Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Anxiety-2 |
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| Haniff |
| 07/22/01 at 02:02:18 |
| Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh A cure for the soul God relates in the Qur'an some of what He had said to Adam just before Adam's fall to Earth as a result of his disobedience of God's orders. "Down with you all, He said (and be henceforth) enemies to one another! Nonetheless, there shall most certainly come to you guidance from Me. He who follows My guidance will not go astray, and will not be unhappy. But as for him who shall turn away from remembering Me, his shall be a life of narrow scope; and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall raise him up blind." (20: 123-124) Thus when man follows the guidance of his Lord, he will suffer no misery and will not go astray. But when he rejects God's guidance, his life becomes hard and narrow, full of misery. The worst aspect of this misery endured by a person who rejects God’s guidance is that he always suffers from worry, frustration and anxiety. He will be an easy prey to depression. What happens in this situation is that anxiety, which is a natural feeling that should generate motivation for work, planning for the future, guarding against potential dangers and protecting one's family and loved ones, is the result of one's awareness of danger and potential loss. The same may be said of depression. Both states originate from man's estimation of his present circumstances and future prospects. Should a person make a wrong estimation and adopt a faulty outlook, he will soon lose his sense of peace and reassurance. He may be overwhelmed by a sense of loss, leading him to be prey to anxiety and. depression. His life will then become narrow in scope, full of suffering. Anxiety, which is meant to add to his happiness becomes a source of trouble and misery. Wherever he turns, he will only find faulty solutions to his problem. That will remain the case as long as he persists in rejecting the guidance of his Creator. Man is but a creature of God. Whatever ability and talent a creature is given, he remains subject to his Creator, and to the universal system God has set in operation. When man contemplates his position in life, he is bound to realize that he faces challenges, which may be too great for him to overcome. Indeed he will not be able to control the anxiety they generate within him except through God's guidance. Perhaps the most serious type of anxiety is that which results from man's feeling that his life on Earth is bound to be terminated by death. Her realizes that he was all alone when he was born, and he will be all alone when he dies. Man is separate from the universe and from the world around him. He is a creature with independence and personal identity. He alone shoulders the responsibilities of his existence and the consequences of his actions. He may thus feel himself weak and isolated. This feeling of isolation is soon turned into a sense of fear. On the other hand, man feels that he has a free will. In his perpetual search for the purpose of his existence, man's lack of proper guidance becomes a main source of anxiety. Thus anyone who is unaware of God's guidance, or who rejects such guidance, will feel himself at a loss in trying to determine a purpose for his existence, and the extent of his free will. He tends to look at life as pointless. He loses all sense of inner peace and serenity. To him, life is narrow, miserable. These are major, universal causes of human anxiety. The only cure for such anxiety is provided by faith. In addition there are numerous other reasons for anxiety in daily life, such as fear of failure, disaster, and fear of making a wrong decision in some matter of considerable importance, etc. People resort to different ways and strategies to overcome anxiety and rid themselves of its terrible effects. Yet without religious faith, hard as they try, they often fail. Thus they fall prey to worry, depression, frustration and anxiety. Carl Young, a renowned psychiatrist, speaks about his own experience in the treatment of anxiety: "I have treated hundreds of patients. All those patients who were over 35, without exception, had a common, central cause for their anxiety, namely, the lack of a religious outlook on life. None was properly cured without first adopting such a religious outlook.” A believer may indeed suffer from anxiety, depression or frustration, in as long as he overlooks the basic facts of faith. However, he will always find reassurance, serenity and ultimate cure in the Qur’an which gives him a complete and sound vision of life: "Mankind, there has now come to you an admonition from your Lord, and a cure for all (the ill) that may be in men's souls, and guidance and grace to all who believe." (10: 57) Our Lord, we pray that You may make the Qur'an the blossom of our hearts, the light of our eyes, the cure of our breasts and the remedy for our cares and concerns. [i]Dr Muhammad Kamal Al-Shareef - Arab News - 03 April 2000[/i] Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu Haniff |
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