How to Deal with Stress and Anxiety – An Islamic Perspective

There is no denying the fact that the lives of people of this generation are not the same as people of the previous or the generations before them. The one element that is present in the life of every person of this generation is stress. All of us are stressed in one way or another about one thing or another. Therefore, the one cure or treatment, which people seek the most at present, is for their stress and tension.

People have all sorts of problems that give them stress, for some it is money, education, career, health and for others simply getting by in life is a matter of stress. Muslims are also a part of this world and they have the same needs as well, therefore, it is quite natural that a Muslim might also get stressed over different matters. However, the edge a Muslim has pertaining to stress is the fact that in Islam there is great solace and peace that helps in avoiding and getting relief from stress. The lines below discuss some major guidelines, which a Muslim must follow pertaining to dealing with anxiety and stress.

Supplicate:

The first thing that a Muslim must do pertaining to stressful situations is supplicate in front of Allah Almighty. We get stressed when we want to control everything and when that thing does not remain under our control the result is stress. Therefore, a Muslim with the belief that Allah Almighty controls everything can successfully avoid stress as supplicating to Him results in help from Him thus relief from stress. Ergo, praying to Allah Almighty and supplicating for His assistance means a person relying on Him for help and assistance, thus, the burden of stress gets relieved from the heart and mind of a Muslim.

To learn number of supplications and to add them in your daily lives, you can use different Islamic applications available, few that I can recommend are MuslimDua Series and Kids Dua Now. The two beautiful applications to learn and teach Islamic duas to your kids in an effective manner.

Do What Is In Your Power:

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths to a Bedouin when He saw him leaving his camel without tying it:

“Why don’t you tie down your camel?”The Bedouin replied:
“I put my trust in Allah.”

Prophet (PBUH) replied:“Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah.” (Tirmidhi)

From this hadith it is clear that leaving everything on Allah Almighty and expecting Him to do each and everything without you making the slightest effort towards making the life better or getting out of a problem is not the right ploy. Rather, a Muslim is encouraged to first do the required and possible effort and then put the trust in Allah that He will assist in times of difficulty and calamities. So, the solution to stress is neither full reliance on Allah Almighty, nor is it trying to everything in control by yourself, rather, you need to make effort and then put your trust in Allah and He surely will come to your help.

Understand Your Limitations:

The other thing that can help a Muslim in fighting stress is the understanding of human limitations. Being a Muslim one has the belief that there is an Authority that is above all and that has everything in power and humans are merely His subjects who can do very little. This understanding of human constraints and limitations makes the belief of a person strong and makes him or her put trust in Allah Almighty. When a person realizes that he or she cant control every thing in life, then they turn towards the One who knows and controls all, the help from Whom results in solace and relief from difficulty and adversity. Therefore, instead of trying to take everything in control, a Muslim must understand that he or she is merely human and it is Allah who can provide relief and serenity.

Pray:

Perhaps the best shield that a Muslim has pertaining to fighting stress is the regular prayer. A Muslim prays to Allah Almighty five times a day. The prayer signifies worship, as well as submission to the will of Allah Almighty, moreover, prayer also gives a Muslim chance to be close to Allah and present to Him their problems. Hence, when a Muslim prays five times a day by keeping the worldly problems aside, he or she is actually asking assistance from Allah Almighty, that He may bless them, make their life easier, and solve their problems.

To Allah’s assistance in every step of life is an act of obedience and the best way of showing that is through word of obedience, Dua-e-Qunoot that we recite daily in our Witr Prayers.

Note: To Learn proper recitation of Quranic Surahs you can also join QuranTutor.com an online tutoring academy.

Seek Patience:

One of the major reasons why people are so prone to stress and anxiety is the fact that people of today have grown impatient. We want each and every thing to be done the way we want done and the time we want it done, therefore, when things don’t go the way we like them or there comes some sort of problem, we don’t tolerate it and get it on our nerves. Therefore, being impatient leads to us making things hard for ourselves and enter into the malice of anxiety and stress. Hence, a Muslim is to remember that patience is one of the major Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and one of the greatest teachings of Islam. Therefore, in the times when things don’t go as our planning, then a Muslim must resort in patience as a means of getting through the tough situations and remain hopeful for His blessing and help.

Bottom Line:

In a nutshell, stress is one of the major elements that exists in life and the power or control over it results in a person achieving happiness or otherwise. Therefore, it is imperative that a Muslim seeks guidance and assistance from Allah Almighty when facing tough situations and adversity.