options and then turning to Allah. Allah should be your first point of contact
[2] There is a cause, there is a trigger a) You are the cause, you made a mistake

You must remind yourself that whatever you did in the past does not define you, your future does.
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Read the Story of Musa in Surah Qasas, where Musa Alayhis Salaam accidently killed a man and he immediately sought forgiveness and on top of that helped people in the city he migrated to. The result of him seeking forgiveness and helping others lead to him receiving a proposal and a job offer. Helping people can have mind blowing results. Allah can do anything, so long as you have tawwakul. When you know you have wronged yourself, seek forgiveness and attempt to not do that sin again

Make duaa: “My lord, I am in absolute need of the good You send me (Rabbi inni lima anzalta ilayya min khairin faqir)” [Qur'an; 28:24]

Also the du’aa of Yunus “There is no deity but You. Glory be to You! Verily, I have been among the wrongdoers” [Qur’an; 21:87] La ilaha illa Anta, Subhanaka, inni kuntu mina zzalimin.

b) Other individuals are the cause, someone else harmed you
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Even though it will be difficult to, try and look at the flip side. Just because something is good, it doesn’t mean they are good for you
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Think of this as an opportunity to learn and allow yourself to grow from it as opposed to letting it consume you
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If one feels suicidal then you should remember that one should never wish for death, and if this feeling does consume you then recite this:
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you should wish for death because of some harm that has befallen him, but if he must do that then let him say: ‘O
Allaah, keep me alive so long as life is good for me, and cause me to die when death is good for me.’”

Recite with conviction, when you leave you soul in the hands of the Almighty, you will see a change. “Allahumma ahyini ma kanati al-hayatu khayran li wa tawaffani ma kanat al-wafatu khayran li (O Allah, grant me life if life is good for me, and grant me death if death is good for me).” c) No one harmed you, situation is uncontrollable, i.e. and illness/death

Recite the du’aa which we are told to recite when a calamity strikes us “Inna lillahi wa inna
ilayhi raji’oun. Allahumma ajurni fi musibati wakhluf li khayran minha” (Verily we belong to
Allah and truly to Him shall we return. O Allah! Protect me in this calamity that has befallen me and replace it with something better)

Umm Salamah recited this du’aa when her husband died and she read it with such conviction that she expected to be granted something better than her husband. Who else would be better than the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa Sallam who later proposed to her and became her husband.

Try and stop reliving the bad memories. Focus on other things. Allah has given us the ability to move on and continue with life, so we need to help ourselves in this matter and focus on the good things and control your own mindset
Islam did not come to eliminate sadness, it is an emotion that is natural in humans, Islam regulates this sadness. Patience is going to find a wise solution. InnAllaha ma’as sabireen (Allah is with the patient). Make abundant du’aa, Allah is the turner of hearts, turn to him and he will produce
Miracles.
May Allah alleviate all your sadness and grief and replace it with ease and happiness. Keep me in your du’aa please  May Allah bless the Sheikh for sharing this beneficial knowledge.