5 Wisdoms from the Quran to Deal with STRESS & ANXIETY | Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi | Jumuah Khutbah
By Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 2026-05-26T11:14:36.123092+00:00 | Topic: Mental Health
Opening and Introduction
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We praise him and we seek his help. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and the consequences of our actions. Whomever Allah guides can never be misguided. And whoever is misguided cannot be guided except with him. I bear witness and I testify that there is no God other than Allah. And I bear witness and I testify that the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is the messenger of Allah.
As to what follows, know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has reminded us to be conscious of him in the Quran. When he says:
Understanding Human Emotions as Part of Creation
Dear Muslims, the way that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created us, we are not just beings without emotion. Rather, we are sentient beings who can think, but we can also feel. And these feelings that we have, this is what makes us different from so many of the other creations. We feel fear, we feel hope, we feel anxiety, we feel grief, we feel worry. These emotions put together are what make us human.
And today insha'Allah ta'ala, I wanted to shed some light about some of these emotions, the emotions of anxiety and stress, the emotions of grief and worry. These emotions which to a certain extent, they are a part and parcel of our life. But if they are left unchecked, if we don't take them into account, it is possible these emotions can overwhelm us. It is possible these emotions can take us down a dark and a sinister path.
And today insha'Allah ta'ala, we want to shed some light about the reality of these human emotions. Emotions that if we don't keep them in check, might potentially lead us to mental health issues, to depression, to things that might be worse than this.
Quranic Examples of Human Emotion and Tragedy
Realize, O Muslim, that the Quran is full of stories of human emotion and tragedy. The Quran talks about the righteous of God, the most pious of mankind, feeling worry and stress, feeling grief and pain.
The Mother of Musa
Allah says in the Quran with regards to the mother of Musa:
When she put Musa in the Nile, what do you think is gonna happen to her? Allah says, her heart became empty, she couldn't think, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Her heart became فَارِغًا.
The Prophet Ya'qub
Allah talks about the Prophet Ya'qub:
He cried so much that his eyes became blind, and he was overwhelmed with grief. The Prophet Ya'qub felt so much pain that it had an impact in his eyes.
The Prophet Ayyub
Allah mentions Ayyub, who was afflicted with so many calamities, and he calls out to Allah:
Ya Rabb, I'm being afflicted with pain.
Maryam (Mary)
Allah mentions the most righteous lady to walk on the face of this earth, and that is the only lady mentioned by name in the Quran, Maryam. And she, all alone, without family, without friends, she is wandering in a faraway land. She is pregnant, she's gonna give birth to Isa, to Jesus Christ. She has no one. And at that stage, overwhelmed with physical pain, with mental pain, with anguish, with stress, what does she say? She says something that if an average person were to be asked, he would say, oh, this is kufr, this is haram, this is shirk. Who says it? Maryam. What does she say?
How I wish I had died before this day. She's literally wishing that she was not alive. To wish for this is in and of itself not a sin, to act upon it as you know it is a sin. She wished she were not alive. How I wish I was completely forgotten, nobody ever knew of me, I had never existed. Her pain, her anguish, her tragedy, her feeling of being so alone, it compelled her to have this frame of mind. And then of course, Allah consoled her and calmed her down.
The point is, when you read the Quran, it is factually correct to say, almost every story with regards to the righteous, with regards to the prophets, with regards to the chosen, deals with a tragedy that they are feeling, a pain that is in their hearts. This is the reality of being human.
Understanding the Sources of Stress
And therefore, these types of anguish and stress and pain, the Quran teaches us that it is a part and parcel of all of mankind. The sources might be different. Family is always a major source of stress. Ya'qub, Yusuf, the brethren of Yusuf, because of family. Family causes so much stress. Tragedies with regards to finances, with regards to health, Ayyub has health, with regards to societal issues, Nuh, Lut. The causes of the grief might be different. But this world is full of causes for grief.
The Quranic Approach to Mental Health
And so the Quran teaches us, there are certain things that we should do to monitor, to keep in check. You see, O Muslims, just like our physical body, we are able to train it, keep it healthy, monitor what we eat, exercise, and by and large, insha'Allah we can monitor a good physical body. Sometimes we have to go to the doctor. Just like our spirituality, we are told to train it, connect it with Allah, increase our dhikr and ibadah. And sometimes we need to go to a shaykh for other advice and spiritual issues.
So too mental health, so too anxiety and stress. The default, most of us are able to deal with this issue on our own if we follow Allah's guidelines. And sometimes that is not possible, so we can take professional help as well, no problem with that.
But what are the guidelines that the Quran comes with? What are some of the realities that our religion comes with to help us deal with the internal factors with regards to stress and anxiety? And of course, dealing with internal factors, there is a famous statement, some say it is a hadith, but it is actually a statement of the scholars of the past, that the real jihad is the inner jihad. The real jihad is the jihad of the soul, the jihad of the qalb, meaning the inner struggle is a bigger struggle than the outer struggle. This is an Islamic motif. The struggle inside of you to conquer your own fears and doubts, to conquer your own inner demons, that is a more bigger and important battle. It is the real battle. The external ones are easier if you can deal with the internal ones.
Five Wisdoms from the Quran
So today insha'Allah, I will give you five pieces of advice. And of course, more can be said, but time is limited. Five wisdoms from the Quran, from the stories of the past, from the seerah of the Prophet, about how we can deal with the inner stress, with the anxiety, with the grief, that is a part and parcel of being human.
First Wisdom: Acknowledge and Validate Your Pain
First and foremost, the acknowledgement that being worried, having sleepless nights because of an issue, feeling a pain in your heart because of health, family, finances, society, because of office politics. This is a part and parcel of being human. And no matter how pious you are, no matter how religious you are, even if you are a Prophet of Allah.
Allah says in the Quran about our Prophet Muhammad:
We know, Ya Rasulullah, your heart is in agony because of what they say about you. Social pressure, negative PR. The Prophet, his heart was in pain. Allah says it in the Quran, your heart is feeling the pain because of societal pressure.
What does this show us? Point number one, your pain is real. Let nobody trivialize that anguish, your anxiety, your stress. It doesn't diminish you as a Muslim, it affirms your humanity. The strongest Muslim, the greatest mu'min is going to suffer the pains of this dunya. And to feel the inner pain, to feel stressed out is a part and parcel of being alive. Doesn't matter your level of iman, you will be worried, something will cause you stress.
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, who is he? As-Siddiq. And yet in Ghar-e-Thawr, he begins worrying, palpitating. The Prophet says:
Don't worry. Abu Bakr was worried, he had huzun. It's okay to be worried, it's okay to stress out. Honestly, if you didn't stress out in the Quraysh outside of Ghar-e-Thawr, something is wrong with you. It's okay to be overwhelmed with some issues of the dunya. Do not allow that stress to double guess your own iman and your humanity. You are normal, it is permissible to feel overwhelmed. It is Islamic, it is Quranic, it is a part of the seerah that the problems of this dunya will cause some issues in your mind, in your qalb. It's not a weakness of iman, there's nothing wrong with you.
Point number one therefore is, validating the grief. Validating. Because when you dismiss the grief, when you say it's not real, when you trivialize it, in reality you are compounding the problem. And this is not the Quranic method. Why do you think Allah Azzawajal mentions in the Quran, Ya Rasulullah, we know it's difficult. Why? Why is He validating the prophetic pain? This is one of the ways to alleviate the grief. Don't dismiss it.
Now people's pain levels and thresholds are different. And what affects you might not affect your brother. What affects your brother might not affect your cousin. But all of us are in pain. And to the youngsters in the audience who believe TikTok and believe social media and Instagram, I assure you, if you see somebody, they always look happy in their pictures. If you see some couple, they always seem to be the best. If you see some fantasy online, if you are still young and you think that is true, let me burst that bubble and let me say to you a blunt reality. Every human on earth is battling some inner demons. Nobody's life is perfect. Nobody. Not a single person.
You sitting here, the person to your right, the person to your left, every human around the world, they are suffering from some issues because that is what it means to be human. Stress, grief, worry, anxiety, troubles, fear of the unknown, guilt of the past, concern about the future. This is the default of being human. So validate that emotion. The Quran, the sunnah, the seerah does not diminish that emotion.
Second Wisdom: Understand the Theological Purpose
Point number two. Once you realize that all of us are feeling types of emotional stress, now understand the theological wisdom. When no one is immune, then why is this happening? To understand why it is happening brings comfort to our soul. Realize that Allah is testing every one of us by different mechanisms. Some of the tests are easier than others.
We're gonna test you with good, we're gonna test you with bad. So, goodness is a test, good health, good wealth, free time, loving family. That is a type of test. Are you passing the test or not? Are you using your time wisely or not? Are you doing what you need to do or not? That's a positive test, try to pass it. And there are negative tests as well. Pain, tragedy, the loss of a loved one, personal issues, bankruptcy, financial things, societal pressures, what is happening around the world, whether it is Gaza or what not. These are tests that are testing us.
Allah is testing us. In fact, Allah says in the Quran:
We created man in hardship. This is the default of this world. This is not the abode of peace. This is the abode of being tested. This is the abode of imtihan, of ikhtibar, of ibtila. And one of the ways all of us are tested is via these emotions inside of us.
So realize, Allah Azzawajal is testing us, and then take comfort in an Islamic reality. What is that Islamic reality? None of us is being tested in a test that is more than what we can pass. We are all being tested to the level and extent that we can pass the test.
No test that you are in, none, is inherently designed to cause you to fail. You can, you shall, you will pass that test if you turn to Allah. And dear brother, dear sister, the minute you think, oh, my test is difficult, somebody else's test is easy...
Understanding Your Unique Test
I swear to you, if hypothetically you could swap bodies with that person, if hypothetically you could switch your mind with that person's mind, and then for 10 minutes you could understand the test they have. Wallahi, every one of us would say, you know what, I can deal with my test better than I can deal with his. I can understand my exam better than his exam. I know how to deal with my life better than that person's life.
Why is this? Because Allah chose your tests for you. Allah created you, and He sent down a test for you. No one in all of human history before you or after you will get your exam. You alone have your exam to answer. Nobody else has your exam. Why? Because Allah created you and He knows what exam is best for you. He knows the exam that you can get the maximum marks in. Might be difficult, I'm not saying it's easy. But no exam can be failed if you turn to Allah.
So realize why the test is occurring. And what the religion does, it doesn't eliminate the test. The test doesn't go away. Rather, it cultivates a heart that can pass the test. What religion does, it allows you the bravery, the courage, the iman to pass the test. No one says the test will go away. The Prophet ﷺ was tested for the bulk of his life. The pain remained in his heart till he passed away. Many tragedies happened to him. Nobody says the pain will go away. What Islam does, what iman does, it allows you to cope with the pain, allows you to live in spite of the pain. That is what the test and iman is supposed to do.
Minimize What You Can Control
Point number three, the Quran teaches us that some of the stress, not all, some of the pain that you are dealing with, you can resolve and eliminate. So concentrate on minimizing the pain. Every tragedy that I and you are facing without exception, there's aspects of it that we can eliminate and get rid of, minimize, maybe even totally get rid of. And then there are aspects that are beyond our control. The goal then is to minimize the anguish, to overcome the inner pain and tragedy.
Therefore, the Quran teaches us, do not be fatalist, sit back and give up. No, for every tragedy that you are facing, there are practical steps that you can do to minimize, if not overcome. If you're in financial stress and trouble, well then, bismillah, write a resume and start knocking on doors. Go, find a job, do something. If you're having marital issues, don't give up, work on the marriage, find out what's going on, bring arbitration if need to be. If children are going left and right and astray, ask other parents, what can we do? Try doing something, don't give up. Because when you try, that is when Allah will put barakah in your trying. Minimize the stress and anxiety.
And of course, one of the most powerful ways to minimize all types of anxiety without exception is the tools that religion gives. And this leads us to point number four.
Control Your Inner Responses
And point number four is, if you cannot control what is outside of you, you can control your inner responses to them. If you cannot control the outside, then you are the master of the inside. So work on forming as much inner peace as you can. And how do you do that? This is where iman and taqwa and religion plays a role.
One of the most effective mechanisms to counter the inner stress, to counter the anxiety, to counter the grief, the tragedy, the huzn, it is through theological therapy, the therapy of iman, the therapy of taqwa, the therapy of turning to Allah. And then after this, the therapy of love of the family and friends. I call this the three Fs, faith, family, and friends. These three Fs, memorize them. And learn this is one of the ways to overcome or to minimize the inner pain.
Never cut off from faith. That is your ultimate umbilical cord to sanity. Never minimize or trivialize loving family members, friends that want to help you. This is the seerah teaches us as well. As the Prophet ﷺ praise Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, he praise Umar, he praise Uthman for specific things that they had done. Because you need people around you. If you isolate, you cut off, you don't come to the masjid, you just lock your door, you are compounding the problem. You are making the problem worse.
So, the Quran teaches us, the sunnah teaches us, that actively try your best to find inner peace in spite of the outer chaos. The outer chaos might not disappear, but you will learn to cope with it. You're gonna start the journey and the reality of overcoming the inner pain.
And if you need professional help, no problem, we are now coming to this reality that for the longest time was taboo, that seeking professional help was considered to be unethical or something beneath our dignity. No, the physical body, yes, many of our diseases overcome naturally. But sometimes I need to go to the doctor. The spirituality, yes, the default is you worship Allah directly. Sometimes need to go to a shaykh and bounce some ideas off, get some help. Same thing goes for mental health. Generally, the default rule, insha'Allah you can manage on your own. But if you are finding that you're getting dark and depressing thoughts, if you're finding that all of these techniques are not working, there should be no shame and there is no blame to get professional help. And that's what therapists are there for, psychiatrists are there for. And we are now coming to this realization that sometimes just like the physical body needs a doctor, so too sometimes mental therapy needs a professional to help us along. You're the one who knows best and your family can help you decide in this regard.
But point number four, realize that if you can't control the outside, you can try your best to control the inside.
Allah is not gonna change your outer until you change your inner. Allah will not change your outer until you change your inner. Change your inner for the better. Turn to Allah, understand the reality of rida, of being content. The reality of qadr, everything happens with Allah's decree. The reality of sabr, the reality of dhikr, with dhikr the hearts will find tranquility. The reality of salah, the salah is the qurrat al-'ayn, the peace of the eyes. The reality of turning to Allah in dua, all of these will help you overcome the inner pain that you have.
And then along with this, find loving family and friends. Be a part of society, don't lock yourself up, don't cut off from the love that people give you. This is a part of the seerah and the sunnah as well. The Prophet ﷺ suffered many tragedies, never when he suffered a tragedy, did he just lock himself and not interact with society. No, even when our mother Khadija passed away, and it was one of the most difficult times of his life, still he interacted, he went outside, he was with the people, because this is a part and parcel of helping deal with the pain.
Remember the Temporary Nature of This World
And the fifth and final point for today's khutbah. And it comes in the end. This should not be number one, because you have to do and you have to act and you have to try to minimize. And number five is also there, but it comes after you have done all the actions, after you have attempted to minimize. And point number five is the realization that this abode is not the abode of ultimate happiness. The abode of ultimate happiness is ahead of you, it is called the akhirah.
Now this should not be number one, why? Because if you put it number one, then you will say, khalas, I will do nothing. No, you have to put in the effort to try to make your situation better. No story in the Quran, no incident in the seerah is fatalistic, that khalas, let everything happen. No, even when the army of Firaun is behind you, and you have the Red Sea in front of you, you still don't give up. And you do something, whether it is raising a staff and striking to wait for a miracle, you still put in the effort. This is the reality. Even when you're Maryam all alone, there is no food, there is no water, still you shake the tree, you put in the effort, then Allah will bless something happening. You never give up.
But you also realize, this dunya is not the dunya of ultimate happiness. And perhaps the pain I'm feeling might be minimized, but it's never going to go away in this world. That's why I look forward to the next world. Allah calls the next world a beautiful name.
Allah is calling you to دار السلام. Why is Jannah called دار السلام? Dar as-Salam literally means the abode of no pain, the abode of no worry, the abode of ultimate peace. There is no ultimate Dar as-Salam in this dunya. Dar as-Salam is the akhirah.
Understand, no matter what you have or don't have, this dunya will never give you full salam. Understand this, never. Wallahi, nobody on earth right now has full inner peace. There is something, whether you have money, you don't have money. You have children, you don't have children. You have a healthy marriage, you don't have, it doesn't matter. Whatever you have, there are problems and things you don't have. Whatever you have, even those things are not perfect. This is the reality. You are not going to attain ultimate happiness in this dunya. The goal is to maximize in this dunya and then attain in the akhirah, yes. But this dunya will never be perfect.
So realize, no matter how difficult the dunya is, it is temporary. How long? And then you will return forever and ever and ever to Dar as-Sa'ada, Dar as-Salam, Dar al-akhirah.
A Lesson from Umar ibn al-Khattab
It is reported in our books that Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiAllahu anhu) was overcome with grief. There was something in his mind. We don't know what it was. Maybe it was something to do with some place in the ummah, maybe person, we don't know. And Abu Ubaidah Amir ibn Jarrah, one of the great sahaba, he noticed this for a while. So one day he said to him bluntly, what is the matter with you, O Amir al-Mu'mineen, that I have constantly seen you distressed and grief? Have you gotten news that Allah has taken your jannah away? He says, no. Have you gotten news that you're going to jahannam? He says, no. So then why are you so stressed out? Whatever it is of this dunya, it is temporary. As long as you get the akhirah, as long as you still have the hope in the akhirah, whatever it is, this dunya is a few days and then that's it. Back to Allah.
This point number five comes at the end because in the beginning, we don't just give up. No, it comes at the end as a consolation, as a reality that this dunya will never give ultimate sa'ada.
Conclusion: Seeking Help When Needed
These five points, dear brothers and sisters, are some of the ways that we can work to overcome the inner stress, the inner grief. And be careful if you find yourself going down the dark route of depression. If you start doubting your worth for too long, if you start doing anything, stop doing anything. If dark thoughts come to you of leaving this dunya or causing your own astaghfirullah, these are signs that you need professional help. These are signs that you need to go and get some help from other people and do not be ashamed or embarrassed to do so. Our religion offers much guidelines, but sometimes we need to go and get professional help.
Whatever is done, realize that more religion and more faith and more family and more friends will always be to your advantage. Turn to Allah, ask Allah to make things easy for you. And may Allah bless us with and through the Quran. And may He make us of those who His verses they understand and applies halal and haram throughout our lifespan. Ask Allah's forgiveness. You as well, ask Him for His ghafoor and the rahman.
Alhamdulillah, all praises due to Allah, the One and the Unique. It is He whom we worship and it is His blessings that we seek. He is the Lord of the oppressed and He hears the prayer of the weak.
As to what follows, there is a particular du'a I want you all to memorize when it comes to this reality of mental health and of depression. This du'a, it is a gem. All hadith are gems and wisdom. This du'a, it is a prophetic wisdom, the profundity of which I think even only now we are coming to understand fully. A deep profound du'a that deals with the reality of potential depression. The Prophet taught us to make this du'a. And he said to say this dhikr:
Four things. اللهم إني أعوذ بك من الهم والحزن Oh Allah, I seek refuge in you from al-ham. Al-ham is anxiety. It is worrying about the future. It is the consequences of what's going to happen tomorrow. I seek refuge in you about the anxiety for tomorrow. والحزن, حزن is the grief and sorrow of the past. حزن, I missed that opportunity. Something bad happened and I could have done this, this and that. That's حزن of yesterday. هم, tomorrow. حزن, yesterday. والعجز, عجز means incapacity, not doing something. And كسل means to give up and be lazy.
If you look at these four realities, these four realities are the primary factors that lead to depression if we allow them to grow fruit, if we allow them to go unchecked. The profundity of the Prophet combining these four specific emotions is something that much can be said about.
Number one, anxiety about tomorrow. What's going to happen? How will my children survive? Where will I get work? This is هم. Oh Allah, I seek refuge in you from the evil consequences of too much anxiety.
Number two, حزن, what I did yesterday, what I did last year, why did I do this? Too much of that causes... What's the fa'idah? It happened. Neither do you control the future, nor can you change the past. A little bit is understandable, a little bit is human. But to the point of it changing you, to the point of it overcoming you, Allahumma inni a'udhu bika. We don't want that level.
Number three, العجز. العجز is where the emotion turns into a belief. I can't do anything. Nothing I do matters. My existence is irrelevant. This is what modern psychologists called learned helplessness. You feel a sense of helplessness, a sense of irrelevancy. What is the point of me being here? Why should I be around? Now again, if it comes as a fleeting thought, even Maryam got that fleeting thought. But if you find yourself days and weeks and months thinking like this, this is a problem. This is a massive red flag. If the thought comes to you, it is better that I don't exist rather than I exist. And you allow that thought to be maintained. Like I said, every once in a while and just a fleeting thought, it's part of being human. But to maintain this existence is always better than non-existence. You being here to worship Allah, to do dhikr is infinitely better than you not being here. And if you think that your existence is not beneficial and you have dark thoughts, this is a major red flag. I need to get help here. So العجز is the belief that there's no point. What's the point of doing anything?
And then الكسل. الكسل is behavioral psychology. I don't want to do anything. So عجز is a frame of mind, كسل is the physical body. كسل is lethargy. كسل is no initiative. كسل is withdrawal from life. You literally give up, lock your door, you just sit there, watch TV, scroll on TikTok, this is كسل. And كسل only comes because of عجز. عجز is the frame of mind, and then كسل follows up. This is worse than laziness. This is intentional, calculated laziness. The person no longer even tries to escape their condition.
These four realities, اللهم إني أعوذ بك من الهم والحزن والعجز والكسل. We ask Allah to eliminate them from our lives because these are what cause depression.
The Islamic Etiquette of Checking on Others
And one final point dear brothers and sisters, and again, time is limited, so much can be said. From the seerah we learn, from the seerah we learn, that one of the Islamic etiquettes which I think unfortunately we have abandoned, is to ask somebody when they're in stress or grief, and to bear their burden with you. This is called تفقد الأحوال.
The Prophet would monitor the crowd. He would see who's missing and absent. He would ask, where is Abu Hurairah? Where is Fulan? I haven't seen them. Where is the lady that would clean the masjid? He would see somebody crying, he would notice tears, and he would go and console them.
So often our worries overcome us, and we don't reach out to other people. That is a mistake, but it is also a mistake on our part, we don't reach out to our friends. It's a two-way street. You should reach out to loved ones and family, but if you are family and loved ones, you should reach out to them as well. If you know they're in pain, if you sense they're in stress, the seerah teaches us, go and visit them, go and express what is happening, how can I help you?
Our Prophet said, and with this we conclude, the best sadaqah that you can give is to lift a stress from your brother or to introduce a happiness to him. This is the best sadaqah. He's in stress, he's in pain, you get rid of it. You help the brother, he needs some money, he needs a favor, he needs a ride. The best sadaqah is to lift one of the difficulties he's in, or idkhalus surur, make him happy, give him a good word, give him an optimistic dua. Just do something that will change their demeanor.
So many of us, our pains are locked in our hearts. Even our spouses, even our children, even our close family and friends are not aware. And sometimes that pain begins to compound. Sometimes it causes us to go to dark places that are not good.
If you notice your friend, your relative, if you notice somebody whom you like, you love, they're withdrawn, they're going through something. Be the good Muslim that the Prophet told you to be. Go and knock on their door. Go and just give them companionship, that's all. If they don't want to tell you their personal issue, that's fine as well. Your presence, your smile, your small gift might go a very long way, might change their entire attitude. The smallest act of kindness might unlock their heart to much good.
So our societies, our masajid, our communities, we should look out for each other. We should monitor each other. We should ask for each other. And when there is a way to help out, you know somebody is in distress, your close friend, they're going through a nasty argument with their spouse or something. The sunnah teaches us, you offer, you want some help, I'm here for you. Just offer, you need somebody to talk to, I'm here for you. This small gesture might change an entire life. This is what our religion is about.
I conclude by reminding us of what the Prophet said when he was asked, who is the best of mankind? He said, the best of mankind are those who benefit mankind the most. Let us be amongst those who benefit mankind the most.
Du'a
اذكروا الله العظيم يذكركم واشكروه يزدكم واذكروا الله تعالى أكبر وأقم الصلاة