Psychological and spiritual health is a necessary lifelong process that has been extensively discussed in the Islamic intellectual heritage. Gaining awareness into one’s psychological and spiritual functioning is necessary in forming a meaningful relationship with Allah and following the mandates of our religion. Our greatest asset to doing so is our own very selves – just as we strive to work on intellectual and academic development, psycho-spiritual development is all the more important for success in this world and the next.

عن أبي نعيم قال سَهْلَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رحمه الله إِذَا عَرَفَ الْعَدُوَّ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ وَإِذَا عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ عَرَفَ مَقَامَهُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَإِذَا عَرَفَ عَقْلَهُ عَرَفَ حَالَهُ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ رَبِّهِ وَإِذَا عَرَفَ الْعِلْمَ عَرَفَ وُصُولَهُ وَإِذَا عَرَفَ الدُّنْيَا عَرَفَ الْآخِرَةَ

Abu Nu’aym R reported: Sahl ibn Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “If one knows the enemy, one knows his Lord. If one knows himself, one knows his status with his Lord. If one knows his mind, one knows his state between him and his Lord. If one knows sacred knowledge, one knows his journey. If one knows the world, one knows the Hereafter.” [Hilyat al-Awliyā’ 10/201]

Religiosity and mental health are intertwined. Religious beliefs and practices give followers a clear purpose in life, and purpose in life is a major predictor of mental health. Although meaning and purpose can be sought in many ways, Islam alone provides complete answers to the existential questions that we all encounter at some point in life.

Additionally, the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the Islamic tradition are replete with guidance on inculcating spiritual and psychological resilience, uncertainty tolerance, and other virtues. As Allah tells us in Sūrah Ṭā Ha,

مَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِتَشْقَىٰٓ

“We have not revealed the Qur’an upon you to cause distress.”

Applying the legal principle of mafhum al-mukhalafah, or the inverse implication, Allah therefore sent down the Qur’an to bring comfort and contentment. This places the Qur’an at the centre of conversations about Muslim mental health.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also highlighted the need to turn to Allah for our mental health needs when he said, “Ask your Lord for forgiveness and wellness in this world and the Hereafter. If you are given forgiveness and wellness in the world and the Hereafter, you have succeeded.” [ibn Majah]

Islam encourages us to remove any physiological or psychological barriers that reduce our ability to focus on Allah.  Thus, we find the Prophet ﷺ teaching us not to pray when a meal is presented or when we need to relieve ourselves, as the bodily urges to eat and use the bathroom would consume our minds and diminish the quality of our remembrance. If religious experiences are compromised when we are not in a state of physiological equilibrium, how much more important is it to be in a healthy mental state that facilitates a deep spiritual focus (khushuʿ)?

The Prophet ﷺ taught us to seek halal treatment for whatever ails us, and this includes both physical health and mental health. In addition to the Qur’an and Sunnah, entire genres of classical literature on purification of the soul (tazkiyat al-nafs), Islamic psychology (ʿilm al-nafs), and theology address the teleological and psycho-spiritual dimensions of contentment in this life and in the afterlife.

For instance, the great classical scholar, al-Balkhi, wrote extensively on mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, and their medical and religious treatments.

Yet for the Muslim, the Qur’an and Sunnah are ultimately the fundamental sources of healing and, as religiosity and mental health are inextricably linked, faith is a necessary component of healing and recovery for Muslims.

As Allah is our Creator, the logical conclusion is that His guidance will facilitate optimal human functioning. The Qur’an affirms this notion by rhetorically asking, “Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?”

The Qur’an clearly states that the remembrance of Allah is a fundamental means of finding comfort and contentment.

Allah says,

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

Those who have believed and whose hearts are comforted by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort and contentment. [Ar Ra`d 13: 28]