1 in 4 is the amount of people we are told have, or will have, a mental health problem at some point in their lifetime. 1 In fact, recent research puts this figure higher, at 1 in 3. 2 Is it any wonder when we are constantly bombarded with images of suffering and destruction worldwide or faced with the effects of discrimination? This figure does not exclude us as Muslims. We should not regard this with some form of arrogance that we are immune to mental health problems just because we are Muslims. The only thing that does make us different is that we have Islam to guide us through such problems, alhamdulilah.Â
These figures actually suggest that it is highly likely that you know at least one person who is currently facing a mental health problem, even if they have not divulged such information. Unfortunately, despite such a high prevalence, there still exists stigma around the issue, particularly in some Muslim cultures.Â
Despite the Islamic solutions to coping with and curing mental health problems, social stigma around mental health can cancel such positive effects, considerably decreasing the quality of life for the one fighting a mental health problem. It’s high time that we as Muslims, face up to the facts – mental health problems do exist, and yes, they are present in members of our Ummah (1 in 3 or 4).
Sitting back and ignoring this issue will not help our Ummah in any way. In fact, it will only hold us back from moving forward by not supporting our own brothers and sisters that are in need, that are right on our doorstep, in our own communities. In the Prophet’s 
time, stigma did not exist, so why do we allow it to happen today? People in his time were not afraid to come forward and ask for his advice and help when faced with mental health issues and they were not discriminated against for doing so. If we are truly following the Sunnah of our Prophet , we wouldn’t allow it to happen today. 
People are often afraid to approach the topic due to misconceptions about mental illness: that people with mental illness are dangerous and are not able to maintain social relationships, when the truth is that they are already going through enough trying to manage their mental health problem to have to face such stigma and discrimination. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine a time when you felt discriminated against. Perhaps your were discriminated against for being a Muslim (or anything else: the color of your skin, your nationality, age or gender,etc.), as many of us are at some point. You might have felt like going into hiding. You might have felt like retaliating. You might have even pitied the discriminator for their lack of tolerance for something they do not understand, for basing their opinion of you on misconceptions about Islam. Remember how this made you feel. The person who is being discriminated against for having mental health problems is possibly feeling one of these things as well. These kind of feelings are what will prevent them from seeking help for their problem which can have devastating knock on effects. They might have a hard time going forward to seek the necessary treatment for their illness, whether it be through Islamic or medical means. This will lead their illness to get even worse.Â
Stigma is not the problem of the one with the mental health problem, but the problem of the misunderstanding community. This is something that must be addressed if we are to move forward successfully as a united Ummah. Often, you might not feel like you are treating someone differently or stigmatizing a person because they have mental health problems. However, stigma can often be manifested in more discrete, covert ways. It might be in the way you look at them, or the way you fail to include them in conversation that has more of an impact on them. It may also be overt when you abuse them verbally or physically.
People with mental health problems need support, to know that people care, not to be discriminated against. It is not Islamic to treat anyone this way, Muslim or non-Muslim. All of us have a responsibility to make the issue of mental health one that can be discussed freely without fear of discrimination so that our brothers and sisters who are silently battling with such problems can feel comfortable to come forward and talk about their problems and seek the necessary assistance to help them get through their illness, insha Allah.Â
May Allah 
make it easy for us to make mental health a topic that is embraced fearlessly and may He help our brothers and sisters with mental health problems to overcome their illness successfully.
Please let us know your suggestions and ideas on how we can overcome the stigma that’s attached to mental health in the comments section below. We would love to hear your views.
- Â World Health Organization, 2001 ↩
- Â psychcentral.com ↩
Comments
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Islam and mental Health
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63 replies on “Mental Health Awareness: Working Towards a Stigma Free Ummah”
Thank you Sis. Hannah for this important and passionate reminder. I think articles such as yours are an excellent way to overcome the stigma attached to mental health problems.
Jazakallhu khairan for your kind comments, i pray that our Ummah will be able to work together to make things easier for our brothers and sisters with mental health problems
salam . empathy and sympathy is needed to address this problem
Assalaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
It is sad that we have such prejudices to deal with in society and for most of the cases we cannot do anything to change the attitudes of the vast majority.
However for the Individual and close friends & relatives of the person stricken with this illness, methods of coping will include encouraging and supporting each other, attending counseling and following the advice of the medical professionals and also understanding the facts around the illness.
The very common component of this illness comes to each and everyone of us in the form of extreme stress during critical periods of our life. I am also a revert to Islam and encountered such severe periods of stress during parts of my life in the past that I had to resort to professional counseling and taking prescribed medication for some of those periods. However in Islam, I found the miracle of Salah in Jama’ah as well as the practice of reciting quran (verbally and audibly). I have the major difficulty of not being able to read arabic but use an English transliteration copy of Quran that I have together with the recordings of some of my favorite Quran reciters. I usually put on the recording and follow with the transliteration and in that way I try to get the pronunciation right as well as get used to the surah/s itself. I have fairly good proficiency in a few surahs and have recited the entire quran this way a few times as well.
The bottom line is this: I always found a great sense of relief of all stress through this recitation and for the past few years have never missed recitation every morning after fajr alhumdulillah. I usually recite for about 45 minutes after fajr. During times of extreme stress, I recite an additional amount in the evenings as a form of medication for about an hour to 90 minutes just for that specific occasion when the stress really has me down to the level where a person would ordinarily take tranquilizers. However each and every time I miraculously feel a sense of relief but without feeling overcome as I would if I had drugs. Just a sense of ease and peace.
Alhumdulillah I strongly recommend the recitation of quran even of you do not understand the words because I certainly dont understand Arabic nor can I read it but yet feel the healing power. I do make efforts to read the meanings and also the tafsir but certainly my level of understanding is very far from what it should be.
I hope more people can make serious efforts to practice recitation this way as I sadly see so many of my brothers in the Musjid silently reading quran. I envy that they know how to read arabic and can go through the quran with such ease without the need for any recording to accompany their practice. However they seem to neglect audible recitation. Quran was meant to be recited and heard. At least to recite it softly enough that the person can hear for himself at the very least.
Anyway, I have an excellent remedy which I have had to resort to quite often as life does not fail to come up with stress on a regular basis. May Allah help us all to get this blessing and may he increase our reward and bless all Muslims and protect all who strive in his way with his mercy, peace and blessings, Ameen.
Alhamdulilah, Islam has the solution to all problems that people can encounter and im so pleased that you have found solace during times of distress in our beautiful deen.
Wasalaam,
The article is so encouraging, Felt good, as my son is a scizophrnic,i feel disheartened seeing him in that state.My trust lies only with Allah and hoping for His mercy.
Social stigma, is there. giving plenty of love n care unconditionly is required.print m other media should keep sending articles to create vast length of awarness, so that it reaches to every spectrum of society,which may arise a sense of fear and understanding.
Allah is the Most Merciful and i pray that Allah will make things easy for you and your son in managing his diagnosis. I think awareness is absolutely the key in reducing the stigma and making it easier for those who are going through these difficulties and I hope this article will contribute to this and encourage others to do the same.
Assalaamu alaykum,Dear sister thank you for being understanding and upfront about mental illness among the ummah I know 1 brother that has been diagnosed with a mental illness and I myself have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder I live in the U.S. and I can understand at that point in my life I was at a low point and wasn’t a good Muslim I still prayed but I would still have bad character and after some time in a facility with a Muslim doctor as my caretaker I felt much better and turned my life around sometimes we just need to do what Allah said and pace ourselves with patience on the seen learning about ourselves as well as the way of AnNabi alayhi salaatu wa salaam because as you said we have Al Islam to guide us through Barak Allah feeq ukht keep reaching out Allah is with you wa salaamu alaykum
wa alaikum salaam, jazakallhu khair for your kind comments. I am pleased to read that Islam has made things easy for you in times of difficulty, may Allah continue to keep you strong in eeman
Sister Hannah Jazakallah khairan may Allah increase you in wisdom and knowledge
Ameen, jazakallahu khair for your du’a
I would like to appreciate author for her effort to make us realize about mental health illness and its stigma. And appreciate brother Osman for his insight into dealing with anxiety by reciting and listening to Quran no doubt that is the best remedy a muslim could have it, As Allah SWT has “shifaa” (Cure) for all the diseases in it.
I wanted to read more from the author how to deal with , stress, anxiety and depression which are very common mental illnesses we face now a days, since, author has vast experience in counselling and is a qualified psychologist. And may be Author could offer to help in counselling by e-mail or skype would have been a better option (paid/Free).
We know that stigma is not resolved only by discussing it only, since its it is a tabo in many of our socities if we start even discussing mental health, it will create heated argument within two people. And one who is suffering from mental health problems may not be knowing it also.
Jazakallhu khair for the appreciation. Indeed, you are right, the Qur’an does have the solution to all ailments, including stress, anxiety and depression.
Insha Allah i plan to address the topic of managing such problems in future articles so keep an eye out.
I currently work as a Muslim Youth Counsellor for the IOU so am currently offering counselling assistance to youths in distress. There are adult services and specialist services in addiction also available at http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/counseling/counsel.php .
I hope this helps
Alsalaamualaikum sister Hannah jazakiallah khairn very good and important articale hopefully May Allah Subhanahu-wa-Taala make it easy for us to make mental health a topic that is embraced fearlessly and may He Allah Subhanahu-wa-Taala help our brothers and sisters with mental health problems to overcome their illness successfully.(as it said).may Allah bless you.
wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatuliah wa barakatuh, ameen to you du’a for all the brothers and sisters going through difficulty right now
True indeed that our ummah on back foot already due to political constraints and over and above this denial attitude of majority of Muslims towards social problems and ills including psychiatric diseases ranging from adjustment disorder due to various setbacks in life to neurosis and psychosis, moreover lack of professionals with Islamic leaning also contributed towards lack of awareness n knowledge about psychiatric problems in society, it’s time we Muslims must face upto problems plaguing the society and hampering development in all spheres of life, s. a
This is true. With the current state of the world there is bound to be an increase in mental health problems which is what makes it ever more important to make sure this issue is embraced openly and that Muslims overcome stigma in the community to ensure that our brothers and sisters going through such difficulties are able to get psychiatric support from those who share the same values. May Allah unite us in making this happen
Asalaama alaykum, to u all! I’m so glad to hear from so many supportive bros n sisters! My daughter was diagnosed with autism( intellectual disability)at the age of 2. Everyone that will meet her will never forget her (she’s very loveable)nor will they forget me( I explain how diverse the autism spectrum is, where she was n where she is now). She’s 17 now and her behavior is a little better however she’s so cunning, that she will make u feel like you’re the one with the intellectual disability! I couldn’t have asked for a better supportive family . We had 220 people show up for “team Nejweh” at an autism walk here in the U.S. Unfortunately, the only place that We still have a place visiting is the mosque. I can’t always stop people’s looks n sometimes it’s hard not to lash out at them especially in Arabic! I can only show everyone that we have no choice but to accept her as a human being, and the greatest gift Allah (swt) has ever given my family! We give out books and pass out lectures about autism(as we do about Islamic lectures) to one another. I also invite the whole family to free training/classes for those who want to take a walk around in her head, as I would say!! Some take advantage of it, some don’t. But the ones who do go , really enjoy it! Not everyone is willing to advocate for their child but I no when no one is willing to listen, then I speak through my actions! It’s louder than a thousand words. It’s hard to do when she lets out her frustration and mine mixed with others frustrations, but subhan Allah , Allah throws a hand of patience at me so quick, that’s it’s over before you know it! Alhamdulillah for everything! I learn from my mistakes, am greatful for the bad days, since it shows how strong we are, and endlessly thankful for the good days! Al hamdullilah , al hamdullilah! Keep up the good work that you all are doing, may Allah (azeh wejel) reward you all abundantly for this sadaqa jarriya! Jazakum Allahu khairun!
Masha Allah, this is some wonderful work you are doing. It makes me happy when i see people making the best out of a situation that could potentially be very distressing, Alhamdulilah
really a positive attitude both after reading your article as well as the reply of each person, sister jazak Allah khair for that article, keeping sending such posts to boost our emaan spiritually as well as physically
Jazakallahu khairan, im pleased that you feel my article was an eeman booster. Insha Allah, i look forward to posting more articles on the topic in the future
May Allah continue to increase you in knowledge and understanding of this beautiful deen my darling wife, i’m very proud of you darling and i pray Allah crowns all your efforts xxx
This a great write up to enlihghten the whole mankind who has come across this write up and read it.May Allah bless this great work
Jazakallahu khairan for your lovely comments, may Allah make it a useful contribution
What is there in this article that is useful?! We all know that it is to be dealt with love and care. .so what is new?!
If you know. .What Islam says about mental health and how it is to be dealt with practically, please do write.
Asalaama alaykum
We must appreciate others efforts for any good cause. There are many things which everyone doesnot know. Instead of asking others to write what islam says regarding mental sickness and its handling, I would like to request you to write on the topic if you know it.
Assalamu alaikum, there is nothing new, Islam always held the answer, but unfortunately not everyone is aware of this and that is why it is important to raise awareness of the issue. Insha Allah i will write some articles in the future that will address practical ways to deal with mental health issues.
Assalamualaikum sister Hannah,
A well written article and i definitely believe every person undergoes some kind of mental illness at least once in his life be it a simple stress.Alhamdulillah as mentioned Islam has the solution for it and the only key is to realise and act upon it.
It would have been a much better presentation if you would have cited some examples of mental illnesses.
Looking forward for more such articles.
jazakAllahu khairan.
Jazakallahu khairan for your feedback, i will keep it in mind for future articles insha Allah
Assalamualaikum sister
A very good article that everyone and every muslim should read. Thank you for the message you are passing.
About suggestions on how we could change people’s attitude, i think reminding them of the way our prophet (pbuh) dealt with everyone as equal reminding them of the sunnah of the prophet and creating in their heart the desire to become like our prophet will make them change their attitude towards people suffering from mental illness. People who know their deen and know why they are in this dunya would never stigmatise people who are sick from whatever illness. Infact they would offer a helping hand. Jazaak Allah for your article. In Sha Allah some people might change their way of thinking by reading your article.
Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh, these are some very important and useful points you make regarding the issue, jazakallahu khairan for your contribution
Assalaamalaikum……as i have passed through mental torture physical n sexually abusement imagine for 18years i have been in trauma my children have gon through very hard times no one to support instead everyone to blame me so i had no choice rather to be in damaged life……but i tried my best but still having some pblms facing mentaly torture.i pray to allh give me sabr…..the most thing is distubing me my son is going through it mentally disturbd n he cannot pray quran he started since he ws 3 years old but because of been disturbanace n he hasnt reached quran.please pray for him.
Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh, thankyou for being brave enough to share your story and highlight an example of the negative effects of stigma and why it needs tackling. May Allah make things easy for you in your household and grant you sabr.
Masha Allahjzkallah keyran ya uztaz i wish you.long.life and expect much more from you…!!!
Amin, jazakallahu khairan for your lovely comments. I look forward to sharing more articles in the future, insha Allah
Indeed there is a lot of stigma regarding this, we should have support groups were the family of the person with the illness can discuss common issues and how to deal with them too, such groups help a lot.
Jazakallahu khairan for your contribution, i think this is a very good point. All too often the stigma begins in the home, the place where people require the most support, so to get together in the family like you suggest could be a very useful way to educate the family whilst supporting the one with mental health issues
assalam, my wife has recovers from heart problem or stroke I can says, alhamdulillah with recovery but theirs a problem of minor complication that disturbing me on her. her memory and emotional in balance appears, she mostly behave blundly like she has mental problem. What sort of substances or ingredient would she be taking ? or how can we tackle such conditions.
wassalam brother in is Abubakar Mile
Nigeria
Wa alaikum salaam brother, Sorry to hear that your wife has not been well recently. Very often serious medical problems go hand in hand with psychological side effects. Accepting and adjusting to having experienced a life threatening condition such as heart attack or stroke is often a very difficult task and therefore will often result in some kind of psychological disturbance as you describe and is usually a normal part in the recovery process. May Allah grant your wife a speady and successful recovery.
Salaam Alaikum Sister
Presently I’m facing a serious problem and I would like to seek your advice
Can you please provide me your email id do that I post my problem
Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh, the IOU offers a counselling service here http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/counseling insha Allah this will help you to address your difficulties, may Allah bring you ease with your troubles
Thank you for writing this article, there is definitely stigma of talking about mental health. I too have a condition and only my sister’s and closest friends know. In regards to ideas, I recommend some kind of workshop targeted at men and women so they can understand. Most importantly the Prophet he too went through a difficult time and that it is okay to seek any means of help that are healthy, I.e. taking medication is fine too, the choice is theirs.
Masha Allah, this is a great idea and could certainly contribute to raising awareness. What you say is a very useful point to highlight, the Prophet (SAW) went through some very tough times and we should seek to emulate him in managing our own difficulties.
Jazakumllahu khairan, May Almighty Allah make it easy for us All
Amin, wa iyakki sister
Aoa. I have been facing this problem since the age of around 18. But i realized that this is a trail from Allah SWT.
The things that helped me get through this tough situations were
1. Sabar
2. Shukkar
3. Zikar
4.Family Support
5. iling by my mother and Doctor
6. Obeying my parents orders if they were NOT against islam
7. Medicines
I was in a terrible condition in the first few months but i had to hold my self together and act normal in front of the world. When the trial was over i was a very changed and blessed person.
I am 24 now. I am still not 100% mentaly healthy but now i know how to live with it.
I think that the reason i got mentaly ill is that i had Takabur in me and i did not treat my father the way i was suppose to so Allah wanted to purify me of these big sins.
Alhamdulilah, its always pleasing to read positive stories of people overcoming difficulties such as mental health problems by using guidance from the Qur’an and Sunnah, may Allah continue to keep you on this path
MashaAllah a good reminder of the fact that we as human beings are at the rehmah of Allah[swt] . At every point we need to keep humbling ourselves & keep reminding ourselves of the fact that Allah [swt] has bestowed upon us many blessings despite the fact that we were not deserving them. Indeed those with any kind of a problem should be a source of reminder to the healthy ones that they keep giving shukr to Allah[swt] for not afflicting them with the same ailment & treat those afflicted with kindness and compassion [which will also be a form of gratitude to Allah[swt].
Masha Allah, this is a good point. All too often we fall into the trap of complaining about our lives, completely neglecting the fact that Allah has blessed us with more than many, and often in ways that we don’t even know or appreciate.
1. i find my self very unfit in the community . people have wronged me . i dont like relationship with fake people . so the people with whom i spend some time in my class say that i am too straight forward person due to the reason i have no friends .i find myself alone , i think it is better to be alone than to be with the company of useless nonproductive people whom company causes me go astray from remembering ALLAH . I try to guide them but fails and if i join their company their chances of becoming righteous seems less and my chances of going astray increases .
my heart has no space for people whom wrong others . my heart is filled with rage and anger towards people and i am sort of disconnected with the community . i find myself quite comfortable with the people who are comited to ALLAH and practicing muslims .
please guide me and pray that ALLAH may give me company of the people whom he loves .
2. i also feels hate in my speech and in my heart towards people who practice wrong islam ( people of bidd’ah) and the people with wrong religious beliefs . I dont start debate with these people but i try to guide the people whom i think have a soft corner and are ready to listen to me .one of my friend ask me that i must not have them after all they are my brothers .
i ask you how can i get myself out of this anxiety ? how can i love those people for the sake of ALLAH ? should i not discuss these matters which are disagreeable and have difference of opinion among us muslims and only talk on getting towards ALLAH no matter through which path ? As the muslim ummah i already declining due to these divisions . please advice me
Assalamu alaikum, it sounds like these issues are really troubing you. Insha Allah after the feedback i have received here I will write some articles to cover such topics addressing common difficulties the we face in life. May Allah guide those who have gone astray and may we always strive to be the best role models we can be to such people.
what is the islamic solution for these problems. can you please list some of the top mental problems and how one can overcome them.
Assalamu alaikum, i have received this same feedback from several people so, insha Allah, i will be writing some articles in the future to address management of common such difficulties and how to manage them in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah
A very important topic, which needs to be addressed. I personally have family and extended family members with mental illness such as bi-polar and schitzophrenia, who are on constant medication. I would appreciate more articles relating to these, more serious and very real, mental conditions from an Islamic point of view. Thank you for your efforts. JazakhAllahu khairan
Jazakallahu khairan for your comments. Insha Allah i will be writing some articles like this in the future, addressing the management of mental health problems from an Islamic perspective. May Allah make things easy for you and your family members in managing your difficulties
Dear sister, your article has covered a great and common problem. I would like to know whether someone from IOU or you can help a person with a peculiar but not uncommon mental problem. Will be grateful if you provide the solution on mail.
Jazakallahu khairan for your comment. Counsellors at the IOU do their best to support people with any problem they present however common or uncommon they might be
Assalamu alaikum,
Jazakallah for your article and much needed reminder to us all!
Does anyone know of any Muslim organisations tackling mental health, if possible in the UK?
Walaikum assalam sister
There is a Muslim organisation called Inspirited Minds that look at mental health from an Islamic perspective. Maybe they can help
http://inspiritedminds.org.uk
[…] all the talk of stigma in my article published in August and the feedback from the brothers and sisters who read it, it got me thinking of practical ways to […]
AsSalamAlaikum,
I am very glad to read an article like this. My mother has severe schizophrenia/bi-polar and I have been the only one supporting her physically and emotionally for 28 years now. The rest of our family has abandoned us, I as the only Muslim in the family am left without any kind of support system whether from Muslims or non-Muslims, their is no body to relieve me, I go through cycles of depression daily. I wish there where support groups for Muslims? I wish I could meet other Muslims in the same situation. Please let me know if such a thing comes about. Alhamdulilah for everything.
Wa alaikum salaam dear sister. Jazakallahu khair for your comments. It is not easy to deal with these issues on your own like this. It is important to have good social support in times like this and it would be useful to you to join such as you have suggested. There are many carers support groups that exist globally, less so for Muslims, but they do exist. Im not sure where you are located but you can search online for ‘carers support groups’ or inquire at your local doctors surgery. You can also find online support groups if none are available locally to you. I hope this helps and i pray that you will be able to find a group that will be helpful for you. May Allah make it easy for you to cope and reward you for your efforts and perseverance.
Salamualaikumsister,I am very Happy I came across this wonderful article of yours,I have been asking Almighty Allah to guide me to the right path and to stop me from falling into sin,I am recently mentally depressed, by saying some dirty words to my Creator,my heart is still clean and am very grateful for every single thing Allah has done for me.I have been trying so hard to stop my brain from generating those dirty words but it keeps on coming.I having been waking up at midnight to submit some prayers to my Creator to stop me from falling into sin,I am really afraid of His punishment towards me.please sister I need your help,if there is any suggestions kindly do it for me.