Abstract
In this article entitled "Mental
Health in the Holy Quran", the author tries to extract the main
ideas about mental health bases from the Holy Quran. A descriptive method
has been exploited in this study. Some of the most important factors
causing mental crises and their treatments in several categories will
be discussed. Some of these categories are: social treatments
such as encouraging to knowledge and justice and campaigning against
ignorance and oppression, call to peace and keeping away war and rudeness,
ethical treatments such as keeping away fear and cheering
to bravery, avoiding pride and voluptuousness, insight treatments
such as preventing despair and believing to a target for the world,
and etc.
Key Words:
Holy Quran, Mental Health, mental crises,
mental treatments.
Introduction
Stress is named the illness of new civilization and some of the psychologists call this era as agitation era. Therefore, finding the collation ways with stress and providing of mental health is very important.
Despite all manner of differences in methodology in the nature and conditions of the studied population or in the researcher’s zeal and attitude, the fact still remains that mental health problems in both industrialized and developing countries are generally immense and widely distributed [1–8].
In spite of all the efforts made by countries for the prevention of mental health problems, the data available indicate that in 100 population anywhere in the world, industrialized or developing, there are on average 6–8 people who suffer from mental or neurological disorders or who depend on alcohol or misuse of drugs. Several more suffer from somatic problems due to psychological causes or are the victims of deviant behavior.
In recent years, the challenge of mental health has become even more acute in the face of emerging multi-dimensional epidemics of modern times, notably drug-related problems, crimes of all sorts and the psychosocial and medical problems of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) [9].
Significantly, even in countries with advanced health care services, approximately one-third of the patients in general practice with psychiatric illness may not have their mental health problems identified and hence they may not be appropriately treated.
It is clear therefore that the challenge of mental health problems is immense and complex. Hence, the search continues for the development of more effective alternative treatment modalities, with a move away from the limited psychoanalytical technique to the behaviouristic, to the humanistic and recently to the transpersonal and more holistic approaches. An example of the latter is the development of the multifaceted model of psycho syntheses [10]. Besides the personal and social factors, great emphasis has been given in this model to the religious quest.
Jung, in his famous book Modern man in search of a soul, emphasized the importance of religion in attaining psychological health and enjoying a normal state of mental well-being [11]. He described that people from all civilized countries of the earth had consulted him and that among all his patients in the second half of life, there was not one whose problem was not that of finding a religious outlook in life. He rightly concluded that it was high time for the clergymen and psychotherapists to join forces to meet this great spiritual task.
The roots of mental health are visible in the Holy Quran and traditions of Prophet Mohammad (PUHM) and Imam Ali. Also, the mental health was considered by Muslims since centuries ago.
In this paper, an attempt will be made
to describe rather briefly the Islamic quest, the related religious
principles, and outline examples of the therapeutic implications with
due emphasis on the Quran's verses.
The mental health
Mental health is a term used to describe either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Mental health is the capacity to express our emotions and adapt to a range of demands.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". It was previously stated that there was no one "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined.
In the mid-19th century, William Sweetzer was the first to clearly define the term "mental hygiene", which can be seen as the precursor to contemporary approaches to work on promoting positive mental health.Isaac Ray, one of thirteen founders of the American Psychiatric Association, further defined mental hygiene as an art to preserve the mind against incidents and influences which would inhibit or destroy its energy, quality or development.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Clifford Beers
founded the National Committee
for Mental Hygiene and opened
the first outpatient mental health clinic in the United
States.
The health-giving Quran
In many of verses, Quran is called a remedy: "O men, now there has come to you an admonition from your Lord, and a healing for what is in the breasts, and a guidance, and a mercy to the believers." (Sura 10, Verse 57);
"Say: To the believers it is guidance, and a healing." (Sura 41, Verse 44); "And We send down, of the Quran, that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers." (Sura 17, Verse 82)
So, the first thing that is done for humans by the Holy Quran, is the purge him from mental, ethical and social illnesses. "Ask healing from the Quran and request help from it, because the treatment of major pains – that are blasphemy and hypocrisy and aberration - is in it." Imam Ali said.
The Holy Quran is the Heaven book that
introduces many of illnesses and treatments of them. These illnesses
can be classified into several categories:
As mentioned above, Imam Ali introduces
these illnesses as the major diseases that cause deviation in the human
life and destroy. The Holy Quran fights blasphemy and aberration in
many verses and invites people to the guidance and monotheism.
2. Social
illness:
The Holy Quran introduces the convenient
ways for some of the social phenomena such as dispersion, oppression,
war, poverty, decay, and so on by:
2.1 Calling to unity:
If the social diversity of opinions
increases unnaturally, the dissipation appears in the community. The
Quran's instruction for this social illness is so: "Cling firmly
together by means of God's rope, and do not separate." (Sura 3,
Verse 103) and says: "Obey God and His messenger and do not argue
with one another, so that you will falter and lose your courage."
(Sura 8, Verse 46)
2.2 Calling to peace and preventing
of war
War is one of the community calamities
that harmed human among the history. Hence, the Holy Quran invites mankind
to the peace to immune humanity: "If they should incline to peace,
then incline to it too and rely on God." (Sura 8, Verse 61) Of
course, the defense is sometimes necessary and the Islamic Jihad is
the same defense, indeed.
2.3 Justice-based moving
The oppression is an illness and
the Holy Quran calls human to justice: "You who believe, act steadfast
towards God, as witnesses for fair play, and do not let ill-will toward
any folk incriminate you so that you swerve from dealing justly. Be
just: that is nearest to heedfulness." (Sura 5, Verse 8) Also,
the state "Do not wrong others and you will not be wronged"
(Sura 2, Verse 279) can be considered as an international motto that
provides mental health for all.
2.4 Wealth adjusting
The poverty is one of the stress
factors and paves decay. The Holy Quran decreases the economic gap between
social layers by ordering some payments such as nourishing, necessary
and recommended alms.
2.5
commanding what are proper and prevent dishonor:
Individual or social decay weakens and destroys community bases and causes some of dangerous mental illnesses. The Holy Quran prevents this social damage by some orders such as decay fighting, avoiding lasciviousness and sensuality, and encouraging to marriage. Look at these verses:
"God does not like ruination."
(Sura 2, Verse 205), "Let there be a community among you who will
invite others to do good, command what is proper and prevent dishonor;
those will be prosperous." (Sura 3, Verse 104)
Breach of trust and promise is an example of social illness that causes distrust between people. Hence, the Islamic instructions call people to hold in trust and to be faithful to one's promise: "Fulfill your oaths; any promise will be checked into" (Sura 17, Verse 34)
Observing these instructions causes common confidence and provides people mental health in social relations.
Conclusion
Islamic culture is rich with essential guiding principles, appropriate directives and models of excellence for the promotion of mental health and the realization of a meaningful quality of life.
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