Dealing with Depression There are number of ulemah who believe that a true Muslim cannot be depressed!? They differentiate between sadness and depression and say depression is the lack of imaan in Allah as if the one who suffers depression does not really believe in Allahs Power and Might. This is because many attempt to understand reality of humans through the Quran and Sunnah. Some reading this may not think theres anything wrong with understanding reality through the Quran and Sunnah. But this is one of the fundamental concepts where weakness in understanding it has lead aalims to come up with the most strangest of opinions in many human problems. eg Muslims in Filisteen are suffering as they dont put their garments above their ankles!! That is, applying any ruling using analogy to a problem addressed in the Quran and Sunnah without understanding the actual problem at hand!! So misunderstanding depression by some ulemah is just another symptom of a more fundamental concept. Dealing with this more fundamental concept requires a discussion on the difference between the role of the mind (aql) and the role of the revelation (naql). Depression includes sadness, loss of self-confidence, lack of concentration, feeling of hopelessness, low self esteem and other similar symptoms. These symptoms become depression when they settle for long period of time eg two weeks. When depressions lasts much longer, becomes more chronic it is termed clinical depression (this more of then than not requires medical treatment). The first and crucial matter in dealing with depression is specifically identifying the cause or the combination of causes. It varies from person to person so one of the common techniques is to go back in reverse-order to find the causes. Causes may include family breakdown, poverty, loss of job, fear of death, isolation and bereavement. It is the aql (mind) that deeply studies the reality of the causes and then refers to the text of the Quran and Sunnah to address it. So if the cause is poverty then remind the believers of the ayats and ahadith about why Allah is Ar-Razzaq. If it is family breakdown then remind the believer of the ties of kinship, uniting the believers within 3 days, appointing an arbiter or the issues of divorce is actually a solution to two people that cannot be legally together. If it is isolation then remind the believer that he is part of an organisation that has over billion members who are required to give another his rights in visiting him when hes sick, replying to his salam and his sneeze, burying him, attending his invitations and giving him naseehah! There are number of duah and adkhar the believers are encouraged to recite even if they do not suffer depression and through their prayers, fasting, sadaqah many other ailments are cured. Like the way the physical body needs cleanliness so do the hearts! The believer is reminded that it is in the darkest of nights that the stars shines the brightest and so when he goes deep into the darkness of his depression it is then he will discover the noor (light) from the Quran and Sunnah that will address it. Indeed this deen is healing to the believers! And this is why all the affairs of the believer is amazing and this is not for no one except the believer!
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:58:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015