A Taboo topic
By: Maulana Masood Mohammed
Mental Health has always been a taboo topic especially for our Muslim community, have your ever try to assist someone with some sort of mental issues? Most of what you will received is resistance, however it is your responsibility to ensure that person receives some form of help. I have witnessed a healthy young man who came one Friday asking for help (Counselling) but didn’t receive any and on Sunday I got the news he committed suicide.
In this article I would like discussed two states of mind which are often confused to be the same that is Sadness and depression.
Depression and sadness are two things all of us experience at some point in our lives. “I am sad and depressed” is a common way of expressing the feeling. However, is it really the same or different? Depression in a general definition is a “state of low mood” but sadness is a painful emotion. Depression is a serious public concern and has affected many individuals. It is important to know depression in order to fight it.
Sadness vs Depression
*Sadness is the feeling of being unhappy, especially because something bad has happened (Cambridge dictionary)
*Sadness last for a short period while depression last for weeks or months.
*Sadness is often realistic in a thought pattern whereas depression thoughts can be distorted and unrealistic.
* Sadness don’t affect a person ability to function productively whereas depression can.
* Depression involves a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness whereas sadness does not.
* A depressed person shows self-disgust but a sad person shows self-sympathy
* Depression can develop to a mood disorder, but sadness is not a psychological disorder only a natural way of responding to a painful situation.
* A depressed person will fully avoid social interactions but a sad person longs for company but neglects social activities due to the focus on troubles.
Sadness was felt by the best of all mankind
Sadness is a part of what makes us human being. No living soul is unfamiliar with it; even our Prophets faced multiple episodes of sadness. For example, Prophet Yaqoob (AS) wept until he lost his vision and even our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) experienced sadness upon the loss of his wife and uncle. Hence, sadness is not a sign of weakness in any form. To experience sadness is to be human. Having strong faith, or Imaan does not render a believer to be an exception to the emotion of sadness.
Rely on your Imaan to combat depression
Alhamdulillah Imaan assist us with the tools to combat depression and hopelessness. There is nothing wrong with accepting and acknowledging your grief. The strength of a believer is not that he remains strong by dwelling in denial or drowning in numbness, it is that he never loses hope despite all the pain and grief. That in essence is what true faith is.
If you feel yourself being chained down by your trials or you have been imprisoned in your depressive thoughts and hopelessness, here are few ayah of Qur’an I’m sure will be of great assistance through your darkest days and will help to rekindle some light at the end of the tunnel Insha Allah
1. “No soul is burdened with more than it can bear”
Don’t ever forget that Allah (SWT) will never burden you with something that is beyond your capacity to deal with. Even on days when you feel as if you cannot take it anymore, know that you can survive it- for Allah (SWT) knows us better than we know ourselves and whatever trial you’re facing in your life, know that He also gives you the strength to handle that trial.
2. “With hardship comes ease”
Allah (SWT) promises His believer that “For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease” (Quran 94:5). Under deep explanation from exegesis we understand that after one period of hardship comes two period of ease so we should always trust His word. Even if the suffering feels endless and you feel yourself getting exhausted from the weight of it, do not lose hope for there is ease and something even better waiting for you right around the corner. Nothing remains forever, not even hardships. And those believers who hold on to hope and faith in Allah (SWT) and adopt patience amidst their difficult times are then rewarded in ways human beings cannot even imagine. So, remember, this too, shall pass.
One Incident and best antidote for depression
During the life of the Prophet (s) for six months revelation was delayed and the Messengerﷺ was being taunted by the Makkans “Your satan has deserted you.” He ﷺ was feeling very dejected and deserted by Allah. He wondered if Allah was displeased with him and did not want him as a Prophet anymore. Thus, Surah Ad-Duha was revealed to console and help the Messengerﷺ to overcome his anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
Humans in their most beloved relationships can struggle to communicate and understand each other’s needs, but Allah tells us in the Quran that He understands our thoughts and experiences in a way nobody else can apprehend. This connection, of knowing someone is with you and understands you no matter what, can be a great starting place for emotional security.
“And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.” (Quran, 50:16)
“…When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks (something) from Me, I give him, and if he asks My Protection (refuge), I protect him”. [Al- Bukhari]