Seeing Mental Health From an Islamic Lens

“Your Thoughts Control Your Life”

You might’ve been told, “your thoughts control your life” countless times. This saying gives insight into the beliefs underlying western psychology and its interventions. Mental health in the West places a huge emphasis on managing your thoughts as a way to handle negative emotions. Many professionals suggest handling depression or anxiety by practicing techniques that ease the mind, such as journalling or mindfulness. This approach may be helpful at first. However, it places the responsibility solely on the person affected, without consideration of a higher power.

The idea that we are in absolute control of our lives not only contradicts our faith, but is also detrimental to our emotional wellbeing. Let’s take success as an example. From an individualistic perspective, people tend to attribute their accomplishments solely to their own efforts without considering privileges, community, or divine intervention. This creates a belief that people who need help lack dedication or are simply undisciplined. Thus, people lose empathy for anyone struggling due to circumstances outside of their control.

Failure Means One Thing…

Not only does this mindset influence the way we perceive others, it also impacts how we perceive ourselves. Imagine you studied very hard for a test. You were expecting an A+ but you instead received a C. This would be a huge hit to your self-esteem and would discourage you from working hard on future assessments as you’d believe that your efforts are not worthwhile. You’d adopt the belief that, “if I fail at something, I’m not good enough.”

As Muslims, we believe in the power of Allah, The Almighty, over His creation and that everything exists and occurs, only by His Divine will. From an Islamic perspective, you’d believe that you prepared the best you could instead of blaming yourself, so the results were not because YOU were a failure, but because The Almighty had other plans. This is the 6th pillar of faith—believing in His Decree, both the good and the bad. This explains why part of our worship is to rely on Allah, The Almighty through dua. Being certain that Allah wants the best for us is crucial to our wellbeing. It’s only reasonable that you feel stuck and alone when you’re given strategies that focus only on your control over a situation. To understand this issue better, let’s delve into some of the shortcomings of western psychology.

The Slogan of Wellness: “You’re Not Alone” 

It’s ironic how western society emphasizes that “you are not alone” in the context of mental health, when in reality, it values individualism and rewards self-centeredness. On the other hand, Islam teaches us the importance of togetherness.

In a hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him (PBUH) said, “None amongst you believes (truly) until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself".[^https://sunnah.com/muslim:45a]

The moral of this hadith undeniably contradicts the individualistic values that makes everyone preoccupied with their own benefit. 

This relates to the point I made previously about believing in Divine decree. If you believe that everyone is in competition for a limited amount of “good,” then it’s no wonder why envy is so widespread. This toxic mentality is part of the vicious cycle of competition, distrust, fear of sabotage, and isolation. Additionally, this opens an avenue of comparison in terms of self worth and self-esteem. 

Contrarily, the Prophet PBUH teaches us that the foundation of good faith is a heart free of envy and hatred. It’s true that wishing good for others makes you at ease in your own affairs and helps to maintain trust in relationships. This hadith serves as a foundation for developing a sense of unity by warning us that envy is a major source of division within communities. It has become clear that by discouraging selfishness and envy, our faith helps to build a community of caring and loyal people.

The Believers Are Like One Body

In another hadith, emphasizing the role of community in emotional and mental wellbeing, the Prophet PBUH said, “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever".[^https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:224]

Our religion encourages us to develop a sense of camaraderie amongst each other. These Islamic values build the foundation for support and care within a community. Since Allah, The Almighty, created us as social creatures, He sent the Prophet to emphasize the importance of social unity and the dangers of isolation. We know that having good companions is crucial to our mental health, so Islam fosters trust to ensure that people don’t feel alone when facing tribulations.

A More Holistic View of Mental Health

In addition to the guidelines for maintaining a physically healthy body, which I unfortunately don’t have the space to discuss here, Islam expands the definition of wellbeing to encompass the wellness of your spirit and heart. There are many instances in the Quran and hadith where the heart is described as the root of disease. Corrupted hearts are filled with envy, arrogance, greed, self-amazement, etc—all of which are accompanied by a weakness in faith and disapproval of Allah’s decree. A corrupt heart is a warning that a person has become very distant from Allah, The Most Glorious, and a disregard for His blessings. Despite not being a physical ailment, a corrupted heart hinders any efforts made to attain mental wellness.

The Most Merciful says that: “ But whoever turns away from My Reminder will certainly have a miserable life”.[^https://quran.com/taha/124-134]

The Almighty highlights the need for humans to connect with Him, in order to feel a sense of tranquility, peace and fulfillment in a world full of temptations and chaos. It is now clear that it’s impossible to separate spirituality from wellness. 

“You’re Depressed Because You Don’t Pray Enough” 

In order to improve the wellbeing of our Muslim community, we must first acknowledge the mental health stigma that many born-muslims and reverts face. Unfortunately, this issue has not been handled with much care and consideration in our Muslim communities. People are still overlooking the dangers of stigmatizing mental health and its impacts. 

Most of the stigma we face is fueled by dismissal and invalidation. Mental health issues are not equated to physical illness. There’s a widespread belief that mental struggles are not real because they’re invisible. However, they leave a significant impact on people’s lives and wellbeing, nevertheless. You might have experienced a situation where you confided in a community or family member and shared your struggles with depression or anxiety. Instead of validation and support, you may have been dismissed or told that your faith is weak. Maybe you were told to pray more to become happier, or have more trust in Allah, The Almighty, to ease your anxiety. While prayer and trust in Allah can be an important source of comfort and strength, reducing mental health struggles only to a matter of faith is incredibly invalidating. This stance overlooks the complexity of people’s experiences and can discourage them from seeking the professional care and support that could be life-saving.

Amongst Muslims, reverts are especially vulnerable when dealing with misconceptions about topics that have been mishandled by our community. It’s important to fact check using reliable resources before believing anything, especially about culturally taboo or stigmatized topics, like mental health. If you heard something and it’s not sitting well with you then make sure you seek a scholar or a person with knowledge of Islam to help you verify it. ​​

Counselling As a Tool for Muslims

On the topic of stigma, there's a common misconception that seeking therapy means you have weak faith in Allah, the Almighty. This idea is dangerous because just as we are instructed to take medicine when we are physically ill, seeking mental health support is part of our responsibility towards ourselves and Our Creator. Our body has been entrusted to us by Allah, The Almighty, so we must take care of it until we are returned to Him. Moreover, having trust in Allah is not a passive action. You have to take all the possible means while you are putting your trust in Him. Therapy can be just that—a means of healing and a source of strength and support for you. In fact, finding a therapist who understands your beliefs can aid in your healing because without a shared understanding of your spiritual needs, therapists will continue to miss a crucial piece of the puzzle. 

If you’re struggling with mental health, know that your struggles are real and valid, and your feelings are important. Help is available, so try seeking it, and don’t fall victim to the myth that patience—which is highly valued in Islam—equates to ignoring your pain. May Allah, The Almighty, ease your affairs and your mind, and place tranquility and peace into your heart and may He reward you immensely for every struggle you’ve endured. Ameen.