Give yourself a moment; think about the person who you love the most, the person that you are most attached and close to. Think about it for a moment. Now think about that person giving you something, some sort of a gift. Now think about another person; maybe a stranger, someone you do not know that well. Now I want you to imagine that person giving you a gift, maybe a bouquet of roses, something which is very special. Now imagine that the person you love the most gives you just a simple gift, like a pen. But this is someone who you love dearly so even though it is something very small it still appears very precious to you because the person who gave it is very dear to you. Whereas the bouquet of roses looks more fancy and beautiful from the outside but because the giver is not mush special to you the gift itself is not special.
When the giver is special to you and the giver is more beloved then whatever he gives, than the gift is loved and cherished no matter what it is. Now how does that apply to Allah s.w.t? When Allah s.w.t is beloved to us, than anything that comes from Him is loved. Whatever Allah gives and whatever He takes we accept because it’s from Him. That should be the conscience even if it’s something that does not appear good on the outside. It is because I love the giver which is why I accept the gift no matter what it is. So you see how this is an example of the true love of Allah s.w.t. The most exalted, the most beneficial kind of love is most certainly the love of the One who created the love. Allah s.w.t created the heart and the heart was created solely for one reason, and that is to love Allah with all our hearts. Our main purpose of existence is to worship our lord with love and obedience. It is when we accept the gift of our beloved, a simple prostration of His command becomes the centre of our life. We are reminded of Him every time we kiss the floor. And the gift is forever precious and rewarding even though we may not see it as such.
Surah Duha & struggling with low mood & depression
in General Islamic Articles
Posted
Surah Duha & struggling with low mood & depression
Many of us know surah ad-duha off by heart and have probably read its meaning many times as well, which seems quite straightforward. How many of us, though, have actually gone into the reason behind its revelation and derived the lessons and implications this surah has in our lives? This is a great text to save and make intention to learn the surah if you don't know it already.
*Surah Ad-Duha* was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw) at a time when he had not received any revelation for six months, not even in the form of a dream! The Prophet (saw) was in a very disturbed state of mind, feeling negative and depressed and believing that Allah was displeased with him, had forgotten him, and did not want him as a Nabi anymore.
Don’t we have similar feelings in our lives? *Times when our level of imaan is low, our khushoo in salah wavers and we feel a drop in our connection with Allah?* We feel like our duas are not being answered, our salah is not having a positive impact on our hearts, and worst of all the feeling that we’re horrible human beings, that Allah doesn’t love us or doesn’t care about us anymore.
*Surah Ad-Duha* was revealed to the Prophet (saw) to relieve him of these negative feelings and to give him hope, positivity, and the assurance that Allah is with him no matter what. From it we too can find peace, hope, and a renewed faith in Allah when we go through similar states of depression, sadness, and hopelessness.
So what does this surah say?
*Wad duhaa*— By the morning brightness
This is the first thing you need to hear when you’re depressed: Wake up, look at the sunshine! Everything in life is not doom and gloom– you just have to look up!
*Wal laili iza sajaa*— And [by] the night when it covers with darkness,
Why is this aayah immediately talking about darkness? As a reminder to us that the night is meant to cover and give us comfort and rest.
Generally when we’re depressed, we tend to get into a very bad sleep pattern by staying up at night and sleeping all day, thereby worsening our state of mind. This aayah reminds us to use the night as a comfort to ease our distress.
*Ma wad da’aka rabbuka wa ma qalaa* -Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you].
This is a very powerful verse from Allah telling us that He doesn’t hate us and hasn’t forgotten us– reminding the depressed person that He is always by his or her side!
*Walal-aakhiratu khairul laka minal-oola*— And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life].
Many times when we’re depressed we think: Is this all my life is going to be? Is it never going to get better?
This aayah serves as a perfect answer to those questions, reminding us that life in this world is temporary and that Aakhira is certainly a better, more permanent place for us than this world could ever be.
This makes us look forward to attaining our place in Jannah and helps us look at any problems in our lives as temporary tests of our faith from Allah.
*Wa la sawfa y’uteeka rabbuka fatarda*— And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied.
A promise from Allah that very soon he will give us a massive reward (Jannah) and we will be happy! Subhanallah!
Isn’t this the best thing to hear when you’re depressed and fed up with this worldly life and the problems you’re facing?
*Alam ya jidka yateeman fa aawaa* – Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge?
From this verse onwards, Allah gives us reason to believe His declarations and promises in the first half of the surah.
Now many of us may think: how would this aayah about orphans relate to the majority of us? Think about it– weren’t there many times in your life when you were sick or lonely and felt like you had nobody who cared about you? Who was the only one by your side at that time? Allah! It was He who took care of you and guided you out of that stage in life.
*Wa wa jadaka daal lan fahada*— And He found you lost and guided [you].
How many of us, despite being born Muslims, have found ourselves misguided and straying away from Islam in the past? It was Allah who gave us that hidaya and brought us back to the straight path and to Him and made us practicing Muslims. Alhamdulillah!
*Wa wa jadaka ‘aa-ilan fa aghnaa*— And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient.
Many of us have probably gone through many periods in our lives when we have been short of money and wealth. Now when we look back we realize that it was only Allah who gave us that rizq in some form and got us through those tough financial times.
When a person is depressed, giving him or her examples of how Allah has helped them in the past will strengthen their conviction and belief in the promises Allah makes in this surah for their future.
*Fa am mal yateema fala taqhar* — So as for the orphan, do not oppress [him].
This aayah is the ultimate antidote to depression!
Depressed people are mostly consumed with their situation and feel that nobody could possibly be in a worse situation.
This aayah reminds us to look at people who are in far worse situations than ourselves when we’re feeling hopeless and depressed— Look at the orphans, who have no family or loved ones and nobody to care for them. We have families and parents who love us, a roof over our heads and food on the table and we still think we’re in a bad situation? Subhanallah!
*Wa am mas saa-ila fala tanhar*— And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him].
Another example is of the beggar – to once again remind us of the many material blessings that Allah has given us that we take for granted – food, clothing and shelter. How many of us have ever gone to sleep hungry? How many of us don’t have clothes to wear? Or don’t have a home to go to?
These examples of the orphan and the beggar are ones we should constantly remind ourselves of to be thankful for the numerous blessings Allah has given us, get over our depression and feel connected to Allah again, out of gratitude.
*Wa amma bi ne’mati rabbika fahad dith* – But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it].
This final aayah is about maintaining that renewed faith and bond with Allah – by pondering, glorifying and talking about the blessings of Allah! Either in terms of halaqas, discussions with family and friends or even da’wah! Dhikr, reading quran and listening to lectures are also great ways to keep the remembrance of Allah close to your heart!
So the next time you feel disconnected, disheartened or depressed with your level of Imaan and your connection with Allah – read Surah Ad Duha and ponder over its meanings – Inshallah it will restore your faith and increase your belief in the greatness of Allah.