Monica is from the West Midlands and is currently working in higher education. A nature lover, bookworm extraordinaire, and in hot pursuit of the white rabbit!
“And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance, that you not transgress within the balance, and establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance”
(Qur’an 55:7-9)
Life is busy, we are juggling many things: our deen, our family, work, friends, health and personal issues; there are multiple conflicting interests we try to manage. We are not ‘superhuman’, so it is easy to get overwhelmed, stressed, resulting in adverse effects on our wellbeing, our bodies, and mental health.
When this happens, it can sabotage our primary concern and relationship: that with Allah SWT. We want to be our best, healthy selves so we can be devoted, healthy, Muslimahs, which will in turn, by the will of Allah, give us that ultimate peace, reassurance and success we long for, a balance.
In the media, we hear concepts of gratitude and mindfulness for mental health, and the beauty of Islam is we can simply look to our beautiful faith, and see how Islam already underpins this, Subhan’Allah. Take the five daily salah for example, prayers at prescribed times which allows us to realign, reconnect, and centre ourselves in the midst of the business of life. Seeking that meditative, mindful time where we praise Allah, glorify Him, we remember our true purpose, and express to Him how grateful we are for all the countless blessings He has gifted us with, Subhan’Allah.
It is important to note, that our obligations to Allah are not just limited to compulsory acts such as salah. While Salah is a very important element of our faith, subhan’Allah — Allah also wants us to take care of ourselves in other practical ways. This includes our physical health such as exercise, healthy eating, and also our mental health.
It is a common phenomenon that we may end up allocating a disproportionate amount to the things we are juggling (as mentioned above), and when this balance is deficient, depleted, we may ourselves become deficient, depleted, experiencing an array of negative side effects, and we may become unsure of where to turn to for help.
Unfortunately, there is still a taboo or discomfort in some communities around seeking support with mental health, however, it is imperative that we do seek support, as it is part of bettering ourselves or Ihsan, looking after ourselves, and fulfilling the trust that Allah has given us, our bodies. The most important thing is that we want to seek the pleasure of Allah, and worship Him, but how can we do that if we are not completely ‘ok’.
Alhamdulillah, we are in a privileged position, as we can look to the different and plentiful types of resources Allah has blessed us with.
Firstly, of course, the wondrous Quran is a treasure for us, Alhamdulillah, where we can look for guidance on all matters, as well as the Sunnah, and Seerah of our beloved messenger (peace be upon him).
Our prophet (peace be upon him) experienced all sorts of things in his lifetime, and the beauty of his life as an example for us, is that every one of us can find something in his life that we will relate to. He has been through it all, subhan’Allah; grief, loss, physical and verbal abuse, family issues, alienation, all of it. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, Ameen.
By studying the seerah, we can be comforted, inspired, and see how he too managed his mental health and wellbeing. We can learn of the spiritual remedies as well as the practical and hands-on approaches he took in managing all aspects of his life, whether as a parent, spouse, relative, teacher, friend, and so on, Subhan’Allah. He is a mercy for all of mankind, in more ways than one.
“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah, an excellent pattern [an example to be followed] for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and who remembers Allah often.”
(Qur’an 33:21)
“There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you [i.e. your guidance] and to the believers is kind and merciful.”
(Qur’an 9:128)
“Say, O Muhammad, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, so Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
(Qur’an 3:31)
Subhan’Allah, we cannot deny the mercy and kindness of Allah in what He has granted us at our disposal. Fantastic charities such as Solace for one, where sisters can find a sisterhood and support which aligns with their values and furthermore, help to find the balance they are looking for.
Besides this, there is a plethora of different services, charities, and means in which every individual can find something to cater to their needs and preferences. Alhamdulillah
Our duties and responsibilities, our dependents, our family, friends, work – all these things are essentially for the sake of Allah, a means of worshiping Him and gaining His pleasure and ultimate reward. Therefore, it may be that we need to remind ourselves as often as we can, as sometimes this guiding principle can become lost or in the hubbub of life.
“Indeed my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
(Qur’an 6:162)
When we, in ourselves are not aligned with our nature, with what is healthy, and balanced, it can affect us in living our lifes to the fullest, fulfilling our unique potentials, in the way Allah SWT in His love has intended for us.
He chose us; and from His unmatched care and kindness, He wants us to excel. As the saying goes “you can’t pour from an empty cup’, it could be that we are giving ourselves completely to our family, our work, or other aspects of our lives, while our own precious essence gets sidelined in the process. There is great courage, reward, and benefit in seeking help and support if we need to.
We do live in a world of ‘self-love’ and as with most things, this can be taken out of context and misaligned with the values of a doting Muslimah. Again, we need to strive to seek rightful guidance, and balance of looking after ourselves and all aspects of our lives. I pray that Allah SWT helps us to help ourselves, and He grants us ease and afiya in all our affairs, Ameen Ya Rabb.
