“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” – Arabian Proverb Wikipedia defines scrupulosity as a psychological disorder “characterized by pathological guilt about moral or religious issues. It is personally distressing, objectively dysfunctional, and often accompanied by significant impairment in social functioning”. Religious practice and devotion are not necessarily...
September 11, 2011 changed not only the world we live in but had a major impact on the mental health of individuals around the world. Some of the individuals most impacted by the events of 9/11 were the Muslims in the United States and abroad. Based on research conducted post 9/11 by multiple...
By: Farhana Jahan and Zahra Murtaza As originally published in Al-Bayan magazine: The Muslim Student Publication at the University of California, Berkeley “Verily in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest.” (Qur’an Surah Ra’d 13:28) When was the last time you had a mental health check-up? Most Americans would have a difficult...
“If the numbers we see in domestic violence were applied to terrorism or gang violence, the entire country would be up in arms, and it would be the lead story on the news every night.” – Mark Green The amount of abuse that happens in Muslim households today has increased dramatically. It is an...
“Whoever finds love beneath hurt and grief disappears into emptiness with a thousand new disguises.” Rumi In 1999 I embraced Islam. The journey to Islam was long and experiential. I became involved with Westernized Sufism prior to Islam for many years, studying various methods to work on myself and dabbling in teachings...
“How blunt are all the arrows of thy quiver in comparison with those of guilt”. -Robert Blair Guilt is one of the most powerful of human emotions. It can motivate one to seek redemption or it can leave one feeling hopeless; it can set one on a path of true renewal and change or...
“Autism is not a puzzle, nor a disease. Autism is a challenge, but certainly not a devastating one.” -Trisha Van Berkel Autism is a very common issue in the Muslim community. Many parents feel that they are at a loss because they don’t understand what it is. Recently, there was a tragic story of...
“Anger is the energy that people use in order to act. But when you are angry, you are not lucid, and you might do wrong things” Thich Nhat Hanh. Anger, as an emotion, is a primary, natural, and mature emotion experienced by all humans at times, and has functional value for survival. Anger alerts...
“Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.” Pat Strachan Hurd Have you ever been in a situation where someone you’re with (or perhaps even you, yourself) said something completely inappropriate and unintentionally offended someone else? Proverbially, we call this “putting your foot in your mouth,” and unfortunately for some it’s...
“In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired.” ~Author Unknown Depression or depressive symptoms can be dealt with as long as the one suffering from them makes a concerted effort towards a solution. Before seeking treatment and in order for real change to happen one must first...
