Muslims Way of Dealing with Depression and Stress

The world of today is highly competitive. No matter you are a student, a working professional, a housewife, a professional player or a business owner we are all prone to competition and this never ending competition has given rise to the issue of stress and depression.

We feel stressed for the future, our success, the things we cannot control and when these things don’t happen as per our planning we feel depressed and this depression leads to all kinds of health problems and in severe cases it proves to be fatal.

Although medical science has worked a lot in battling the menace of stress, however, it is still increasing day by day and has become a universal problem. In addition to the worldly treatments, a Muslim has the blessing in the form of Islam and by following the teachings of Islam and applying them in the right way a Muslim can effectively combat stress and reduce its impact on health. The lines below discuss some ways in which Muslims can deal with stress and depression effectively.

Do Dhikr More Often:

Dhikr refers to remembrance of Allah, therefore, the more a Muslim remembers Allah Almighty and keeps Him in his mind and heart, the more is the belief of a person and the more confidently he or she is able to deal with worldly problems that cause stress. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.” (13:28)

This ayah helps eliminate one of the major reasons of stress – dissatisfaction. When we are dissatisfied with things, we think over them more than they deserve and the ultimate result is stress. Therefore, when a Muslim indulges in the remembrance of Allah Almighty, the ultimate result is the heart finding satisfaction, hence keeping stress at bay.

Praying More Than Often:

The other measure that a Muslim can take pertaining to fighting and eliminating stress is praying more often. Although prayers five times a day are mandatory upon every Muslim, however, a Muslim can also say additional prayers, which can also help in fighting stress. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely, Allah is with the patient.” (2:153)

This ayah gives another reason behind stress and the cure for it. The lack of patience in present times is another major reason for stress. People stress out over things and matters because they are impatient and cannot wait for things to happen the way they want them to happen. Thus, when a Muslim says prayers regularly, the ultimate result is the patience increase with support of Allah Almighty, hence an effective cure to the stress caused by impatience.

Seek Forgiveness More Often:

We as humans are prone to committing mistakes, it is the overdoing of mistakes or not finding a way out of committing them that causes a person to feel stressed about his or her plight. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“Then I said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord; surely, He is the most Forgiving.’”  (71:10)

The seeking of forgiveness or Allah being the Most Forgiving does not mean that it is a signal to commit as much mistakes as one can make or when one wills, rather one needs to stay away from mistakes. However, if some mistake is committed, one must immediately turn towards Allah and ask forgiveness. When Allah Almighty forgives, the burden is lightened from the heart, hence serving as a relief from stress.

Recite Quran More Often:

One of the major causes of stress is that people are afraid of the unknown, they are uncertain about things and don’t know about the reality of things. However, if a Muslim reads Quran on regular bases with consistency the ultimate reality of things starts to open to a Muslim and he or she is better able to see things when they occur. Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Quran is a remedy for illnesses of the mind.” (Bukhari)

This hadith of Prophet (PBUH) can be interpreted both symbolically and superficially. At a superficial level the spiritual powers of Quran help better the mind of a person and clear it from impurity, whereas, at a symbolic level, by reading and understanding Quran the mind of a person gets open to reality of things, hence all kinds of confusion and uncertainty is kept at bay. If you are someone who cannot read or recite the Holy Quran, start learning it from the online Quran teaching academy.

Remember The Hereafter More Often:

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

“Whoever has the hereafter as his main concern, Allah will fill his heart with a feeling of richness and independence; he will be focused and feel content, and this world will come to him in spite of it. Whoever has this world as his main concern, Allah will cause him to feel constant fear of poverty; he will be distracted and unfocused, and he will have nothing of this world except what was already predestined for him.” (Tirmidhi)

This hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) addresses the greatest cause of stress – the love and struggle for wealth and money. In the light of hadith it is clear that those who have the hereafter in their mind, Allah fills their hearts with contentment and thus all the worldly riches come to them, instead of them having to worry about running after them. On the other hand, those who take this world as their objective, those are the ones who face stress and always worry about getting and gathering more. Therefore, when a Muslim keeps the hereafter more in the mind, more content he or she becomes and as a result, stress is kept at a distance.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, the element of stress can be completely eliminated from life if a person adopts the Islamic principles both in terms of living style and as well as the way of thinking. Therefore, whenever a Muslim feels stressed he or she should try incorporating the aforementioned tips into the daily life.