Holistic Healing: Islam’s Legacy of Mental Health
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Prophet Muhammad's Approach to Mental Health | Holistic Healing Series
Did you know that the Prophet ﷺ laid down the groundwork that was used by Muslim scholars to identify mental health conditions? For those who believe mental health can be addressed solely by having strong faith, it is worth noting that many prophets experienced intense emotional challenges. Tune in to the first episode of Holistic Healing with Dr. Rania Awaad, as she discusses the prophetic guidance to dealing with mental health challenges.
This series was brought to you in collaboration with the Stanford Muslim Mental Health Lab.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his family and companions. Welcome to a new series on the history of Islam and mental health. Although the topic of mental health has received a good bit of interest lately, there are still some people who really don't believe in the topic of mental health at all. Some Muslims say that mental health issues are a Western construct and they don't really apply to them. Others say, all I need is strong faith. And others might say, the Prophet Muhammad never saw a therapist, why should I? And what they may not realize is that the Prophet Muhammad not only acknowledged and addressed psychological challenges, but that he himself laid the very groundwork for generations of Muslim scholars after him to discover, classify, diagnose, and even treat mental health conditions. In this video, inshallah, we're going to talk about some examples of the Prophets themselves, alayhimusalam, and how some of them experienced intense emotional challenges, and how the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, encouraged us to deal with our mental health difficulties. Let's start with the Prophets, alayhimusalam, and ask ourselves, were they immune to mental health difficulties? The Prophets, yes, they were the best of all of creation, but as humans, they also experienced grief, stress, and other emotional difficulties during their prophethood. There are many examples where the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, himself experienced intense sadness. One of them was a year-long episode of bereavement after the death of his wife Khadija and his uncle, Abu Talib.
His grief was so intense that historians coined this period of time of his life, ma'amul huzn, or the year of sadness. And earlier in that same year, there was a social-economic boycott placed upon him and the early Muslim believers that contributed to the stress that would exacerbate his year-long struggle with grief. Then, take the example of Prophet Ya'qub, Jacob, alayhimusalam, who suffered from a prolonged period of grief after the separation from his son, Sayyidina Yusuf, or Joseph, alayhimusalam. The Qur'an describes Jacob's sorrow that eventually led to the weakening of his eyesight, and according to some of the scholars, even potentially blindness altogether. In Surat Yusuf, we read, وَبِيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَغْلِيمٌ that his eyes turned white out of grief that he suppressed. And in the Qur'an, also, it speaks about the importance of managing your grief and coping with stress. In the following ayat, for example, it highlights how the Prophet Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wasalam, experienced physical and psychological health were really affected by the care and concern for those who opposed the message of Islam. فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعُ النَّفْسَكَ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ إِلَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفَةً O Prophet, will you grieve yourself to death over their denial if they continue to disbelieve in this message? And so then he was instructed by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, فَلَا تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَاتً Do not grieve yourself to death over them, O Prophet. So in these examples and many others, we see that like us, the Prophets were not immune to psychological and emotional difficulties. Now let's turn to how the Prophet ﷺ encouraged us to deal with our mental health challenges.
The Prophet ﷺ really helped us cultivate healthy attitudes regarding coping with illness and disease. For example, he taught the companions that suffering can actually be a blessing from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with many benefits. And he said, فَإِنَّ اللَّهُ بِيَ خَيْرًا يُصِبْ مِنْهُ But whoever Allah intends good for, He actually sends them affliction that betters them. This cognitive reframing that the Prophet taught us can actually help us reduce the stigma associated with suffering. That you can have someone who is deeply suffering but is also deeply beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Because Allah tests those whom He loves the most. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also said, How wondrous is the case of the believer. There is always good for him in everything. That if prosperity attends to him and he expresses gratitude to Allah, then this is good for him. And if adversity befalls him and he endures it patiently, then this is good for him. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that the importance of embracing and acknowledging your own emotions. While also managing the narratives that we tell ourselves in our own heads following a difficult event. You can see this in the words of his own story when tears were flowing down his cheek. In holding his son Ibrahim, taking his last breaths. Where he said to him, Indeed the eyes shed tears and the heart feels sorrow. But we do not say except that which is pleasing to our Lord. Your departure O Ibrahim for which we are deeply saddened. So notice here that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ acknowledged his own sadness, spoke about it. But also highlighted the importance of being careful with our words.
That when you focus on coming to terms with reality and accepting the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala contentment. It is that that allows for healing. The Prophet ﷺ also taught us how to regulate our emotions. He taught that if we, he taught the companions and gave them practical advice. Situation specific advice, like if they were angry and they were standing, then they should sit. And if they were sitting, they should lay down. He also taught that we should take time to take care of ourselves. He taught us the importance of holistic self-care, healthy eating and healthy sleeping habits. That contribute to psychological well-being and health. When one of the companions Abu Darda decided to commit his entire life to worship. Salman al-Farisi said to him, Inna lirabbika AAalayka haqqa, wa linafsika AAalayka haqqa, wa liahalika AAalayka haqqa, faAAti kullathee haqqin haqqa. That your Lord has a right upon you and yourself has a right upon you and your family has a right upon you. So give each their right. And when this news reached the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he said, Salman has spoken the truth. But what Salman was doing, he was merely repeating what he had heard from the Prophet ﷺ himself. Who taught the companions the importance of holistic living. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also taught the companions not to bear the brunt of suffering and silence. But to seek out and find cures for all the illnesses, including psychological ones. He said, Tadawu ibadallah, fa inna Allah lam yada'ada'an illa wa wada'a ma'ahu shifa' illa al-haram. Seek out cures, O servants of God. Seek out cures. For God has placed for every illness a cure, except for old age.
Years after the death of the Prophet ﷺ, his wife Aisha became familiar with all kinds of herbal medicines and healing. Her nephew Abdullah ibn Zubayr asked her, he said, and I understand that you have gathered a lot of knowledge about the bloodlines and lineage from your father, Abu Bakr, who is an expert in these matters. And I understand how you came to know so much about Islamic jurisprudence because the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught you this. However, what I don't understand is how you came to be so and have so much knowledge about medicine. So she responded and she said, the Prophet ﷺ, when he would fall ill, the various Arab tribes would send all kinds of remedies and herbs to try to heal him. And from there stemmed my interest in medicine. We also find that it's not surprising that Sittin Aisha radiyaAllahu anha was amongst the earliest Muslims to diagnose and to treat illnesses, including psychological illnesses. In fact, she would often prepare a special dish called Talbina, which was a soup made of barley, milk and honey, and use this to actually treat those who are experiencing anxiety, depression and even bereavement induced psychosis. And when she was asked about this, she said, I heard the Prophet ﷺ say that Talbina helps the ailing heart cope and find rest and relieves sorrow and grief. So this is proof that physical remedies can be used to treat emotional ailments. We were also taught by the Prophet ﷺ to reduce our anxiety through prayer and dhikr and supplication. That the Prophet used to focus his psycho-spiritual healing in prayer. And he would say to Sayyidina Bilal, arihna biha ya Bilal, O Bilal, allow us and call the adhan to allow us to find comfort in it.
And the Prophet ﷺ would recite the Qur'an alone in prayer at night, pausing between each of the verses in order to internalize the meanings carried within it. Because the Qur'an speaks of this peace bringing quality, ala bi dhikrillahi tatma'innu al-qulub, that surely it is the remembrance of Allah to hearts find comfort and rest. The Prophet ﷺ also had a morning and evening dhikr routine in which he would often remember Allah closely. And Anas ibn Malik radhiAllahu anhu taught us that the Prophet ﷺ had this morning dua that started with, O Allah, I seek refuge in you from worry and grief. And so, how is it that you can have a tradition that literally teaches us how to make dua in order to seek refuge from worry, grief, sadness, and then try to say that Islam does not acknowledge mental health. Let's remember that the Prophets were sent to us as role models. And that the last of the Prophets, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, came to teach us and exemplify for us holistic well-being. And his teachings were the very impetus that allowed Muslims to become the pioneers in the field that today we call mental health. So be sure to watch the next videos in the series to learn more about how Muslims were at the very forefront of some of the greatest advancements in the field of mental health. So let us revive and uplift our rich heritage and holistic well-being. And it's time that we shine the spotlight on our incredible legacy. This legacy inshaAllah on mental health that we should all be proud of and move forward.
Walhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.
Welcome back!
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