Why is it not okay to tell someone who is depressed " go pray and read the Quran and everything will be alright, and you will be okay"? Believing in Allah swt, in fate, and knowing that we get rewarded for being patient in hardships, this set of beliefs acts like a preventive measure that aims to strengthen the spirit and the mind of the believer. It aims to protect the believer from falling into the well of negativity and depression. It makes it hard for the person - when the calamity hits - to blame themselves or drown themselves in self-loathing and guilt. HOWEVER, if that person did not take these preventive measures or if they somehow for some reason didn't work, and the person did fall into depression facing a calamity or a catastrophe, what they need is therapy, with a professional. Because at that point it is too late for prevention and precaution. The damage has already been done. We wear jackets to protect us from the cold weather and prevent that we catch a cold, but suppose you forgot to wear your jacket, and you have already caught the cold, what do you do then? Do you wear the jacket when you're already sick or do you go to the doctor?
( مقتبس و مترجم من حلقة الطحالب : الاكتئاب و الكباب | Taken and translated from the last episode of at-tahaleb, an Egyptian sarcastic cartoon series', )
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⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This post BY NO MEANS is meant to bash or degrade or undermine the religion, AstaghfiruAllah alaadhim wa atubu ilayhi. This post is only exposing the kind of people who don't recognize the seriousness and gravity of depression and mental health issues. If a depressed person still manages to pray their daily five, and read a bit of the Quran then that's heroic, that requires superhuman powers. People just need to understand that depression alters the brain functions and taints with the way that person perceives meaningful components of life; love, family, religion included. Yes, healing comes from Allah swt but the person has to actually be proactive. It is up to us to go to the doctor and to ask for help. Our souls are also an amanah from Allah swt, same as our bodies, and we are required and obliged to take care of them. If someone has a heart problem, nobody will tell them "just read the Quran, it will go away", they might actually be the ones booking them that cardiologist appointment! They might read some Quran afterwards, just for blessings and to ask Allah swt to hasten their recovery. So why is it that when their soul is hurting, when their mind is not okay, people become so dismissive? We ask Allah swt for help, and often, the help is right there, in therapy, or in medication. And it is not against Islam's teachings to get treatment.
Narrated Usamah ibn Sharik: I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions were sitting as if they had birds on their heads. I saluted and sat down. The desert Arabs then came from here and there. They asked: Messenger of Allah, should we make use of medical treatment? He replied: Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age. (Sahih (Al-Albani), Sunan Abi Dawud 3855)
In short, by acknowledging that we have a real problem that needs the interference of a professional, we don't reject the role of the religion. Asking for help is a part of the religion's teachings. Alhamdulillah that our religion is very progressive and humanistic. It cherishes the spirit and the wellness of the believer.
So, please be extra sensitive when talking to someone who is depressed or suffers from any mental health issues. Keep in mind that they don't see the world like you do, and that sometimes, getting out of bed, washing one's teeth, or face, or performing wudhu, then performing salah can be very exhausting for them.
Jazakum Allahu kulla Khayr 🍃
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