Many years ago when I was struggling with Mariam’s diagnosis, I was sent a YouTube video by a well-meaning friend, a video which stated that it was not possible for a real Muslim, the one with true sincere Iman, to experience depression. That depression and anxiety were incompatible in a heart filled with the consciousness, love, and fear of our Perfect Creator.
This is absolutely not true! And such simplistic statements cause incredible harm.
The fact is that in many of the stories of the Prophets in the Quran and Sunnah, we have men facing incredible hardships leading them to experience strong emotional reactions. Islam does not negate the validity of these emotions or describe it as a weakness in men specifically chosen for the hardest of missions. On the contrary, Allah (SWT) acknowledges that these feelings exist and are a part and parcel of our imperfect humanity.
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) experience a year of emotional upheaval that was so intense that it was termed The Year of Sorrow. He lost his beloved wife Khadeeja, and then the protection of his uncle Abi Talib, within months of one another. He experienced the hardship of Ta’if, when the entire city was intent on humiliating him for daring to invite them to Islam. He (ﷺ) described this episode as the hardest day he had ever faced, more difficult than the events at Uhud, stating to Aisha ‘I departed, overwhelmed with excessive sorrow’ (Bukhari). In modern psychology, a year of intense emotional upheaval and sorrow precipitated by particular life changing events is called an Adjustment Disorder.
Prophet Yacoob experienced a deep depression when he lost his son Yusuf, a depression that was so deep that he felt that he could not discuss it with anyone. He intimated that nobody else could relate to it, or tolerate its magnitude, except for the only One he chose to complain to, Allah (SWT). His sorrow was so profound, and his tears so profuse, that he was literally blinded by his grief. This phenomenon in modern day terms would be Grief Reaction with Reactive Depression.
There are countless such examples from the stories of the Prophets that I could share with you. They were able to overcome their difficulties due to their strength and sheer resilience, both fundamental characteristic necessary for those chosen to bear the hardships of Prophethood. But this does not mean that you are a weak Muslim if you are unable to easily overcome your mental struggles.
You are not deficient in Imaan. You are not lacking in Tawwakul. You are not possessed by Jinn.
If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health issues, please seek appropriate expert help. You should not needlessly suffer because our community insists on viewing mental illness through the prism of religiosity.
And unless your local Sheikh or Imam has mental health training, they should not be your first port of call. Likewise, a ‘referral’ to an expensive charlatan who will ‘extract that jinn out of you’ is not appropriate first line intervention. Please refer to a GP and psychologist, and don’t ever accept our community’s erroneous narrative that you are a weak Muslim. On the contrary, it takes immense courage to stand tall and seek the help that you need.
– Sara Hassan
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