Islamic Guidance For Mental Health And Balance In A Modern World

Islam, Mental Health, and Balance in a Fast-Paced World

My dear respected brothers and elders and sisters, I welcome you all into the house of Allah on this auspicious day of Jumu'ah. We live in a world that is filled with uncertainty, where we experience challenges that generations before us never had to think about. The fast-paced environment that we have today — generations ago they would not have imagined such an environment.

Things that start from a very early age — someone who is 18 years old has to start taking on innumerable amounts of debt to somewhat establish their future in this life. But the reality of this life is that it is uncertain. You want to have as much certainty as you can, but the reality is you don't even have the certainty of whether you'll walk out of this room.

We experience societal pressures — expectations of society, expectations of family, expectations of those around us. We try to weigh our success against the success of others. We try to identify ourselves from an early point. Right when we're exposed to the reality of life, people begin to have issues with their identity, because when we're in the bubble, when we're under the shade of our parents, we don't have that issue — we are a reflection of our parents.

But right when we leave our home and we go out into the real world, we start experiencing this issue. We have these identity issues that start coming into the hearts. And then on top of that, it doesn't make anything better — the fact that we live in a world which is materialized.

Every single thing is weighed based on how much material you own. For example, the example I mentioned of taking on numerous amounts of debt at a young age — similarly, there are these expectations. If you want to go ahead and get married, fulfill the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, when you approach someone, the first thing they ask you is: how much do you make in a year? How much savings do you have? Do you own a house? Do you own a car? How can you provide? Obviously, the provision is from Allah first and foremost — not to say that we don't have to make an effort — but a lot of these stresses have begun to impact the youth, and especially the youth, but even the elder generations as well, in a very negative way.

This materialism comes into effect through a variety of ways. Amassing wealth is one thing. And then also having that constant thought of how can we make the next dollar? How can we make our next paycheck? Having these thoughts is a sign of materialism entering into the heart.

The Challenge of Social Media and the Digital Age

And now to come to one of the biggest challenges that our youth — or generally speaking, our society — faces today. Muslims are affected by this just as much as non-Muslims: the effects of social media, the effects of the digital age that we live in.

Every single morning, from the moment you wake up, you're connected. You open your phone and you check whatever — if you have social media, may Allah save us. If not, then you open your email or your text messages. From the moment you wake up, you're connected. Until the moment you go to bed and you're too tired to pick up your phone — you're connected. We have these standards that we have begun to measure ourselves against.

For example, the excessive exposure of women in not the best ways on social media or in advertisements for stores. What has happened because of these things is we now have this insane standard that women try to weigh themselves against — how can I become like this other person? But the reality is those people are literally putting their bodies through physical strain and causing themselves issues in their health to look like that. So all of these insane standards that people are trying to measure up to.

The same thing goes when someone posts themselves on social media — they're not going to post the ugly. They're not going to post the hardships that they're facing. They're going to post: oh, I got this success, or I got this new job, or I got this new car, or I went on vacation. They're not going to show you that they're going through whatever hardship they have. Every individual has their own challenges that they're facing. So all of these things end up causing people to feel discontent with whatever they have.

The Nafs al-Muṭma'innah — The Contented Soul

As the Qur'an highlights three different types of nafs — three different types of souls — the one that is mentioned to be the best is the nafs al-muṭma'innah, the soul that is content with whatever it has. In Surah al-Fajr, it is mentioned:

So it is mentioned that the soul that is the best is the one that is content. But this discontentment that we have with ourselves is due to a lot of these societal factors around us.

And one of the biggest issues with the Western mindset that we have today is that it causes us to disconnect from the idea of a nuclear family. Everyone is told to be independent, to be on their own, to be their own person, to develop their own ideas and thoughts. But what that causes is — you have no support system at home.

When you're a little child and you fall, the first thing you do is you get up and you go to your parent — you go to your mother or your father. But as you grow up and you're slowly taught to become more and more independent from a very young age, what happens? You fall down and the first thought that comes to your mind is: no, I can't run home. I can't run to my parents. But the reality is that is supposed to be the way that life is.

The first university is your home. So once you disconnect this concept of a nuclear family, you have no one to guide you through these stressors, no one to guide you through these challenges that we face. So the first thing that we want to establish is that there is a problem. The problem is the fast-paced world that we're living in causes a variety of stressors that we are not exactly sure how to deal with. So let's take a look at how Islam approaches mental health — specifically mental health awareness and support.

How Islam Approaches Mental Health

From a very early point of the prophethood of Rasulullah ﷺ — right when the Waḥy began — there is the very famous incident of when the Waḥy began. Rasulullah ﷺ went to the mother of all believers, Khadijah, and he said: cover me. What is that an example of? That's an example of finding support in those around you. Rasulullah ﷺ was in a state of shock, because the first moment that the Waḥy began — it's something you've never experienced before when you experience it for the first time, be it a good feeling or a bad feeling. Obviously in this scenario, it was the best of revelation that began.

But the first thing he did was go to his confidant, his wife Khadijah. This is an example from the very early point, and we see more and more examples like this throughout the time of the prophethood.

So once we've addressed that these issues do exist in our society, we have to address that they affect every individual uniquely. Someone who is facing financial difficulty has a different challenge than someone who is facing issues within their family or having difficulty with their education. And we have to address the fact that these are community concerns, because the effect of these things is contagious. If someone does end up having any sort of mental health issues or difficulties, these are not things that are isolated to them specifically — they can trickle into the community very quickly.

The Body is an Amānah

When we look at how Islam tells us to approach these things, the first concept we have to understand is that the body is an amānah — and that includes the body, the mind, and the soul. Similarly, how we are told regarding the body specifically — our physical being — we are told to have moderation in everything, moderation in the way we eat. The aḥādīth teach us that we should eat to fill one third of our stomach. That's how we nourish our body.

When it comes to the soul, we are told to remember Allah in abundance so that we can nourish our soul. When it comes to the mind — that is also part of this trust that Allah has given us. The purpose of our existence is highlighted in the verse:

If our mind is not in a good state, how are we supposed to fulfill the purpose of our being? The mind, body, and soul — all three have to be in tandem for us to fulfill this purpose.

The ibādāt which are specific to our body — meaning the ṣalawāt — how are you going to pray them if you don't have a sound body? Obviously there are exceptions for individuals who face difficulties, but in order to be able to pray properly, your joints have to be functioning. Alhamdulillah, Allah has given us those abilities. Similarly, we also have to pay attention to the mental state of our being.

In terms of the rights of Allah, those three things are to be taken into account. And in terms of the rights of those around us as well — anyone who is married in this room knows that in order to have good balance between oneself and one's spouse, you have to be able to communicate these things. You have to be able to understand that there are certain challenges that someone might be going through. When your spouse is going through any issues or has some sort of difficulties when it comes to mental health, you cannot completely disregard those things — you have to consider those things in every little action. The same thing goes in the relationship of a child and a parent. Having that line of communication with your parent is necessary for having good, balanced communication with them.

The Principle of Balance in the Sunnah

When we come to the concept of balance, we see from the aḥādīth of Rasulullah ﷺ that he promotes balance in various facets. There is a specific incident of Zaynab رضي الله عنها where Rasulullah ﷺ comes into the masjid and sees that there are two pillars with a rope tied between them. When he asks about this rope, he is told that it is the rope that Zaynab رضي الله عنها uses when she is praying late at night — if she gets tired, she holds this rope while praying. And what is the response of Rasulullah ﷺ? He mentions that the rope should be taken away and she should only pray until she is able to, and when she becomes tired, she should rest. This promotes an idea of moderation — an idea of balance in ibādah as well.

There is another incident of Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Āṣ رضي الله عنه where his wife mentioned that he is always reciting Qur'an throughout the night. Now you'd think that this is a great quality — someone who recites Qur'an throughout the night is something very commendable, something that we should strive to have. But then what is the advice of Rasulullah ﷺ? He instructs him to divide it throughout the week. Some narrations mention various numbers of days — three, five, seven — but the point is to have some sort of balance, not to be so engrossed that we start neglecting other rights.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1975; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1159) — "Indeed your body has a right upon you."

The hadith mentions that Rasulullah ﷺ asks him: "Have I not been told that you fast all day and recite all night?" And he replied: "Indeed I do, O Messenger of Allah." And then Rasulullah ﷺ instructed him to fast some days and leave some days, and to pray some of the night and sleep for some of the night — fa inna li jasadika ḥaqqan 'alayka — that your body has a right upon you.

This idea of balance is something that not only do we see him instructing others about, but something he himself practiced as well, ﷺ. For example, the aḥādīth show that when Rasulullah ﷺ became tired during the night, he would also take some rest — between the ṣalāt al-tahajjud, some narrations mention that he would rest between every two rak'ahs. Other narrations mention that when Rasulullah ﷺ was praying on his own, his ṣalāh would be long and extensive. But when he was leading the people, he would keep his ṣalāh concise — showing balance, because he knows his own capability, and then when it comes to the people, some can pray for a long time and others don't have that capability. So he promoted balance amongst the jamā'ah so that everyone could keep up in moderation.

All of these examples show the balance of Rasulullah ﷺ in all facets of his life — through him telling others or through him practicing it himself. What we need to learn from this is that in order to have consistency in our actions, as the hadith mentions:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6464; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 783) — "The most beloved of deeds to Allah are those which are most consistent, even if they are small."

In order to have that consistency in our matters — when it comes to the ibādah, the acts of worship specifically — we have to have balance. The same thing applies to our lives when it comes to our mental health. Having balance and not pushing ourselves to excessive limits — like the points we mentioned at the beginning about how our societal stressors cause us to be in a state of difficulty, stress, and anxiety — these can honestly be averted simply by recognizing the fact that these issues do exist and also having balance in how we approach them.

Practical Steps: Building a Support System for Mental Health

Now finally, I'd like to end with practical steps of how we can create a support system for mental health in our communities.

1. Seek Refuge in Allah Through Dhikr

The first thing to address is advice for the individual who is facing some sort of difficulty. Allah tells us in the Qur'an:

First and foremost, we seek help and refuge in Allah. Through the dhikr of Allah, we seek to have contentment in our hearts.

2. Turn to Ṣalāh in Times of Difficulty

Secondly, what was the action of Rasulullah ﷺ and the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم when they faced difficulty? They would turn to ṣalāh. The hadith of 'Alī رضي الله عنه mentions that on the night before Badr, everyone was asleep except for Rasulullah ﷺ, who was weeping in prayer. Now imagine — the night before what we know to be one of the greatest events in Muslim history, when the odds were all against them. You would think someone going into battle the next day should be resting. But Rasulullah ﷺ, in this time of difficulty and need, was in the form of prayer.

Just as the ṣalāh was the coolness of Rasulullah ﷺ's eyes, it can do that same effect for us, insha'Allah.

3. Make Du'ā

When we mention dhikr, we cannot forget the most important part — du'ā. It is mentioned in a hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ that the person who does not ask Allah, Allah becomes upset with him.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3373; Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 3827)

So make du'ā to Allah that He eases whatever issues you are going through and also gives you the ability to bear them. When a person is going through a state of hardship or some sort of difficulty, make that du'ā: "O Allah, give me the patience to bear this." Also, there is the du'ā from the sunnah:

"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sorrow and anxiety, from weakness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from being overcome by debt and from the overpowering of men." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2893)

There are specific du'ās in the sunnah for these issues. And when we are making our tahajjud ṣalāh, we are speaking to Allah — we should open up, find confidence in Allah, and communicate our issues. Because who has the capability of fixing them other than Allah?

4. Make Murāqabah and Muḥāsabah

Making murāqabah and muḥāsabah of ourselves — sometimes we may be so caught up in our lives that we forget or don't even realize the effects of things happening around us, or maybe we're neglecting someone's rights or our own rights. So making murāqabah and muḥāsabah — reflecting on ourselves and reflecting on the qudrah of Allah — the fact that certain things we don't even have control over. So stressing about them or taking on the weight of those issues will have no good effect.

5. Take Guidance Through the Qur'an

Taking guidance through the Qur'an — Allah has made the Qur'an a source of guidance and a source of shifā' for us, strengthening our mental resilience. As Allah says:

6. Have Patience, Hope, and Iḥtisāb

The last thing for someone going through such issues is to have patience, hope, and strength. In the Qur'an it is mentioned — and the scholars excerpt from it — that each hardship is followed by two forms of ease:

So have hope in that, and have iḥtisāb as well — that whatever difficulty you're going through, Allah makes it a form of forgiveness of your sins. As the hadith mentions:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5641; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2573) — "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim — even the prick he receives from a thorn — but that Allah expiates some of his sins for it."

So any little thing that happens, we can have expectation of Allah that He will give us some sort of reward for it or alleviate some of our sins for it.

7. Speak to Those Around You

Speak to those around you as well, because we have to create this environment within our communities where we can talk to the people around us. If you have someone who is a close friend, a confidant, or someone you can trust — speak to them about whatever difficulty you're facing. Sometimes even if someone can't help you fix that issue, it still helps to have someone that you can communicate those issues with, someone that you can share that sadness or grief with.

A Call to Community: Build Social Support

A general advice that can be given to the community as well: create that community social support. Look out for those around you. Look out for signs of someone who is going through some sort of difficulty or hardship. Because at the end of the day, it is going to be affecting everyone in some way or another, whether little or a lot. A lot of times it is very easy to catch those signs — only if you're looking. So you have to be looking out for those around you, and also being cognizant of the situation.

Taking all of these things into account, the final thing that is necessary — for those who are going through difficulty or not — is strengthening our connection with Allah. Because whatever situation we are in, at the end of the day, is within the control of Allah. And in order to be able to recognize that, we have to do constant remembrance — as the āyah mentions:

I ask Allah that He allows us to reflect upon our relationship with Him and strengthen our relationship with Him. I ask Allah that He allows us to become connected with the masājid and connected with His dīn, and be able to be part of the community, and also look out for those around us and create a community which supports one another and grows together.

Announcements

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