Muiz Bukhary – Silent Struggles – Mental Health in Islam
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
We begin by praising Allah Abu al Amin,
the Lord of all worlds, the exalted, the
most merciful, the most compassionate.
He is the one who is a salaam,
the source of peace,
the one who grants
peace
and tranquility
to our hearts, the hearts of the believers.
We glorify him. We praise him. We exalt
him
for his infinite wisdom and mercy
which permeates all aspects of our lives
including
our mental
and emotional well-being.
He is the one who knows the innermost
thoughts, the innermost
emotions,
the inner most secrets of our hearts and
our souls.
He is the one who provides comfort,
who provides
tranquility
in times of distress,
and guides us to the light of understanding
and peace.
Moderation
in all aspects of life,
including our mental health. And he provided us,
he taught us supplications,
prayers,
duas
that offer
peace, that offer comfort,
that offer solace in moments of anxiety and
grief.
We ask Allah to bless his noble family,
his righteous companions, and every single individual
who embraces his teachings, who embraces salaatuljum'a'a
to
salaatuljum'ah to bring in a life of taqwa.
And that is to be conscious of Allah
during every single second of your lives. And,
oh, my congregation, you must do this if
you wish to attain victory,
if you wish to attain success in this
world as they as well as the hereafter.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us all
from the people of Taqwa, and may he
make us from the victorious and successful ones.
Amin.
The title for my sermon today,
Silent Struggles.
Silent
Struggles. And I want to address a topic
that affects many of us yet often remains
shrouded.
This topic remains
often remains neglected in our communities.
The topic of mental health.
You see, as muslims, as believers,
we are guided by our faith, by our
deen
in all aspects of our life.
All aspects of our life, we turn to
the Quran and the sunnah of Muhammad sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam. We don't cherry pick. We
don't say, oh, for this aspect of my
life, I turn to the Quran and the
sunnah, but these aspects, I do it out
of my own accord. No.
For every single
aspect,
every single facet, we are expected
to turn to the Quran and the teachings
of the prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam.
So what is the Islamic perspective on mental
health?
Islam teaches us
that the well-being
of the mind, of one's mind is just
as crucial
as that of the body.
Amaker, he says in the noble Quran in
Suratul Rad,
which is the 13th chapter, ayah number 28,
Unquestionable
without
a shadow of doubt.
It is through
the remembrance
of Allah
that hearts
find
peace.
That hearts
find
peace.
It is through the remembrance of Allah
that hearts find solace.
Their hearts find tranquility.
Their hearts find peace. So this ayah
very beautifully
highlights the idea
that the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
is a powerful source of peace and tranquility.
So a strong connection with Allah,
no doubt, provides
comfort.
It provides resilience.
It provides
strength. It provides tranquility.
It provides well-being to the mind.
But it is also important to recognize
that experiencing
mental health challenges
does not mean
one's faith is low.
It does not diminish one's faith.
Just as physical ailments
affect the body,
If you fall sick,
you are not going to immediately
see this is a stigma that needs to
be
touched on.
When someone is ill, we don't question the
faith of that individual.
We don't question the faith of that individual.
Then why or why
when someone is going through a mental challenge,
do we immediately question the faith of that
individual?
We immediately question the faith of that individual.
Yes. It is established that a strong connection
with Allah will help you. No doubt.
It will help your physical ailments as well
as your mental ailments.
But someone
experiencing
anxiety,
depression,
mental health challenges,
you should not arrive at a swift conclusion
to determine that that individual
is now suffering because of low iman,
low faith. Islam encourages us
to use the means available to us including
professional help whilst simultaneously
seeking the help of Allah. With the physical
ailment, does Islam teach us to only take
medication?
No. You are supposed to seek the help
of allah
and take medication.
Seek the help of allah, go to the
doctors.
Seek the help of allah.
Take whatever means necessary
to arrive at a cure.
And the prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam, he
acknowledge this. The seeking of the the seeking
of the help of Allah
pairing
it with looking for a cure. There's a
hadith that has been recorded in the book
of imamal Bukhari, rakimahullah, the prophet sallallahu alaihi
sallam report we have said, there is no
sickness,
there is no disease
that Allah has created
except that Allah has created its cure as
well.
Except that Allah has created
its treatment as well. If we have not
found the cure as of yet found the
treatment as of yet, it does not mean
that the disease does not have a cure,
that the disease does not have a treatment.
Why? The messenger tells us every disease,
every sickness created by Allah, Allah has created
the cure for it as well. So this
hadith encourages us.
If you are afflicted with the sickness, if
you are afflicted with the disease, to look
for the cure whilst simultaneously
placing your trust in Allah and seeking the
help of Allah.
Now look at this hadith. It's a beautiful
hadith recorded in the book of Imam al
Bukhari, rahimullah. I want you all to pay
close attention because people tend to ask, Sheikh,
I'm going through this mental challenge.
I have anxiety issues.
I have I'm undergoing depression. What do I
do?
What do I do? So I'm going to
give you some action items.
And given that this is a Friday sermon,
I want to touch on cures from the
sunnah of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
So please pay close attention.
There are beautiful duas taught to us by
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. One such
dua is the one recorded in the book
of Imam al Bukhari Rahimahullah.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, he teaches
us. He used to read this dua.
Muhammad salawaturabi
wa salamahu alaihi.
He used to read this dua.
So it is upon us as well to
memorize the dua. To read the dua. To
fortify our minds.
To strengthen our hearts. What is this dua?
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, he reads,
Allahumma.
Oh Allah.
Allahumma.
Oh Allah.
Indeed, I seek your refuge.
I seek protection by you. I seek your
protection, You Allah. From what?
Minalhammi
walhuzin.
Walajazi
wal castle.
Wal bukhli waljubun.
This is the dua.
So oh Allah, I seek your protection.
I seek your protection from anxiety.
Allahu Akbar.
Is this not the issue I was talking
about? A lot of us, we're having panic
attacks,
anxiety.
So what is the what is the teaching
of the messenger telling us?
Again, I have to reiterate.
I've established that you have to seek the
help of Allah and seek whatever means that
is required. If you have to go to
a doctor, go to a doctor. If you
have to go to a counselor, go to
a counselor.
Seek means seek professional help. I'm not undermining
that. You need to pair it with this.
That is a holistic and this is why
I started off by saying that the prophet
enlightened us with regards to a balanced and
moderate approach. Don't go to either one of
the two extremes. Don't discount the help of
Allah
or on the other hand, discount
seeking professional help if it is required.
So the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, he
teaches us. Oh, Allah, I seek your protection
from
anxiety
and grief
From sadness. From grief.
From weakness
and laziness.
From
being capable. You know, at times, you feel
like you hit this low. You're not productive
at all. You feel like you're not productive.
You're in this abyss.
No motivation whatsoever. You are zapped.
So, the prophet teaches us,
the word where you don't feel like doing
anything. You don't feel like getting out of
bed.
They have a term for it now, rotting
in bed,
rotting
in bed.
The older generation might not be too familiar,
but the younger generation, you know, rotting in
bed. You rot in bed the whole day.
You don't feel like getting out of bed.
No motivation.
You don't feel like
in the sense, you're at work but you
don't feel like doing anything. You're not productive.
The dua teaches us.
And laziness.
Laziness.
Procrastination.
We're having all of these issues. SubhanAllah.
Allah.
And from
the burden of deaths from sorry.
From
stinginess.
While jubun and being cowardly.
Cowardly. The
burden of deaths.
And also you Allah protect me from being
overpowered by human beings. So, this powerful dua
from the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam teaches
us how to seek the help of Allah
in regards to this.
So my dear,
brothers and sisters in Islam,
you have to understand, Allah says in the
Quran,
that Allah does not burden a soul
more than or beyond
what that soul can bear. So this verse
is a very strong reminder
that whilst the trials, the challenges that we
face may seem overwhelming,
in the infinite wisdom of our of our
maker,
we have the strength
we have the strength to endure it.
We may have not discovered it.
We may have not realized that we have
the strength, but our maker has placed within
us the strength to surface,
to navigate
through the trials and the challenges. The prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam himself,
being the prophet of Allah, the most beloved,
he experienced moments of deep sorrow, deep anxiety.
Time does not permit for me to go
into the to the moments and the stories
behind it. SubhanAllah.
A year that was named year of anxiety,
year of sorrow, year year of grief. He
loses two borders of support.
His wife, Khadija and his uncle, Abu Talib.
So he goes into a period of deep
anxiety and sorrow,
but he demonstrated
patience.
He demonstrated
reliance on Allah
teaching us that, yes, as you go through
sadness,
as you go through anxiety,
seeking the help of Allah, turning to Allah
are essential. They're they're paramount steps in coping
with these challenges and difficulties.
So, in terms of a few action items
as I conclude, number 1, establish
your regular prayer.
Allah says in the Quran,
seek the help of Allah through patience and
prayer. So this is action item number 1.
Oh, slave of Allah.
Seek the help of Allah through prayer. Number
1.
Number
2, maintain strong connections. The prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam, he emphasized the importance of community,
of social ties. In today's world,
loneliness has become a problem.
Loneliness
and isolation
have become major
contributors
to mental health.
You know the hadith where the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wasallam tells us that this entire ummah
is like one body. One body along the
lines of these words. Even if one part,
one limb were to ache or to be
in pain, the entire body aches in response.
So we must make this conscious effort to
maintain family bonds,
to visit your family members,
to offer support in times of need. You
never know when a friend of yours, a
relative of yours is drowning.
And when I say drowning I do not
mean literally.
I mean metaphorically
in emotions,
in grief, in anxiety,
in body, and they don't know how to
figure it out, you know. It's it's so
chaotic inside their heads. The voices inside their
heads. So if you are not going to
maintain these bonds, how are you going to,
subhanallah,
figure out
that someone is going through a very challenging
time to offer them a shoulder,
to offer them a comforting pact, to offer
them at times, all they need is a
listening ear.
I'm sure you are aware locally
as well as abroad,
individuals who have been in such situations,
Allah forbid,
because of, at times, not having anybody to
turn to,
they end up taking their own lives. May
Allah protect
the ummah, protect our brothers and sisters.
So at times, all it takes is, you
know, a reassuring word, a comforting word.
You know, I'm there for you.
I'm there for you. You know, all it
takes is that.
So at at times, just
cause this
drastic
shift in the mindset of an individual.
But subhanAllah, we are so absorbed
in our own
bubbles
that we tend to, you know, forget to
lend
a listening ear or a shoulder to others.
So, we must maintain family bonds, my dear
brothers and sisters. Physical
health and mental well-being, Islam encourages us to
take care of our bodies. This includes regular
exercise. It includes a balanced diet. It includes
good sleep, hygiene, good sleep, because all of
these factors,
they're closely linked to mental health. Lack of
sleep can cause a disruption in your mental
health. A bad diet can cause disruption in
your mental health. Lack of activity can cause
this, you know, disruption in your mental health.
The prophet tells us that your body has
a right over you.
This is very important.
And lastly, practice moderation and balance. You have
to understand my dear brothers and sisters, if
you go to either one of the two
extremes, you're going to this is going to
lead to burnout. It is going to lead
to mental exhaustion.
So to prevent burnout, I must dedicate another
sermon for this. But, you know, to avoid
this strive for moderation, strive for balance
so that you don't end up being exposed
to prolonged stress. May Allah protect us all.
And lastly, seek professional help as I highlighted
earlier on. If you
are struggling or you know someone is struggling
with mental health issues, do not hesitate to
seek the right professional help. May Allah, subhanahu
wa ta'ala, guide us to find the right
professional help. It can be in the form
of a counselor. It can be in the
form of a
scholar. It varies. I can't say that a
scholar would fit every situation.
It depends on the situation. It is subjective.
So, you must you must do some research,
speak to people in the field and find
out who you're supposed to reach out to
and seek professional help. Because at the end
of the day, seeking help from all avenues
that can provide support and healing for you
or the person who is struggling is important.
So I conclude, my dear brothers and sisters
in Islam,
by mentioning a few
ayaat and duas from the Quran and the
sunnah of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
We pray, you Allah, ease our burdens and
relieve our worries.
Hadith is in Bukhari as I mentioned earlier.
Oh, Allah grant us hearts that are content
and minds that are at peace.
Ayah number
25 in Surah
Oh Allah, protect us from harm and grant
us safety in your refuge.
Hadith is recorded in the book of Imam
Ibn Majah. Oh, Allah. Remove and take away
every sorrow, every distress, every anxiety and grief.
Aya, number 87 in Surah Al Anbiya, which
is the 21st chapter. This is the dua
that Yunus alaihi salaahu alaihi salaam repeated so
many times.
Oh Allah bless us with strength to endure.
Oh, Allah pour upon us patience,
make our steps firm, and give us victory
over the disbelieving
people. This is in Surah Al Baqarah, ayah
number 250.
This is David versus Goliath.
Allah. Hadith is recorded in the book of
imam Muslim.
Allah, guide us to the light when we
overwhelmed by darkness.
The dua of, Nuh alaihi salatu wa salam.
Oh Allah, I'm overpowered to help me.
Allahumma
and then you have this dua,
the ayah hasbi Allahu lahilaahu
Oh, Allah is sufficient for me. There is
no god except Allah. On him I rely
and he is the lord of the mighty
throne. This is in Surah Al Tawba, aya
number 129.
And lastly, my dear brothers and sisters, in
Surah Al Baqarah, aya number 286.
Oh, Allah grant healing to our hearts and
our minds.
Our lord do not impose blame upon us
if we forget or make a mistake. Our
lord do not lay upon us a burden
like which you laid upon those before. These
are all ayat and duas that we can
read, my dear brothers and sisters, seeking the
help of Allah. May Allah
grant each and every one of us ease
and unite us in the gardens of Jannah
in the companionship of our beloved prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Amina minuaqir dawaihi and
alhamdulillahi
rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi
rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi
rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi rabbilahi
rabbilahi