Psychology and Islam

Welcome back. What can we learn from psychology to help us overcome challenges? And how does therapy relate to Islamic teachings? We had the pleasure of interviewing halibut nanny at the being me conference, halibut nanny has a Master's of clinical psychology with 20 years of experience within the field of Islam and psychology. She is also the host of her own TV show with Halla which combines principles of psychology and Islam to help people reach their potential. Let's hear how she combines these two areas to help her clients overcome their challenges.

Welcome to the show. Hello. Thank you for having me. So now I want to, you know, build on your expertise in the field of psychology. So explain to us when when I think of psychology, I think of psych 101 and undergrad a couple of years ago, back in the day, that's all I remember. So explain to us what it what is psychology in relation to the kind of work that you do? Okay. Psychology is my passion. So it's amazing, because it's understanding the human being, it's understanding the psyche, the personality, their background, right. And when you understand that you have such a better grasp of knowing how to motivate someone how to make, how to change them, how to bring out the best. And

so it's really going into the, into the core of the person, what makes them who they are. And how do you, you know, you've really been a pioneer in this field with over 20 years of experience within the field of psychology in Islam, and we don't, you know, I guess we were starting to hear about it now. But it's not such a common, I guess, area or field where you combine psychology and Islam. Is there a way while you did it? So how do you meld the two together? Okay. Hamdulillah, I think it was really important to have the Islamic background, I had a very solid Islamic education, and putting everything that I studied through the Islamic Center and in the Islamic framework. So it was really,

it everything is within the Islamic framework and hunter law. And I find that it's actually so much more effective than solely working on psychology, because when I was working at the VA hospital, and I was working with non Muslim clients, and we couldn't mention religion at all, you weren't allowed to, we were not allowed to Okay, it was interesting how everyone wanted to talk about God and spirituality, I

brought that out, and then maybe, but we had to really avoid that. And that's when I decided to focus on the Muslim community, because we have so few individuals going in the field actually 2025 years ago when I was studying, you know, when not hardly anyone was taking that course. So I said, I want to dedicate my life to providing the service for the Muslims. And I saw such a huge difference in being able to apply the Islamic principles because it's really who I love the unzila Sakina to loop in many writers is Allah who puts the trans tranquility in the hearts of the Muslims. So if someone is suffering from depression, someone is anxious, then it is really through a law and that

connection. So within my field, I'm always getting them back on track. So it's combining Dawa, which is a passion of mine and psychology together, in helping them not only get on the right track, but also emotionally deal with their issues and their relationship. So you didn't mention a lot about you know, there is an Islamic framework that you try to that you combine together, what is the, I guess for for all of our viewers, what is that Islamic basis that you come that you come to the table with, when you're addressing issues, it's really important to understand have a very good solid understanding of your APA, right, knowing the CIP because there's a lot of and although I

don't address the CIP issues, if any one thing comes to me, I focus on my area of expertise, and I direct them to the shoe to address the CIP. But you have to have more rulings or rulings in Islam. But it is really important to understand those principles to know what it is that we're asked to do our obligations, our duties, and have it always be in sync. And using that as a source of also inspiration to get people to go above and beyond. So like my motto is to inspire people to live and love for a higher purpose. So when you have that understanding that it is through your relationships that you can attain paradise, then that totally changes the paradigm. Absolutely. So how what are

some, you know, from a psychological perspective, what are some challenges your clients bring to the table when it comes to, you know, this idea of acceptance and dealing with things in a in a in a peaceful and I guess, resolved way. So I get some clients coming in. Because they've had problems in their childhood. They've been neglected, maybe some have been abused physically, emotionally, sexually. There's some cases of domestic violence issues. So it really boils down to helping them understand that everything happens for a reason and one of the names of Allah that really guides me in my

My life and guides me in doing therapy is the name and hiking the most wise, right? So when you know that everything is part of a master plan, and it all happened for a reason, and you can try to extrapolate those lessons, that's when the shift occurs. So a lot of times I will ask my clients, you know, what, what was good about this? or What did you learn from this? And even when it comes to issues like sexual abuse, and that kind of thing that's addressed what I asked not what was good about it, but what did you learn from this? Okay, right. So, initially, they'll be like, nothing, nothing. This was just a horrible experience. But then as they start reflecting on it, they're like,

you know what, it made me be a lot smarter. It made me stronger, I'm more cautious. Now. I had a case where an individual was abused. So now, she is the headmaster of the school, and she's educating children, so hundreds of children are being educated on this. So you can take those experiences that seem very traumatic, and use them in a way to make meaning, right, give it meaning and that way, it's not something that victimizes you, it empowers you actually, and you ever got clients who just you know, I just kind of like, despite all of that, or just say, you know, I'm just, I don't know how to deal with it, I'm just fed up Absolutely. Many times, they are stuck and

be playing the victim role. They are very depressed and very hopeless. So I try to get them back on track spiritually, because as a man, as a believer, there is no room to be hopeless, right. And third use of i 87, it says that no one despairs from the mercy of Allah except the disbeliever. Right? So if you call yourself a believer, then there's always hope. And then you know that no matter what your issues are, no matter how bad your relationship is, no matter what you went through in your childhood, if you turn to a law, and you give it your all and ask very sincerely, he will, he will show you the way. And just for a non Muslim viewers, this idea of you know, having hope is

something that's universal, right? Whether or not you're a Muslim, sure, it's still something that's important to have in life. Absolutely. And I think, you know, as as a Muslim, we prayed in 17 times a day, we're asking our Creator for guidance, because we don't think that just by being a Muslim, we got a VIP pass. Exactly.

Yeah, to work hard. And so it's that sincerity of asking. And I think a lot of times when people have a turning point in their life, right before that turning point, they have made a sincere supplication. They've turned to their Creator, and they said, guide me, show me the way. And when you ask, then amazing things happen. is leaving me speechless. So this is great. Where can people go to learn more about you know, you've done a lot of work, you also host your own TV show. So if people want to learn more about your work, what's the best way to read you? On my website, it's Khalid banani.com, which is h a l, e, H. And banani is be a na ni.com. And on my Facebook, I'm

always posting trying to give inspiration and guidance so they could look me up there as well. Perfect. This was such a such an inspiring and hopeful conversation. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me on. Hey, YouTube, we hope you benefited from this video. If you liked it, or if you did, let us know in the comments below. And if you're interested in learning more, check out some of our other videos. And don't forget to subscribe so you can get new videos every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.