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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| distress |
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| se7en |
| 02/11/04 at 03:56:48 |
as salaamu alaykum, a khutbah by Imam Shuraym... [color=black] All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions. Fellow Muslims! Whoever ponders over the conditions of people these days will realise that there are many sciences but yet few scholars. This is a time in which technology and material civilization have reached their peak. A time of utmost speed in economy, medicine, military and science. However, all this speed in everything failed to let man realise the essence of his existence in this universe. Yes, this is the reality. Who can tell of the secret of the widespread of ignorance, poverty and employment, in this age of technological development, treasure, wealth, production and industry? Or what is the secret behind describing this age, by world sociologists as the age of distress and sorrow after having described the immediate past period as that of worriness? We need no more evidence to establish the distress and sorrow which this age suffers from. Brethren in faith! Distress is the destructive bane of our contemporary age. It is the most widespread psychological plague in today's world and it is in continuous increase. It is a disease that most people suffer from except those whom Allaah wills. Those who follow world health statistics will find that, 10% of the world population, including Muslims suffer from distress. This means that hundreds of millions of people suffer from this deplorable situation. Statistics have also shown that those born in recent decades develop depression at tender age and in greater proportion in view of social factors that have affected this generation as a result of the societal weakness and the absence of mature environmental impacts on this growing generation. It is also found that this disease spreads almost twice in females more than males as a result of the absence of the real role of woman and assigning to her what she could not bear by nature; a situation that makes her leave her home and leave the care of her child to foreign housemaids. Even the cases of suicide that resulted from distress have reached more than 800,000 annually, not to talk of the fact that 80% of those who suffer from distress do not visit doctors or reveal their problem. Brethren in Islaam! This disease is not a new phenomenon or a case that can not be treated. It is rather a common phenomenon whenever the majority of people sink to the pleasure of this world and give rein to materialism. The difference among societies in degrees of this disease lies in their belief of Allaah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Messengers and belief in the Last Day and Predecree: its good and bad. It also lies in the society's upright conduct in its security, information, education, justice, equality, love, lack of selfishness etc. This phenomenon has occupied researches and studies made by scholars, psychologists and even journalists. However, all these studies and theories have not succeeded in being united under a single platform that can harmonise - in the course of finding a solution to this problem - between originality and modernity and between Islaam's spiritual medication and authentic clinical psychological medicine that will be carried out by trustworthy specialists who will subject their studies in psychological medicine to Islaamic injunction free from sheer materialistic theories that are devoid of any spiritual and lofty meaning. Fellow Muslims! Distress is an emotional manifestation that overcomes man. When it becomes severe on him, it is then called depression which is the highest degree of sorrow, when man may become a victim of his inner feeling. This results into failure, hopelessness and lack of cheerfulness. It also results to complex reactions that prevent man from carrying out any lively activity and might even lead to total renunciation of life where suicide then becomes the only solution for the one affected. Even if he does not kill himself, he will still be afflicted with some ailments that accompany distress like ulcer, body ache, insomnia, headache and others. Ibn al-Qayyim said, "Four things ruin the body: anxiety, distress, hunger and sleeplessness during the night." The importance of psychological medication in the light of faith-based perspectives that have their sources in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger in treating distress, lies in the fact that these two sources - the Qur'aan and the Sunnah - are the best and soundest alternative to all medicines and temporary pain relieving drugs which the body has been used to and that can cause diseases that are greater than distress. Also, the Islaamic spiritual cure generally can be better than the clinical treatment of this deadly disease. Further, if there are aspects of psychological medication that indicate that swimming and performing household chores continually can cure this disease, we Muslims could not imagine that a person can be swimming and performing house chores for twenty-four hours non-stop, but we can imagine this person worshipping his Lord, glorifying Him and seeking forgiveness throughout his day, moreso, when Allaah has described those with intellect with the following, "those who remember Allaah (always) in standing, sitting and lying down on their sides." (Aal 'Imraan 3:191) It is here that the superiority of Islaamic medication manifests over the clinical materialistic ones though we do not disregard their importance and effectiveness in some cases. Brethren in faith! One may then ask: We have known the essence of this disease, what then is its apparent causes and what is its remedy? The answer is that, there are some pure medical causes that cannot be ignored in cases of those afflicted with distress. Among those causes are consuming drugs that effect chemical changes in the brain like narcotics and alcohols that leads to the dreaded addiction and a feeling that life is worthless without using these drugs. Among the causes also are hereditary factors and some organic diseases. But what concerns us here are the causes mentioned by the Sharee'ah in the Qur'aan and Sunnah that the vacuity of hearts and tongues from remembrance of Allaah is a cause of constraint and distress. Allaah says, "but whoever turns away from My Reminder, verily, for him is a life of hardship and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection." (Taa Haa 20:124) It has also been established in the Sunnah that perpetrating sins and treating that with levity is a major cause of this disease. The Prophet said, "When sins of a slave have become many and he does not have what he can atone them with, Allaah afflicts him with distress to atone those sins for him." (Ahmad) Among major causes is the worriness of many people and their lack of belief in Allaah and His predecree, their fear for unknown future and sense of weakness in bearing calamities and hardship. You will see those affected with these causes always afraid and they would turn straight away to any refuge, should they find one. Among the causes also, is Satan's insinuations to man in order to drive distress and depression into his heart through dreams and devilish visions, hence you see the affected man suffer from acute insomnia. Muslim has reported a Hadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah described a kind of dream which Satan causes in order to make man distressed. Another major cause is a huge debt and financial burdens coupled by inability to or indolence in fulfilling them, or cowardliness and stinginess. An evidence indicating that these things are some causes of distress is the Hadeeth reported by Abou Daawood, that the Prophet, one day entered the mosque and saw a man among the Ansaar known as Abu Umaamah. The Prophet said: O Abu Umaamah, why do I see you sitting in the mosque in a time other than the time of Salaah? He answered: Worries and debts, O Messenger of Allaah. The Prophet said: Shall I teach you some words that can remove your worries and pay off your debts, if you say them? He said: Yes, O Messenger of Allaah. The Prophet then said: Say in the morning and the evening: "O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from incapacity and indolence; I seek refuge with You from cowardice and niggardliness; I seek refuge with You from being overcome by debt and being subdued by men". Abu Umaamah said: "I did that and Allaah removed my worries and paid off my debts." The above are just some causes. We have seen strong relationship with what our noble religion does warn against. Nevertheless, the generality of these causes goes back to keeping away from guidance of Allaah, lack of standing firm on His Path and total reliance on worldly means and keeping away from the One Who created the causes. Allaah says, "And whomsoever Allaah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islaam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up the sky. Thus Allaah puts the wrath on those who believe not." (Al An'aam 6:125) Brethren in faith! While ending our discussion on the phenomenon of stress, we must not do without mentioning the most effective Islaamic spiritual remedies in the light of the Qur'aan and Sunnah and their tested practical effects that are testified to by even psychologists corroborated by Muslim Cardiologists who are authorities in this field. The foremost of all these remedies is implementing Jihaad that Allaah has made obligatory on this Ummah, calling to the religion of Allaah and to beware of the pleasures and adornments of this world. It is by this that peace of mind and tranquillity can be achieved, and constraint and distress be removed. The Messenger of Allaah said, "When people become sparing with gold and silver coins, transact in credit operation, are pre-occupied with animal farming and abandon Jihaad in the Way of Allaah, Allaah will visit them with disgrace that he will not remove until they go back to their religion." (Ahmad) The Messenger of Allaah also said, "You must engage in Jihaad; for it is one of the gateways to Paradise. Allaah removes with it from the hearts, sorrow and distress." Allaah says, "Fight against them, so that Allaah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of a believing people." (At-Tawbah 9:14) Another remedy for distress is to have proper belief in predecree and have a conviction that only what Allaah has predecreed can happen to one and that all things are in the hands of Allaah; that the provisions have been portioned out by Allaah and that life spans have been decided by Him. One must also believe that, a soul will not die before it exhausts its prescribed provision and lifespan. Man must put his trust in his Lord with no hesitation, doubt or anxiety; for it is by this that he can face hardships of the world with courage and certainty. Another effective remedy is to be pleased with Allaah and with whatever He gives; for whoever has little contentment in what Allaah has given has made himself a pasture for anxieties, distress and diseases. Al-Hasan Al-Basree was asked about a man affected by distress as to how he got his distress? Al-Hasan answered, "from his little contentedness with Allaah". Abu Haatim Al-Busti reported that some salaf said, "I do not know a degree more honourable and higher than contentment. That is the head of Allaah's love. That is why Prophet Zakariyya asked for it for his son when he said, 'And make him, my Lord, one with whom You are Well-Pleased.' " (Maryam19:6) Being pleased with Allaah cannot however be without bearing in mind Allaah's wisdom in all that He makes to happen. He neither gives nor prevents except for a great wisdom. This situation ameliorates whatever hardship he may likely face even in time of happiness, as said by Prophet Sulayman, "This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful." (An-Naml 27:40) Prophet Muhammad also said when his son Ibraaheem died, "The eye sheds tears and the heart is sorrowful, but we will not say what can annoy the Lord. If not because of the true and general promise and that the latter of us shall follow the former, we would have had a long grief because of you. O Ibraaheem we are sorrowful on account of your death." (Ibn Maajah and Bayhaqee) Among the remedy also is glorifying Allaah and worshipping Him a lot. This is an implementation of the saying of Allaah, "Indeed, We know that your breast is straitened at what they say. So, glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves (to him). And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (death)." (Al-Hijr 15:97-99) The Messenger of Allaah used to take refuge in prayers whenever he was distressed by a matter and he used to say, "Whoever frequently asks for forgiveness of his sins, Allaah will make for him a way out of every distress and provide for him from sources he could never imagine." Another effective remedy for distress is what is called Talbeenah. It is a kind of broth made from flour powder or bran, and honey or yogurt or both is put in it. The Messenger of Allaah said, "Talbeenah gives rest to the heart of the sick and removes some part of distress." Fellow Muslims! Let us end these remedies with a legacy of the Prophet. He said, "If a man is afflicted with a sorrow or distress and he says, 'O Allaah, I am your servant, son of Your male and female servants; my forelock is in your hand. Your judgement is implemented on me and Your decision on me is just. I ask You by every name that You have; with which You named Yourself or which You revealed in Your Book or which You taught any of Your creatures, or which You keep its knowledge with Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen; I ask that You make the Noble Qur'aan the spring of my heart, the light of my breast and the remover of my distress and sorrow.' Allaah will remove his distress and replace that with happiness." [/color] |
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