May 175 min read

Mental Health and Islam

Updated: May 18

Abdur Rashid

Introduction

Sayidunna Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA) narrated

I heard Allah's Apostle ﷺ saying, "The correction of the action depends upon the intention and indeed every person will have the rewards according to his intention. So whoever migrated for Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ then his migration will be for Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ. And if a person has migrated for the world, so he can obtain the benefit from the world or he has migrated to marry a woman, then his migration will be considered accordingly to what he has migrated for."

One-in-four adults and one-in-ten children experience mental illness during their lifetime. Mental health is described as, “a state of well being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities and can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” [World Health Organisation]. Psychology is the study of the mind and mental processes, especially in relation to behavior.

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems,your thinking, mood, and behaviour could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
Family history of mental health problems

“All that is in the heavens and the earth prostrates itself, whether willingly and unwillingly, before Allah; and so do their shadows in the morning and in the evening.” [Surah Al-Ra’d 13:15]

“And to Allah falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth”

in the same sense that every creation of His must obey and submit to His Physical law in every detail. The only difference between the submission of a believer and an unbeliever is that the former submits to it with a willing heart while the latter is forced to do so against his will,for it is absolutely beyond his power to oppose it.

What is psychosis?

Psychosis refers to those that do not experience reality in the same way others do. Clinically, symptoms are referred to as positive and negative. Positive symptoms describe experiences and behaviour that are not usually present, while negative symptoms describe what is missing that should normally be present.

Most experts agree that the most common positive symptoms of psychosis are:

Hearing voices

Also known as auditory hallucinations which are noises heard when there is nothing there.They often sound like a person or a group of people talking about you or to you. ‘Voices’ can be pleasant but are often nasty and may make the person distressed and uncomfortable.

Thought withdrawal or insertion

A feeling or belief that your thoughts are either being taken away or put into your mind

Visual hallucinations

The experience of seeing things that are not really there (‘visions’).

Tactile hallucinations

The experience of being touched or touching something that does not exist.

Olfactory hallucinations

The experience of smelling something that is not really there.

Experience of control

A feeling or belief that you are under the control of an external force or power.

“And remember your Lord in your mind, with humility and fear, and without raising your voice; remember Him in the morning and evening, and do not become of those who are negligent.” [Surah Al-A’raf 7:205]

The command to remember the Lord signifies remembrance in Prayer as well as otherwise, be it verbally or in one's mind.

Anxiety disorder: feelings like stress, panic and worry can be near constant, severe and worry can be near constant, severe and hard to control.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder that affects an individual's concentration and attention.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disorder characterised by difficulty with social interaction and communication.

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that affects a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder that affects how a person perceives themselves and relates to other people.

Depression is more than being in a low mood - it can leave people feeling severely sad, empty,hopeless, or guilty for weeks, months or even years.

An eating disorder is when a person’s relationship with food becomes abnormal, forcing them to change their eating habits and behaviours.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder which causes people to experience obsessive thoughts followed by compulsive behaviours.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by events in a person’s life that involve real or threatened death, severe injury, or assault.

Schizophrenia disrupts how someone thinks, their understanding and perception of the world around them, and what they may see or hear.

In the Noble Holy Qur’an there are three different types of nafs.

The first is nafs al-ammārah - Evil Soul: “Indeed the nafs that overwhelmingly commands a person to do sin” [Surah Yusu 12:53]. It is that nafs which is ruling over the self. When the nafs has any desire, any wish, any appetite, it simply commands us and dominates us.
Second type of nafs is known as nafs al lawwāmah - Good / Evil Soul: “And I swear by the reproaching soul.” [Surah Al Jinn 75:2] This is that nafs sometimes they commit sin and sometimes they can stay away from sin.
The third type is nafs al-mutma’innah - Content Soul: Always promotes good deeds. To the righteous it will be said, “Oh reassured soul, return to your Lord well pleased, and pleasing to Him.” [Surah Al Fajr 89:27-28] Content with the hukm of Allah Almighty, there is nothing else that makes them happy.

There are some very concerning statistics relating to mental health:

Three in four mental illnesses start in childhood
75% of mental illnesses start before a child reaches their 18th birthday, while 50% of mental health problems in adult life take root before the age of 15.
10% of school children have a diagnosable mental illness
75% of young people with a mental health problem are not receiving treatment. Children with depression and anxiety are often not being identified or given help.

The topic concerned is one which is not spoken of openly in the Muslim community leaving many people to feel they cannot or should not speak about the ordeal which they have suffered. Sufferers often feel that developing something like depression is a stigma, which should be kept hidden and not spoken of. The research by Time to Change revealed that there has been a shift in younger generations, who are more willing to talk about mental health issues. But older generations are more impermeable in their beliefs and maintain that mental health issues are down to laziness, weakness of character and shortage of faith - Imaan.

Changing minds to become better Muslims

Prevention is at the heart, because the best way to deal with a crisis is to prevent it from happening in the first place. For example, by providing the right information, guidance and support in childhood and adolescence, the chances of developing mental health problems and straying away from Islam can be reduced for people over a lifetime, with enormous benefits to the individuals directly affected, along with their families, friends and the communities they live in. Having a stable mental health is vital for Muslim individuals to have a positive outlook in life.

AbdurRashid.

Alimiyyah Graduate, school admissions officer and student of Shaykh Faizulhaq Abdulaziz حفظه الله