Islamic and other Spiritual Teachings to Cope with Stresses of Life
By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
26 May 2021
Reciting Quranic verses, Chanting Vedic
Shlokas or Hymns from other religious traditions And generally Keeping Oneself
engaged with scriptures Is The Greatest Way Of Coming Out Of Mental Stress
Main Points:
1.
The
feeling of being alone is one of the main reasons for mental stress.
2.
Acutely
distressing incidents and happenings leave medically almost incurable scarce.
3.
A
cohesive and harmonious atmosphere is a cure for mental stress.
4.
Greeting
with ‘Assalam u Alaikum’ getting replies, in ‘W Alaikum Assalam’ and listening
to the Imam’s speeches are counselling models of fighting the stress.
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Photo courtesy: Islamic Online
University Blog
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Life is an amalgam of various kinds of
happenings and incidents coping with whom are sometimes beyond the wisdom of
humankind. Many of those acutely distressing incidents leave medically almost
incurable scars that need religious and spiritual cure.
Most of the times man is not responsible
for his stress on the individual level as it is because of the natural
disturbances that are not within his capacity to control. Some of the times our
mental stress is the result of our wrong social decisions. A human being has a
tendency of having unlimited expectations that creates a bubble of hollowness
around him and when that bubble bursts he finds himself alone in his self
created hollow world. This feeling of being alone is one of the main reasons
for mental stress.
Being excessively emotional whether in love
or hatred can be one of the main reasons for the mental stress a human being
suffers. The disturbing emotional relationship creates a feeling of loneliness
and the feeling of being unwanted. This traps people in the net of mental
stress that is often difficult to come out of.
A mental disorder is not something that
comes into being in a day or two. It rather takes time in taking shape. The
signs of individual falling prey to mental stress starts showing in his actions
and reactions and it continues for quite a long time and here comes the
responsibility of a society where he lives. If the person concerned is living
in a harmonious atmosphere, people around him take notice of the stress he is
under and start his treatment.
Cohesive and Harmonious Atmosphere: A
Cure for Mental Stress
The human being is emotional by birth.
Emotion is one of the psychological traits ingrained in his self. Being
emotional is not bad but as is said excess of anything is bad. Even being extra emotional towards the happenings
of society also sometimes makes living difficult. There is nothing new in it,
the human being has always lived and coped with emotional bursts. As the Holy
Quran describes in the following verse:
Indeed,
mankind was created anxious. (Ayah al-Ma`arij ) -
Sahih International
Anxiety is embedded in a human being’s
birth as the above mentioned verse says but the Holy Quran also disapproves of
being impatient. Allah is All-knower and Ash-Shaafee so He consoles His
creation and says:
So, surely
with hardship comes ease. (Surah Ash-Sharh: 5) — Dr
Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
Islamic code of ethics and social values
command the followers to be in the company of noble and positive people.
Attending Namaz in the mosques and listening to the speeches delivered by the
Imams from the pulpit is like being in a cohesive and positive gathering, that
imparts a man a lesson of responsibilities towards the society and a sense of
belonging. The responsibilities of the Imams includes talking to the attendees
of the prayers in the form of Khutbah and making them aware of the prevailing
social issues. If warranted it is the duty of the Imam to discuss the ways of
coping with the situation in authentic Islamic ways in the light of the Holy
Quran and Hadees.
Meeting people in mosques during the
prayers, greeting them with ‘Assalam u Alaikum’, getting their replies, in ‘W
Alaikum Assalam’ and listening to the Imam’s speeches and Khutbah are Islamic
counselling models of fighting the stress and other psychological problems
through the feeling of attachment, importance and belonging.
Unavailability of a harmonious social
environment is one of the reasons for the mental stress one experiences so
Allah, the Most Gracious commands people to be a part of the society and
deliver good deeds and restrain from mischief. Consider the following Ayat:
And seek the
(betterment of) the Ultimate Abode with what Allah has given to you, and do not
neglect your share from this world, and do good as Allah did good to you, and
do not seek to make mischief in the land. Surely, Allah does not like the
mischief-makers.” (Surah Al-Qasas - 77) — Mufti
Taqi Usmani
John Bowlby J. writes in “Maternal care and
mental health”. Geneva: Monograph World Health Organization; 195”:
“Having a secure
attachment has been linked to the overall wellbeing, coping, better mental
health outcomes, enhanced self-esteem, and stronger relationship functioning.”
Medical Fraternity, the Frontline
Workers and Their Mental Stress
Psychologists and psychiatrists believe
that the world is going to see a big surge in psychiatric disorders among the
medical fraternity, frontline workers, cured patients and their friends and
families in particular and common man in general. The brunt of devastation and
the havoc unearthed by the Covid-19 pandemic will have a long-lasting effect on
the psyche of the world. No corner of the world has been spared the ill fallout
on the social and economic consequences of the disease. People have lost their
near and dear ones in large numbers and it has left scars on the psyche of
humanity. In such a gruesome scenario it is the responsibility of every
sensible being to provide moral support that is greater than gold. Communities
need to visit people and talk to them in such a positive manner that may create
a sense of belonging and fraternity. More than anything else to fight the
chronic psychiatric disorder, a sense of belonging and a sense of being a part
of society will be the best cure in the given circumstances.
All religions have spiritual contents that
are very soothing to the human mind. Therefore lessons from spiritualism
describing the importance of man in the world will have to be narrated to them.
Spirituality is a soothing experience. It causes comfort to the human mind. And
comfort is the keyword to bring back a human mind to the originalities of the
world. Religious gatherings giving spiritual lessons have to be of great help
in soothing the disturbed mind.
There have been occasions during the
lifetime of the Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad Pbuh when he has felt
distressed but he always maintained his faith in the mercies of Allah, the Most
Merciful and came out of his sorrows. The Holy Quran says describing His
Apostle’s sorrow:
‘Then perhaps
you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad] if they do not
believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.’ (Quran 18:6)
Islamic awareness and its recognition of
medical science have been responsible for various reputed names in the field of
medicine. The first hospital of the world established in Iraq had the first
psychiatric ward in Baghdad, Iraq established in 705 CE by the famous Islamic
physician al-Razi as he believed:
‘Mental
disorders needed medical cure that was to be treated through psychotherapy and
drug treatments. (Murad I, Gordon H. Psychiatry and the Palestinian population.
Psychiatric Bulletin. 2002;26:28–30)
The pandemic in its second wave has left
deep scars on the face of humankind that needs to be cured with the engagement
of all of us, in whatever way we can. Let us all come to the front and be
counted as ‘front workers’ in fighting the psychiatric disorder of our fellow
beings. It is necessary to bring them out of the delusions (وسوسه)
that they must be experiencing. Strokes of delusions are experienced because of
various unpleasant incidents where one feels helpless in doing something he
wants Our ‘front workers’ must have gone through tough times of helplessly watching
their patients die in front of their eyes.
Religious scholars believe that reciting
Quranic Ayaat, Shlokas, Religious hymns and keeping oneself busy in religious
works is the greatest way of coming out of the mental stress, as Ibn Taymiyyah
says:
I have not seen
anything that nourishes the mind and soul, preserves the body, and secures
happiness more than continuous reading and contemplation of the book of Allah.”
And Allah knows the best.
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Arman Neyazi is a columnist with
NewAgeIslam.com.
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