Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
1- You should seek professional help to find out whether you are suffering from some form of depression or psychosomatic disease. Often times, people go through some form of depression without realizing it. Consult your family doctor. He or she may refer you to some experts in the field.
2- You should bear in mind that reading the Glorious Qur’an, making dhikr, observing your religious duties, steering clear of what is prohibited, and doing good help one get rid of depression and anxiety.
In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
We must look at life in a more detached and reasonable way. No event in the life of a human being represents the end of the road, except his own death. Allah takes care of us and we should entrust ourselves to His will. When we are true believers, we view every development in our life as good. We can easily submit to it, as it represents Allah’s will.
You should seek professional help to find out whether you are suffering from some form of depression or psychosomatic disease. Often times, people go through some form of depression without realizing it. Consult your family doctor. He or she may refer you to some experts in the field.
A prayer that helps overcome such depression should be addressed to the causes of depression themselves. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that we should pray according to the situation we find ourselves in. There are, in addition, prayers which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself used. One of these, which is relevant here, is this: Allahumma innee a`udhu bika mina al-hamm wal hazan wa a`udhu bika mina al-`ajzi wa al-kasal wa al-jubun wa al-bukhl wa ghalabati al-dayni wa qahri al-rrijaal (O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry, depression, helplessness, sloth, cowardice, niggardliness, and the burden of debts and domineering men.)
At the same time, you should, do the following on a regular basis:
1. If you are involved in any acts that are sinful or displeasing to Allah, shun them.
2. If you are not consistent and punctual in your prayer, try to be consistent. Remember that prayer is our only link with Allah. We cannot protect ourselves against Satan unless we align ourselves with Allah, our Creator and Sustainer.
3. Who are you befriending and keeping company with? Try to get some friends who are conscious of Allah, who might inspire you with good thoughts.
4. Be persistent in asking forgiveness of Allah, especially whenever such bad thoughts occur to you.
5. Read the following supplications on a regular basis, in the morning and evening:
Allahumma, anta rabbee, laa ilaaha illaa anta; khalaqtanee, wa ana `abduka wa ana `alaa `ahdika wa wa`dika ma istata`tu; a`udhu bika min sharri maa sana`tu; abu’u laka bi ni`matika `alayya wa abu’u bi dhanbee; fa ighfir lee fa innahu laa yaghfiru al-dhunuba illaa anta (O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no other god but You; You have created me, I am Your servant; I stand by Your covenant with me according to the best of my ability; I seek refuge and protection in You from my evil deeds; I acknowledge Your favors upon me and I confess my sins before You; so forgive me, for no one can forgive sins but You).
Rabbi innee a`udhu bika min hamazaati al-shshayaateeni wa a`udhu bika rabbi an yahdhuruni (my Lord, I seek refuge and protection in You from the whisperings of devils; I seek refuge and protection in You from their presence around me).
Allahumma innee a`udhu bika minmaa ajidu wa uhaadhiru (O Allah, I seek refuge and protection in You from what I feel and fear from).
Laa ilaaha illa Allahu al-`azeemu al-haleem, laa ilaaha illa Allahu rabbu al-`arshi al-`azeem, laa ilaaha illa Allahu rabbu al-ssamaawaati wa al-ardi wa rabbu al-`arshi al-kareem (There is no god but Allah, the Great, the Clement; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens and earth and the Lord of the Noble Throne).
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.