Notes From: How to Deal With Stress Anxiety and Depression
Some time ago, I listened to this lecture titled “How to deal with stress, anxiety and depression” by Ustâdh Abû Idrees and In Shaa Allâh, I’ll share the notes I made from the lecture with you.
NOTE: Before he started, he made it very clear that in many cases, you need to seek clinical assistance for these issues.
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As Muslims, we should always have at the back of our minds that Allah will surely afflict us with trials and that calamities will befall upon us and we will surely be sad. The prophet (ﷺ) was the best of creation yet he also had times when he would be sad. In times like that he would say :
اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّي أَعْوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الهَـمِّ وَ الْحُـزْنِ، والعًجْـزِ والكَسَلِ والبُخْـلِ والجُـبْنِ، وضَلْـعِ الـدَّيْنِ وغَلَبَـةِ الرِّجال
“Allahumma inni audhubika minal hammi wal huzn”
-Oh Allah, I seek refuge in you from anxiety and sadness...
Sahih Bukhârî 7/158
Remember that the Shaitan loves it when the believer is in a state of sadness. We should know that times like this will definitely come if they have not already come and it is something that the Shaitan loves so we should know how to tackle it.
Allâh tells us:
...وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا...
“And do not be sad”
Qurʾân 3:139
He also sends glad tiding to those in which when they are afflicted with a calamity they say “innna lillahi wa ina ilaihi rajiun”- verily, to Allâh we belong and to Him we shall return.
The prophet (ﷺ) said:
“There is not a person that suffers a calamity and he utters “Inna lillâhi wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun, then he says, Allahumma ajirni fi musibati wa akhlifli khairan min ha” - “Verily, to Allâh we belong and to Him we shall return, Oh Allâh, recompense me in my affliction and replace it for me with something better” except that Allâh will compensate him and reward him and give him in exchange, something better.
Sahih Muslim 918.
So whenever we are afflicted with any calamity, whether it be in our health, wealth, or family, we should strive to always make the above dua.
If we look at the statement;
"To Allâh we belong and to Him we shall return", we should be able to take from it that whatever was in our possession, be it our wealth, health, children, parents, friends, properties and anything which Allâh took from us truly belongs to Allâh. We should see all we own as a loan from Allâh which he can take at any time as they truly belong to Him. So we should never despair and grieve when we lose something Allâh took away from us as it was indeed never truly ours, to begin with. We should ask Him to replace it with something better. May Allâh bless us all and make us among those who are patient if trials befall us
Umm Taymiyyah Al-ʿAfimiyyah.
16 / July/ 2022 - 17/ Dhul-Hijjah / 1443 (هــ).
