The Islamic sad status refers to the emotional state of sadness from an Islamic religious perspective. In Islam, sadness and sorrow are viewed as natural human emotions that are experienced by believers and non-believers alike. However, Islam provides unique guidance on how to deal with sadness in a way that brings one closer to Allah.
What Does Islam Say About Feeling Sad?
Islam recognizes that human beings inherently feel sadness and grief when faced with trials, hardships, and tragedies in life. The Quran validates these feelings in many verses. For example:
“So indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.” (Quran 94:5-6)
“And certainly were messengers denied before you, but they were patient over [the effects of] denial, and they were harmed until Our victory came to them. And none can alter the words of Allah .” (Quran 6:34)
These verses indicate that sadness is a natural part of the human experience. What matters most is how believers respond to difficult situations that evoke sadness. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also acknowledged the inevitability of trials and advised the cultivation of patience and hope:
“How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” (Muslim)
Causes of Sadness in Islam
There are many reasons why Muslims experience sadness, including:
- Loss of loved ones
- Chronic illness or disability
- Financial stress and poverty
- Family and relationship problems
- Injustice and oppression
- Lack of faith and disconnection from Allah
Major events like death, divorce, or job loss often trigger sadness. But sadness can also emerge from the pressures of daily life and minor frustrations that accumulate over time.
Islamic Perspective on Coping With Sadness
Islam provides unique coping methods to deal with sadness rooted in the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. Some key principles include:
1. Have Patience and Seek Allah’s Help
Muslims are encouraged to respond to life’s trials and sadness with patience and perseverance. Relying on Allah for strength and support through dua (supplication) is emphasized. Patience does not mean passively accepting sadness, but actively striving to overcome challenges with hope in Allah’s divine wisdom and mercy.
2. Turn to Prayer and Dhikr
Prayer (salah) and dhikr (remembering and glorifying Allah) can provide comfort and peace in times of sorrow. Sincere dua while prostrating in prayer is very effective in easing sadness and worry. Dhikr activates awareness of Allah’s presence and renews one’s spiritual connection.
3. Reflect on the Blessings of Allah
Gratitude shifts perspective from the negative to the positive. When going through trials, Muslims are advised to reflect on the blessings of health, family, faith, and provisions bestowed by Allah. This counters sadness and breeds appreciation.
4. Perform Good Deeds
Engaging in acts of worship and voluntary good deeds can lift the spirit and distract from depressive thoughts. Sadaqah (charity) and community service breeds empathy and humanizes suffering. Helping others through hardship enables one to bear hardships too.
5. Seek Knowledge and Wisdom
Learning Islamic teachings, studying the lives of the Prophets and righteous predecessors, and gaining wisdom by interacting with scholars and people of wisdom can reframe adversity and boost optimism.
6. Make Dua for Ease After Hardship
Supplicating to Allah to replace difficulty with ease is encouraged. Keeping hope alive for Allah’s mercy and relief is an antidote to despair and powerlessness in challenging times.
What Does the Quran Say About Feeling Sad?
The Quran offers profound consolation and coping strategies in many verses to deal with sadness. Some notable verses are:
“So verily, with every difficulty, there is relief. Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.” (Quran 94:5-6)
“And walk not on earth with conceit and arrogance. Verily, you can neither tear the earth, nor attain a stature like the mountains in height.” (Quran 17:37)
“And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him.” (Quran 65:3)
“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Quran 13:28)
“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer.” (Quran 2:153)
These verses remind believers to maintain perspective, rely on Allah, actively strive against adversity with patience and prayer, and orient towards the eternal Afterlife.
What Did Prophet Muhammad Say About Sadness?
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) provided profound guidance on dealing with trials and sadness. Some key Hadiths (sayings of Prophet Muhammad PBUH) are:
“If a calamity befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done such and such’ rather say ‘Allah has decreed it and He does whatever He wills.’ Verily, ‘if’ opens the way for the work of Satan.” (Muslim)
“Let not your grief make you say what you should not say.” (Bukhari)
“Verily, if Allah loves a people, He tests them, so whoever is content receives His pleasure and whoever is discontent receives His displeasure.” (Tirmidhi)
These Hadiths instruct Muslims to accept trials from a lens of faith in divine wisdom, exercise patience in the face of grief, and refrain from complaining.
How Can Muslims Deal With Depression?
Prolonged and excessive sadness can sometimes lead to clinical depression. Islam offers spiritual coping strategies to deal with depression such as:
- Seeking professional counseling and medical treatment if needed
- Reciting Quran and making heartfelt dua
- Increasing obligatory acts of worship like prayer, fasting, and charity
- Attending spiritual gatherings at mosques to refresh one’s faith
- Striving to be grateful to Allah and patient with hardships
- Seeking forgiveness from Allah and atoning for sins
- Avoiding isolation and spending time with righteous friends and family
Depending on the severity of depression, both spiritual and medical remedies may be required concurrently. Muslims must care for their mental health and seek help when needed.
Why Do Muslims Say “Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’oon” When Facing Sad Situations?
This phrase, known as Tashahhud, translates to “Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Allah we return.” It is recited when grieving to affirm faith that everything and everyone ultimately belongs to and will return to Allah.
This phrase reminds believers that loss and death are part of life, and the true eternal life is the Afterlife with Allah. It brings solace knowing Allah is in control and all affairs eventually return to Him.
How Does Islam Comfort Those Grieving Death?
Islam offers unique solace to those grieving death of loved ones. Comforting teachings include:
- Death is natural and predestined by Allah for every soul
- The deceased is in a transition to an eternal Afterlife
- Deceased believers are granted Paradise by Allah’s mercy
- Deceased disbelievers may be forgiven by Allah on Judgement Day
- The living and deceased will reunite in Paradise for believers
- Grief is finite but Allah’s mercy is eternal
Muslims believe the grieving will be reunited with their loved ones in Paradise by Allah’s grace. Focusing on Allah’s divine mercy, wisdom, and eternal nature is the ultimate consolation.
What Are Some Islamic Funeral Rituals and Mourning Practices?
Islamic funeral and mourning rituals include:
- Closing the eyes and reciting prayers upon death
- Bathing, shrouding, and perfuming the deceased
- Performing the Islamic funeral prayer (salat-al-janazah)
- Burying the deceased as soon as possible
- Mourning and crying are allowed at funerals and visitations
- Quran recitation and supplications for the deceased’s soul
- Providing food to grieving family and friends
- Visiting and praying at the grave
- Commemorating loved ones on anniversaries of their passing
These communal rituals are meant to honor the deceased, comfort the grieving, and remind people of their mortality and the Afterlife.
What Are Some Popular Islamic Funeral Prayers and Supplications?
Common funeral supplications from the Quran and Hadith are:
- “To Allah we belong, and to Him we return.” (2:156)
- “Our Lord, forgive him/her and have mercy upon him/her. Provide him/her with comfort and a spacious abode.”
- “O Allah, forgive our living and our dead…Grant them peace, light, and righteousness.”
- “There is no God but Allah, He is One and has no partner. To Him belongs all sovereignty and praise. He gives life and causes death, He is Alive and does not die.”
These prayers ask Allah to shower the deceased with mercy, forgiveness, and eternal peace in their journey to the Afterlife.
What Are Some Islamic Supplications for Hardship and Sadness?
Examples of supplications from Quran and Hadith to cope with hardship and sadness are:
- “There is no power or strength except by Allah.”
- “To Allah we belong and to Him we return.”
- “There is no deity except You, glory be to You, surely I am one of the wrongdoers.”
- “O Living, O Self-Subsisting, there is no deity but You, so help me.”
- “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, His is the kingdom and all praises are for Allah, He gives life and causes death.”
These supplications reaffirm faith in Allah’s powers and help believers surrender their worries and sadness to Him.
Conclusion
In summary, Islam validates natural human emotions like sadness while providing a lens of patience, perspective, and hope to cope with life’s trials. Turning to Allah, embracing worship, avoiding despair, and acting with gratitude are key means to deal with sadness. Losing loved ones is never easy, but Islamic teachings emphasize continuity of the soul’s journey toward an eternal life with the Creator. The Islamic rituals and supplications offer unique comfort to both the grieving and the departed.