Mental Health

Ebrahim Bham

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Channel: Ebrahim Bham

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Alhamdulillah

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Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala ala Nabi Avada a Mavado for the villa humanus shaytani R rajim Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem,

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and levena Manawatu my inocula Woombie decorilla Allah BT crill toma Inula. Kuru said Allah Allah Zim.

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My dear respected elders and brothers.

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In every age,

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we have certain types of challenges.

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Sometimes even sickness and illnesses,

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which are more common

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than others. This has always been part of history.

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One of the challenges that we, as Muslims and humanity are facing,

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together with the COVID pandemic, which has caused great amount of turmoil in the individual and collective life of humanity

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is something that I would like to speak on today,

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which many times is not spoken about. And that is about mental health.

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And the reason why I'm making mention of it, it is one of the illnesses and sicknesses which have become quite common. Perhaps it has been exacerbated because of what is happening in COVID, and people's uncertainty with regard to the situation. Now when I speak about mental health, I'm going to speak about the aspect of the stigma attached to it.

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And why it has become one of the reasons why it is not given the importance and why we do not deal with it sufficiently. And also, given some aspects with regard to how Islam has taught us to deal with it, the holistic

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way of dealing with it, I'm not going to speak that much with regard to the medical aspects of it, because I'm not an expert in it. But I will just sort of briefly explain with regard to what is regarded to be mental health, and what is the common understanding with regard to it. Mental health is all about our mental well being. And it includes our emotional, psychological and social well being

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on the converse, it includes psychotic disorders,

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personality disorders, mood disorders, it has a great impact upon our individual life, especially people who go through it. It determines how we handle stress,

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how you handle challenges, how you relate to others, and how you make choices in your life.

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mental health disorders exist in broad categories.

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It includes anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and they are different manifestations of that. For example, one of the disorders or one of the manifestations of that is anxiety. So excessive worry, which sometimes may even result in panic attacks,

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depression, which has low moods for long duration, sometimes that low moods can go for one week, two weeks, sometimes four months. And that particular low mood disorders, results in such a mental state of a person, that sometimes it even leads to him taking his life.

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And whereas we know that in Islam, to take one's life is not permitted. What sometimes people do not make the distinction is, one is taking one's life When one is fully cognizant of one's faculties. And one knows what is one what is doing and one is where a person doesn't have control over what he is doing. And that leads to him taking his life because of mood disorders, because of personality disorders. And we need to make that distinction because unfortunately, we become so judgmental in in our situation in our community today that we don't make that particular type of distinction. So sometimes it is this depression. Sometimes it is bipolar, and when we talk about bipolar, we talk

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about two polls. So two polls means to varying degrees of moods. So sometimes you are on a low sometimes you on a high. So basically what I'm just showing you is the definition of mental health. The examples of mental disorders, as I've said this is not so

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much, from my perspective giving you no talk on the mental, or the medical aspects with regard to it, but just for us to understand the definition. Now one of the difficulties we have had

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in dealing with mental health has been the stigma.

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Previously, they used to be a greatest stigma nowadays, with some awareness, the stigma is slightly less previously to be to be honest, you know, and while sometimes we romanticize our past, there were aspects of our past that were not very, according to Islam. So normally a person who had mental health in the past, we used to call him almost like, you know, I pagando. He is he's crazy, he is mental, without any consideration of helping him without giving any particular way of trying to deal with the matter. You know, it was just sort of taken his his mental, his gondola leaving one side, and let him suffer the consequences as the people who are the caregivers at what they went through

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with regard to it. So and today, what is actually happening is also that we might not go to that extreme that was done previously, but we still regard him to be weak.

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And it is still regarded to be a stigma that people who have it or even the families who have people who have mental health issues, they normally what they do is they try to hide the sickness, they try to hide the person away from the community and society, and they hide him away. And this is so so sad. I'll give you some typical examples of how we deal with people who are in depression, or how we deal with people who have mental health issues. So sometimes we will tell people, pull yourself together, it's all in your mind.

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Pull yourself together, it is only in your mind. Well, yes, sometimes it is in your mind, because there's a chemical imbalance in your mind. But when we say it's only in your mind, we don't mean it in that way. We'll pull yourself together, it is only in your mind. Well, it is like telling a diabetic patient who we never actually stigmatize to that extent. In someone who's a diabetic, we take it to be a sickness and illness. No one ever tells her diabetic pull your pancreas together if your insulin will create insulin on its own. Why do we then tell a person who has mental health Pull yourself together is only in your mind, we don't tell a diabetic patient that pull your pancreas

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together, it will create insulin. That is one way of dealing with it, which is so incorrect, like pull yourself together as if he has a choice in the matter. He doesn't have a choice in the matter. Right. Sometimes it is beyond him. He needs assistance, he need medical assistance, he need other type of psychological emotional assistance. The second aspect is with regard to it is many attended. This is so unfortunate. When a person is has mental health issues or depression issues. We tend to make it into a situation that he doesn't have a man

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UI depressed because you don't have a man you have lack faith, you don't have enough to work or you don't rely upon Almighty Allah subhanho wa Taala sufficiently now tell a person who has high blood that you don't rely upon Almighty Allah subhanho wa Taala sufficiently to ever do that. When a person has high blood, then we do take necessary steps with regard to dealing with it. Why is it different a person has mental health issues? And we say that no, you have you have you have no Eman.

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Sometimes it's not to do with the man, he might have more human than what we have. But we have this whole particular stigmatization with regard to it. Now, let me give you another example with regard to it many times what we do with regard to the stigmatization of mental health issues is, we just refer it to you know, Jadu now I don't deny the aspect of Jadwal because the Quran has made mention with regard to it, but to say each and everything of a person who has certain signs of mental health issues, that this is Jadu it is it is undermining the situation. And it reminds me of a little bit of a humorous type of joke that a woman you know, had stomach disorders and she had stomach pain. So

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she went to a mana as it is normal a lot of people, but I bernucci You all know what these mean? bernucci is a Gujarati term that say it is outside forces meaning it is black magic, it is Jadu. So it is something that is outside forces, external forces bernucci. So this human goes to the Maulana who who goes and checks checks the woman up, realizes that has nothing to do with external forces, the the woman is pregnant. And because of pregnancy, she's got this odors and she's got, you know, a nausea, etc. And she's got stomach pains. So the Manasa burner, namely under torture. It's not something to do with outside forces. It is something that is inside her body, she is pregnant. Now

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this is how we sometimes undermine the aspect and this is something now is this justified? The three ways that we normally deal with depression

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in mental health issues, sometimes we tell a person he doesn't have enough human. Sometimes we say it is in your mind, it is not serious, you know. And thirdly we sometimes just refer it to Jabu. Now let us look at it from the Islamic perspective.

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One of the aspects that we have to say that one of the as I said that mental health is also part of psychological emotional, you know, challenges is the thing that coke creates mental health issues. Now, the Quran tells us that the Ambien he was Salatu was Salam experienced emotional challenges. They were not immo immune to emotional challenges. One of the most beautiful examples in this regard how Allah Tala dealt with it, and how you and I deal with it, as it Meriam when she miraculously conceived, obviously she was worried she was anxious. Such was her anxiety that Allah Tala said she made mention of a statement. It's such a statement that taken out of context people will see you

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know, how do you make such as the year later the mid to Kubla Hara? If only I could have been dead before this day. Welcome to NASA man see if only I could have been forgotten. No one could have made mention of me. Here Allah Allah was about to reveal one of the greatest signs of Allah's greatness through her Allah was about to reveal one of the greatest signs of Allah's greatness through her and here this was a situation have been so anxious she said if only I could have died before this. And I could have been forgotten no one would have taken my name. What Allah Tala till till Allah Tala tell her that she could no faith did Allah Tala Tala she could no Eman What did Allah Tala do Allah Tala

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reassured her Fernanda Harmon Katya alerta has an e o Meriam do not become grief and said do not do come anxious

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do not become Fanad Allah does Caja Allah, Allah will create a way with regard to your anxiety. And then what Allah Tala did Fernanda

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rabuka Wahoo si la ke BJP NOC Allah, Allah Tala Tala to go and stay at a place where there was clean water and there was a date palm and Allah Tala said shake the date palm Wahoo CLA keep it to circuit la ke Ruta ban geneia Fresh schedule for and that is very very important and very nutritious for women who are in pregnancy.

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Look at how Allah then Allah says for coolie what should I be eating during and be comforted for a matter a nominal Bhushan Yaga I find the so amazing if anyone comes to speak to you for only in in Rahmani Saman Philando, Colima Lian that today I have taken a fast of not talking that time there was a fast just as you don't eat in the previous religion they were fast of not talking for the entire day. It actually might do us a quite good nowadays.

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So one of the reasons that I find it so interesting is because one of the major reasons of causing more trouble to people who have mental health issues is the negative statements people talk to Allah Tala told her that you tell when anyone come to talk to you say, I have taken an oath. I'm not speaking to anyone today.

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Because many of these issues is because of the negative statements again. Let me give you another example. As it Iacobelli Salatu was Salam had such emotional challenges after the disappearance of use of Ali salaam, we know the issue we know the incident. I want to I want to refer you to a verse in the Holy Quran. With the year that a woman Allah muslim,

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his eyes became white, his eyes do weaken because of grief and sorrow.

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He had weak Weak Eyesight and according to Unreal it even became partially blind or completely blind, because of sorrow would be that a no Minal Husna. So Hannah Nebia Karim saw Selim went through challenges to such an extent that we all know anyone who reads a Sierra knows that there is one year the 10th year of Prophethood that is known as omul husen. The year of sorrow for the Prophet. Why because in that, particularly the year he lost his era, the Allahu ta he lost. As you know, he lost as the Altana Abu Talib, his uncle, who although not become a Muslim, who has a pillar of support to him. It is known as Amazon Nebia Kareem sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to make dua

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and tortoise this dua Allahumma India will become in a hammy will hosel yeah Allah yet we say we create a stigma with regard to it. Allah I seek Your protection, from sorrow from from unhappiness from distress.

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This is a reality. How can we say that this is not the reality when we give you example two or three

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How ambi Ali was Salatu was Salam. We're not immune from emotional challenges. And then for Muslims to be in the in the aspect with regard to creating a stigma about it is so unfortunate.

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Why? Because we were the pioneers with regard to mental health. We were the pioneers with regard to mental health. The first psychiatry Ward, known as Daru. Shiva was built by a Muslim physician in the eighth century. It dealt with matters in a holistic manner. He dealt with, you know, mental health issues in a holistic manner as I will go on to explain Abubakar Razi, he studied medicine conducted the largest dedicated psychiatry ward. Amazingly, after the holistic treatment that was given in this particular hospital. After the discharge, they were given a certain stipend for them to stay and to remain independent. It is part of what today is called relapse prevention strategy.

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One of our great scholars Abu Zaid al Belfie. And remember both is in were both in Afghanistan. Right. Abu Zaid al Belsky wrote a book in which he diagnosed one of the aspects and one of the

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mental disorders, obsessive compulsive compulsive disorder, and him describe it almost verbatim as the way it is regarded to be in modern psychiatry.

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So near we are the ones who have become created a stigma one of the things that I like to I'm going to make mention with regard to it, we have become so insular, we have become so narrow, that we have lost touch with our heritage, our heritage was not as narrow as what we are today in our own community and society. We this whole particular aspect of piety being insulin, you know, being so narrow, it is not the way of Islam. Islam was progressive Islam was something that looked upon things and looked upon this one particular aspect of you know, stigmatizing mental health. It is part of our narrow, insular way of looking at things which is not part of our Sharia and is not part

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of our teachings. Now, since Islam is so comprehensive, one of the ways with regard to Islamic method of dealing with it is holistic wellness,

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dealing with things in a holistic manner. And when we talk about mental health is not only about you know, the aspect of one one aspect of wellness, it is a wellness in for, for amongst many other ways, physical health, intellectual health, emotional health and spiritual health. When you have wellness in these four, four categories, then you will have holistic wellness. Let me give you some broad examples with regard to that. Physical health we all know with regard to it, the health of our physical, you know, body is vital to our entire well being, maybe a cream sauce sallam said a strong believer is better to Allah than a weak believer. Now, the alarm I have made mentioned that

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sometimes this world particular aspect means spiritual, spiritual strength, the person where spiritual strength is better than the one who has spiritual weakness, but some will Am I have said it also includes physical well being physical strength. A believer who is physically strong he can do more about it he can help people more he can be a greater asset to the community than the one who is weak. So when maybe a cream sauce looser mineral away Hiram in a minute that if when am I have made mentioned is also part of physical well being. We don't take enough care with regard to our health. And yet Allah Tala and our beloved Livia Karim sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has given us so

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many great examples with regard to taking care of our health. Look at the aspect of Islam emphasis upon cleanliness. Allah loves those who are clean. Allah wa creme saw some said to her Rooney's full Eman cleanliness is part of you know, half of Eman we didn't need to be told with regard to washing our hands, you know, all the time. You know, with regard to cleanliness, maybe a cream sauce Lama said find a barakaatuh Tom, the burrito of eating is to see to it that you wash your hands before and after eating. We never need to be told to sanitize, because that is part of our legacy. It has always been part of our teachings. So this is, you know, share Saudi Aramco Lolly makes mentioned

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with regard to this whole beautiful aspect of, you know, the example of how we don't take care of our health gives an shucks it was of course, a power to us to give small incidents, which used to give very important lessons. So for example, to give an example of a person, a king who has gone into an expedition, and in the expedition, he took people with him there was one person who was making everyone's life in the expedition of Missouri. He was constantly complaining about C motion and seasickness. And he was saying this is such a terrible expedition. So the king one person came to the king one day and said, Just give it to me. Allow me to try

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Allow me to cure him from this excessive complaining. So how will you do it? He said, Leave it to me. One day he got food strong people took him in threw me into the ocean, right? And thereafter when he threw him into the ocean, he put a lock to it. And somehow the other he came back, he came back to the ship after that there was no complaining. So the king said, How did you complain in through this whole particular method? So he said, he under estimated the safety the ship was given him in the perils of the depth of the ocean. Once he realized the depth of the ocean and the dangers that are lurking there, and he came back to the ship, then you realize the safety that the ship was

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providing? So she excited Rahmatullah. He says, We, all of us, we underestimate our the, our health until sickness overtake us. Then only all of a sudden we will say what we had our health Why didn't we look after our health? Nemea Kareem sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is spoken, just talking about this mental health Nebia Kareem saw Salam spoke about the aspect of Kobina and this is this is made mentioned in the hadith of our beloved, maybe Kareem saw Selim that you know, the aspect of taking Albina for the sick and for the grieving person and in one rewired it makes it is relaxation for the heart of a sick person.

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It is relaxation for the heart of a sick person, it keeps him away from anxiety while he is sick. So this physical health is part of the holistic wellness that we are talking about. The second aspect with regard to you know, holistic wellness is intellectual wellness. And that is why Islam has paid so much attention towards knowledge, corrupt disegni Ilma Allah increase me knowledge and our video so let's say someone sent me a clip, you're a small, you know, humorous type of clip or small humorous type of image. They say one person was in a in a examination, and he was asking his friend, you know, for for tips with regard to cheating in the examination. So the friends send him one small

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type of paper. So you got happier maybe the answers have come you in the paper. So when you open up the paper, he said corrupt visit nail Ma, or like Chris me by knowledge, you are supposed to make the DUA and you're supposed to prepare not now come as people at the time of examination with regard law speaks about the aspect of intellectual well being the Hunahpu lie of Tahuna BIA, people have hearts and they don't, they don't understand. They don't use it to understand when to lie or smoke. They have ears but they don't want to listen to the truth and good things when

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you're small. And they have eyes and they don't want to see the truth or they don't want to see good things. They are a number who Mazel they are like you know animals and even they are worse than animals. So this whole particular therefore maybe a cream sauce, some seeds, a hadith al hikma to volatile movement, wisdom is a lost property of the believer wherever he finds it, he goes in acquire it. The one of the reasons why Islam has made alcohol Haram is it before the intellect it takes away your intellect. Look at a person who is drunk. One person one day told me he was a Muslim person who was a lawyer. And he said he was once you know at the end of the year party, you know at

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the end of the year, what they have this whole particular aspects of the closing of the entire year. And he said he was absolutely you know, embarrassed that people who were supposed to be so great in terms of intellect because of alcohol, how they were carrying on how they were behaving. I said when we thank Allah Tala that Allah gave us a religion, that that particular aspect which distinguishes between a person who has intellect and doesn't have intellect, Allah has made it haram. So this is a reason why Allah Allah has made alcohol Haram is because if before the intellect, then of course the emotional well being which I've already spoken about. And then lastly, let me say one of the aspects

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with regard to you know, wholeness and wellness and holistic wellness, spiritual, spiritual wellness, and spiritual well being, we cannot have a healthy and a positive life without a strong and positive connection with Allah subhanho wa Taala and Latina among

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those who have Eman with that my inoculum their hearts find contentment with the remembrance of Allah. Allah be the green light at my inner guru, only in the remembrance of Allah Allah has found contentment many times I feel that one of the reasons why we have to tell people with regard to drugs etc. Is there is a vacuum in their life and they are trying to fulfill and create and fill that vacuum was more entertainment and you know drugs is supposed to give you a high so therefore they take to it but at the end of the day, that vacuum is not going to be filled by materialism anything material.

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Ever notice with regard to a child who give him the best toy after two days that whole particular toy which he was crying about is on one corner he is no more happy with it. It's part of what you are seeing the days Allah doesn't isn't created contentment in material things.

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You buy the best particular gadget your best particular phone after one year you say this is nonsense.

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And I want another one. The people who used to have computers which were that, that time were regarded to be the marvels of technology. If today you got it so you got a dinosaur. And this is a reality. Allah hasn't created the aspect of contentment in material things. What Allah has kept it contentment is in remembering Allah. The more we remember another more Allah, Allah will give us that particular aspect and he would, who discards Allah. Listen to this verse in Surah Omen Rodin decree for Enola Houma he shall

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we ever neglect the remembrance of Allah. I don't know how do I translate them?

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Allah will make his life narrow.

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Allah will make his life constricted. There will be construction in every aspect of his life there will be no Baraka in his risk. There will be no Baraka in his time, there will be no Baraka in his relationship, there will be no blessings in any aspect of his life. I don't know if a better way of describing this verse woman Arada and victory for in Allahumma Schatten Vanka Yuri used to forget Allah Tala every aspect of your life will become restricted. And that is why one of the beautiful ways you know I always tell people one of the ways to remember Allah and it is so uplifting is to read the morning do us brothers make a point of reading the morning to us in going to see what is

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the meaning of those morning to us. Allah wa Habima NetMeeting Obeah Hardiman Kalki Furman Kawada kala Sharika follicle hamdulillah Kushok Allah whatever nemetz me or anyone of the creation is this morning. It is because of you follicle hamdulillah cashew All praise is due to all gratitude is due to you as BANA Allah.

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Allah filter Islam what Kalamata Allah has what Allah Dena Bina Muhammad is awesome. I have got up this morning upon the fifth of Islam upon the dean of Nivea cream sauce upon the middle of Ibrahim Alayhi Salatu was Salam. Ala can you get a more befitting way and a more better way of starting your morning starting your day? Allah when Mama as Bobby minimum, you know, Allah Romania is back to mean come in, but you are forgetting we're sitting in fact my family and Matakohe raffia Tico silica Feedburner Allah, Allah, I have spent this morning with your Namath with your affiliate with your concealment Allah If Allah doesn't conceal us and conceal our deeds, we will not be able to walk

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with respect and dignity amongst people. For me, alien amateur Coca Cola, Centrica will not continue your off yet, continue your concealment, continuing. It's upon us. So brothers, in let me just sort of say, we started the aspect that one of the challenges of our age is mental health. I gave a small definition with regard to mental health, saying I'm not a medical expert, but just to us to understand the aspect with regard to it. Then we said that there is a stigma with regard to it. I gave examples of that stigma. I think it is so sad. Because I'm dealing with salatu salam, we're not immune for emotional challenges, examples of which I gave, then I said, Well, how can we be amongst

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those who stigmatize this because we were the pioneers of addressing this whole particular aspect of mental health. And thereafter, I gave you the example of four four ways of having holistic wellness, to be able to save ourselves from in every aspect with regard to mental health, health issues, mental disorders or any other type of disorders. May Allah give us a topic of understanding and we can work through that one