Depression; in the light of Islamic Teachings

Information about depression

Gone are the days when mental illness was hushed up and quietly swept under the carpet. Hopefully today, we can face our problems and find solutions.

Depression is a disease like diabetes or high blood pressure. Some people are able to reach the cure for depression through therapy, others through taking medication and therapy for a period of time and yet others who must continue taking medication for the rest of their life. In such a case, it is no different than someone who must take daily injections of Insulin. It is something, which often lies beyond the control and understanding of the individual and so for people to say ‘just snap out of it’ is very cruel.

Research has shown that a marked majority of cases of severe depression are linked to childhood trauma. Hence the importance of loving and protecting our children in the correct way and dealing with older people, who now suffer from depression with kindness and understanding.

If you know someone who is depressed, they need your help and support, not criticism. Sometimes well meaning friends and relatives understand the importance of the patient ‘talking’ and ‘getting things out of their system’ but often it is not so easy and speaking about past traumas can take a lot of time. Digging through painful memories, which the mind has safely tucked away from sight, requires the care of a specialist. Doctors are well equipped these days to handle all kinds of cases, so helping them to choose an appropriate doctor is a great service. Above all, prayer and remembrance of Allah (s.w.t.) brings peace to the troubled mind and contains the only sure cure for the heart that cannot find peace.

The tides of life sweep many people onto new horizons of hopelessness. Life without Islam leaves the weak in this world vulnerable to misuse and oppression. One of the worst forms of abuse is that which is perpetrated by a trusted person in one’s life. And this is the sad scenario of many people throughout the world who have had this sacred trust breached by either family members or close friends of the family. The laws of Allah, the Almighty protect the individual and society, but sadly these laws are too often not known or implemented. What can raise the human being from the depths of evil to become a pious, upright person who respects and loves all that is pleasing to Allah, than the Mercy of Allah that extends to all those who seek it! Yet those who choose to ignore the innate goodness in the soul of man, and so feed the desires of animalistic lusts, become in reality worse than the animals – they become the slaves of Satan who ever urges them to more and more heinousness. Satan, the enemy of man, calls for all that destroys the human being. Calls for all that eat away at the body, heart and mind of man. Why do we find so many victims in the world of today – lost, isolated, whose minds feel constant pain and frustration – an inability to change what has occurred. An inability to wipe away the memories of terror and fear and replace it with peace?

Some issues not only affect the body of the human being but reach far down into the spirit and threaten to touch the delicate balance that coordinates the harmony between the body and the soul. Loss of confidence, feelings of guilt and inability to trust – fear of broken trust, fear of loss, fear of fear…

The state of the heart is the key to the balance of the essence of humankind and so it is no wonder that the traps of Satan are those which urge the physical desires on to acts that will tamper with and destroy the spirit.

However, Allah, the Almighty tells us that the plans of Satan are weak! What joyous news this is for those who have been held in its dark clutches. For Satan works with illusion, while Allah is reality. Whatever we fear, cannot harm us for we know that only Allah is to be feared – for nothing occurs without His guiding hand and He guides to all that is good. He is the One who can turn evil into good.

Whatever pain we feel is a reflection of the evil of the hand that perpetrated it, but it can find no place to rest in us, if we stir the water of the pond that bears that reflection and trusting in Allah, watch it all scatter into nothingness.

The evil touch, the memory of betrayal can so easily be replaced with the remembrance that Allah, His light and guidance can lift us far and away – beyond time and space – to a place of peace, where the dismal memories that cloud the mind are dispelled in a puff. The heart finds lightness, grace and wispy breezes of comfort in the words of Allah – the final message to man, that contains all the knowledge essential for our growth and overcoming of the evil within ourselves and in the world around us.

The victims of the world have a greater potential for growth than any others. The spirit once touched, is open to light and guidance, softer and more compassionate to the pain of others and inner troubles of the mind stir the individual to walk the steep paths of life and thereby, through their sincerity and efforts find the vast richness of the Mercy of Allah, which extends to the oppressed who with sincerity seek His ever present help.

May Allah bind the hearts of the victims to Him that they will never give up in this journey of life. For every single person in this world carries some form of burden, some fear, some care, some disappointment, some loss – but nothing can harm the spirit, which is the essence of man which belongs to Allah and will return to Him, in the form in which it was moulded in this world.

The decision belongs to us. We sink or swim. We strive or give up. But before we choose we must remember that Allah promises not to give us more than we can bear if we sincerely strive to follow His way, trusting in Him. Alone we will surely destroy ourselves, but with His ever Merciful help, nothing – absolutely nothing is impossible!

Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us. Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maulâ (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people. ( Surat Al-Baqarah 286)