Depression An Islamic Perspective - Corrected Khutba
By Yasir Qadhi | 2026-01-07T20:36:32.811069+00:00 | Topic: Trials
Depression: An Islamic Perspective
Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi
Opening Praise and Introduction
All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and we seek His help. And we seek refuge in Allah from the whisperings of our souls and the evils of shaitan.
Verily, whomever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomever He chooses to misguide, none can guide him back to the straight path. I bear witness and I testify that there is no deity worthy of our worship other than Allah.
And that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is the final messenger and the most perfect worshiper. Allah has said in the Quran:
O you who believe, be conscious of Allah and have taqwa of Allah as is deserving of Allah and do not die except in a state of Islam.
The Taboo Topic of Depression
My brothers and sisters in Islam, today's khutbah is going to be about a topic that many consider to be taboo. Many do not wish to talk about it publicly and it is the topic of depression. Statistics estimate that 1 in 15 people roughly in this country suffer from depression. And the problem or one of the problems around depression is that and we have seen this especially in the last year or two because it is taboo to discuss many of our own members who are struggling with depression don't know where to turn to.
They feel uncomfortable going to family and friends. Community deems it to be a type of illness that nobody talks about. Most of the scholars and ulama and imams and sheikhs and I am one of them and I tell you from an insider's perspective, most of us are clueless when it comes to how to treat actual depression.
Real Cases and Community Impact
In the last few years and especially in the last few months, I myself have heard of a number of my colleagues and friends across the country telling me of suicides that are taking place in our own masajid communities. Masjid goers who are, we seek Allah's refuge, finding no happiness in this life, no higher purpose. Last week in Canada, a Muslim man attacked a number of people in public and first they thought it was one of those terrorist attacks.
It turned out he was suffering from clinical depression and he took a gun and unfortunately, two people were killed and a dozen injured. Clinical depression and his family had no idea that he was going through all of these issues. Therefore it is essential that we as a community understand at least to a basic level, what exactly is this concept called depression?
Common Misconceptions About Depression and Faith
And to compound this problem, some people think that depression is a purely spiritual phenomenon. They say that if you have iman, you will never be depressed. They say that if you believe in Allah, then you cannot and should not go see a psychiatrist. That if you see a psychiatrist or a counselor, this is a problem with your own iman or faith.
And unfortunately, they misunderstand some verses in the Qur'an, such as when Allah says:
Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do the hearts find tranquility.
So they assume, if you don't find tranquility, then this means you are not doing dhikr of Allah. They assume if you don't find happiness, then this means your iman is at fault.
And unfortunately, when a person struggling with depression is told the problem is you, this is the worst thing you can say. And rather than help the person in depression, in fact, anyone who says this will compound the depression a hundred times more. And many times scholars or shaykhs, because they have no clue, they wanna do good and they say, oh, the problem is just you, you have to turn to Allah.
This will make the person suffering from depression even more depressed, saying, it's all my fault. Already they are blaming themselves. And unfortunately, us people who are not trained scholars, they will say, oh, it is your fault, you should have more iman in Allah.
The Multidisciplinary Nature of Depression
Whereas the fact of the matter is that depression is a multidisciplinary issue. It's not easily categorized. Yes, it is true. Yes, it is true that some aspects of depression can be helped via spirituality, via iman. But it is also true that some people no matter how much spirituality they have, they will need to go to a medical practitioner. They have maybe certain issues that need to be countered with drugs, with prescription drugs.
It is also true that some issues are psychological, beyond the realm of religion, beyond the realm of medicine, perhaps a childhood trauma, perhaps the abuse of victim, especially of sexual abuse and trauma of childhood. That usually needs a counselor, a psychiatrist, a trained person, not just a shaykh, not just a medical doctor to give some drugs. Rather, it requires therapy from a licensed therapist.
And the bottom line brothers and sisters is that each one of us has a role to play. Sometimes scholars will help, sometimes trained counselors will help, sometimes medical practitioners will help, sometimes family and friends will help.
Purpose of This Khutbah
The purpose of this khutbah is not to become on the role of the doctor, that's not who I am. The purpose is to raise awareness amongst all of us, to spot the signs, the symptoms, maybe even in ourselves, maybe in our family and friends, to have a comforting mechanism, support mechanism. We as a community, we can alhamdulillah talk about this publicly, and help one another publicly.
The purpose is to look at this issue of depression in today's khutbah more from a religious perspective, but with the caveat that that's because I am coming to you from a scholarly perspective. This doesn't mean that religion is the only cure. But yes, it is true to say for some people, not for all, for some people, religion will be a helping mechanism. Not the only thing, you always need family, friends, whatnot.
But still, for most people, religion is something that will help them cope with anxiety, with stress, with depression. And clinical studies across the world have shown, generally speaking, the rule of thumb is that those people who have religion, whether they're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, those who are faithful in their traditions, generally speaking, they're able to cope with the stress of life better than those who don't have religion.
But still I point out very explicitly, some people that's not the case and religion has nothing to do with their depression and they need to be counseled or trained. So today's khutbah is not intended to diagnose, much less treat depression. Rather, it is firstly a call for public awareness. And secondly, what does the Qur'an tell us about anxiety, about stress, about depression?
Nine Points from the Qur'an About Depression and Anxiety
Point 1: Feeling Anxious and Worried is Part of Being Human
The Qur'an clearly tells us that feeling anxious, feeling worried, stressful is a part of being human. There's nothing wrong with that. Societal problems can and will cause us stress. Allah says to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم):
We know that your heart is in pain because of what they say.
Think about that. Your heart is in pain because of what people are saying about you. In Surah Al-Kahf:
This is a powerful verse that really shows us what depression can lead to. Allah is speaking to the Rasul (صلى الله عليه وسلم), and he is saying, it is possible that your anxiety, your anguish will cause you to die.
I know it sounds very melodramatic. This is the Arabic word, (بَاخِعٌ - ba'ikh) means to die because of grief. (باخِعٌ - ba'ikh) means to go into depression into such a state that you end your life. Not suicide, but basically your depression causes you to die. And Allah says in the early Makkan phase, Ya Rasulullah, we know you're going down this road. Ya Rasulullah, you're getting too anxious, too worried. Don't go down this road. You might die in anguish.
But of course our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), why was he so anguished? Why was he grief? Because the people didn't believe. Not because of money. Not that I'm saying there's nothing wrong with that. But our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is obviously not gonna become depressed because of money. Why was he depressed? Why was he... I shouldn't even say the word depressed to me. I should say he was feeling anguish. That is the better phrasing.
He was feeling extreme anguish. Why was he feeling anguish? Because his people did not believe. That anguish, that anxiety, Allah says, you might end up dying because of that anxiety.
Also we learn from the Qur'an that the mother of Musa, Allah says to her:
So that she could find comfort and stop worrying. Stop worrying. It's normal. Nothing wrong with worrying, with being anxious, with having grief.
So much so, Allah says about the Prophet Ya'qub, that what does Ya'qub happen when his son Yusuf went away? That Allah says:
His eyes became blind because he was worried and cried.
The crying, the grief was so much, his eyes became blind. Allah did not criticize him for getting sad. Allah did not castigate him for feeling the grief. His son, his beloved son Yusuf went missing, as we know the story. And his love for Yusuf exceeded all bounds. And the grief that he felt was so much. The anguish that he felt was so much that 12 years later, 15 years later, his own children said, when will you stop blabbering about Yusuf? Stop it, enough.
And he himself, his eyes became blind. And Allah never once criticized him. Why? Because that anguish, that grief, it was still within checks. He didn't go beyond to an unhealthy level as we will talk about later on.
As well Maryam (alayhi as-salam), when she fled, when she was pregnant as you know, and Allah told her to leave your community. She was alone, she was with child, nobody to help her. She didn't know how to deliver a baby all alone. What is going to happen to her? Allah says that:
There came that voice - don't worry, don't worry. The comfort is from Allah. Allah is telling, Allah did not say, Oh Maryam, you're such a pious lady, you're the best lady of mankind, how could you worry? No, Allah comforted her. (لَا تَحْزَنِي - la tahzani) - Don't worry, we'll take care of you. We'll make sure everything is fine. Look, here's a river. Look, these are the dates. Look, everything is taken care of.
In other words, Allah is consoling those that have grief, and He's not making them feel guilty for that grief. So we learn from all of this brothers and sisters, that feeling anxious, stressful, worried, having what we call somewhat normal or natural depression, this is a part of life. Nothing wrong with that. You don't have to feel spiritually bad if you're extra anxious or extra worried. The point is that we have to keep it within a healthy bound and not take it to a level that is unhealthy.
Point 2: The Knowledge That Allah is Watching and Allah is With Us
The second point out of nine points, the second point, what does the Qur'an tell us about how we can battle with depression, with extra anxiety and stress? The second point, the knowledge that Allah is watching and Allah is with us.
How do we battle some of the anxiety? By comforting ourselves, Allah is with me, and Allah knows what is going on. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that when our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was in the cave, Ghar-e-Hira, and Abu Bakr was getting very anxious, Abu Bakr was breathing, palpitating, he couldn't look. If they look, they're gonna see us, Ya Rasulullah.
What was that famous phrase in the Qur'an?
Powerful phrase. Don't worry, Allah is with us. Think about that. Don't worry (لَا تَحْزَنْ - la tahzan) - Allah is with us. This is one of the ways to cope with the mechanism, with the stress, with the anxiety. Allah is here, He is watching, He is seeing, He knows, He is in control.
And this is why, yes, it is true that generally speaking, faith helps in depression. As I said, there are exceptions, but generally speaking, faith is a powerful antidote to most types of depression, even though it's not always the case.
Also in the Qur'an, Allah consoles the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) by literally telling him, we see what they're doing:
Don't worry, Ya Rasulullah, at what they say. We know what they're saying, we see what they're doing.
Notice the cause and the effect. Don't worry, we know. Don't worry, we see. Allah is telling the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), don't you think that I know what's going on, I'm in control.
Whatever happens, we console ourselves with the knowledge that Allah is watching and Allah is in control.
Point 3: Realizing That Pain and Suffering is Part of This World
The third point, brothers and sisters, of the ways we battle depression, of the ways we take on anxiety, realizing that pain and suffering is a part and parcel of this world. This world is not the world of paradise. This world is the dunya, the prelude to paradise. No one in this world shall ever live without pain and suffering. Do you not see when the child is born, the first thing that the child does is cries.
And our psychoanalysts of the scholars, they say, this is a symptom, this world is not the world of merriment. The child is not born laughing, the child is born crying. Realize that whatever pain I am in, whatever pain you are in, the world, every person has his or her own demons, anxious issues, worrisome aspects.
Nobody is stress-free in this world. I swear to you brothers and sisters, if you think somebody is living a stress-free life, you are deluding yourself. Every single person has anxieties, from the richest to the poorest, from the healthiest and the fittest to those who are the sick. Everyone has their own personal anxieties. This is a part and parcel of this world.
Allah says in the Qur'an, that:
If a wound or a calamity afflicts you, then it has afflicted others as well. And these are the days we distribute amongst the people.
Some days are good, some days are bad. What a powerful verse. Allah is telling the Muslims, this was after the battle of Uhud, that if you're in pain, if you're suffering, realize the others, in this case the verse is to the Quraysh, but it can be made broader. Whatever pain you and I are going through, you're not the first human to suffer it. Whatever has happened to you, others have also suffered.
And these are the days we distribute. Some days are this, some days are that. This is a part of this world.
No one shall live a stress-free life. Allah says in the Qur'an:
Don't they see every year a big calamity or maybe even two happens to them. That is part of life.
Don't they see every year something happens that is indeed a disaster, a catastrophe. Let them think about that and turn back to Allah.
Point 4: Remember the Mercy of Allah
The fourth point that Allah reminds us in the Qur'an is to remember the mercy of Allah. Remember who is Allah? The Rahman, the Rahim, the Kareem, the Mannan. Who is Allah? He cares about you, He loves for you. One of the most powerful verses that especially comes in handy for those that are struggling with depression.
Allah says in the Qur'an:
Don't kill yourselves, don't think of suicide. What is the next phrase? Powerful. Allah is Rahim for you.
Notice, don't kill yourselves. Allah is merciful, not even He is merciful with you, Rahim with you. So notice, life is difficult. You're thinking of, khalas, let me end it. And Allah is saying, don't do it, I'm merciful. I love you, I will take care of you.
But it must also be said in the same verse right after, there is also a threat. And this is the power of the Qur'an. You have the carrot and the stick. Then Allah says, but whoever does so out of injustice and transgressing the bounds, that person shall indeed face the torment. In other words, Allah is telling the person suffering, firstly the kind, don't do it. I love you, I care about you.
Then Allah says, be careful. That's my life, not yours. I gave it to you. You do not have the right to take your own life. If you take it, (ظُلْمًا وَعُدْوَانًا - Meaning you take it unjustly). We're not talking about an accidental death. We're talking about somebody who, you know, went beyond the bounds. Allah then threatens, don't do that or else you will face the punishment.
So the Qur'an has the carrot and the stick. And first is the carrot, first is the mercy. Allah is telling us, don't do it. Allah loves you.
Point 5: Belief in Qadr (Predestination)
The fifth point brothers and sisters, how we battle depression in the Qur'an is belief in qadr, belief in predestination. It is an immense relief to us to believe in qadr. When you believe in qadr, the world
becomes much easier to live. When you believe in qadr, subhanallah, your heart is content. Allah says in the Qur'an:
So that you don't be worried about what you didn't get.
So that you don't be worried about what you didn't get. What you didn't get wasn't meant for you. As the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said to Ibn Abbas: know my dear nephew, know my dear son, know that whatever you did not get was not meant for you. And whatever happened to you could never have been averted. The pen has been lifted and the ink has dried. (Hadith - Tirmidhi 2516)
Whatever happens is the qadr of Allah. Allah tells the hypocrites in the Qur'an, those hypocrites after the battle of Uhud were saying, oh, if they stayed at home, then they wouldn't have been killed. Allah says in the Qur'an, that if they stayed at home and their death had been written for them, they would have left their houses and they would have met death on the battlefield. You cannot change the qadr of Allah. You cannot turn around what has already happened.
It was destined, it was pre-decreed, and it was something Allah had willed. We use qadr, memorize this phrase, we use qadr to console ourselves about the past and not to justify the future. We use qadr to console about the past and not to justify the future.
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that when Adam met Musa, when Musa met Adam, Musa in the after world, he met Adam, and he criticized Adam. And he said, oh, our father Adam, why did you eat of the tree? And why did you get us expelled from Jannah so that we are now living on this earth? And Adam said, oh, my son, don't you know that Allah had written 50,000 years before He created me that we would live in this earth? So how can you criticize me for something Allah had pre-determined and decreed? And the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:
(Bukhari 6614, Muslim 2652)
That Adam won the argument against Musa, Adam won the argument against Musa.
Adam did not justify the sin via qadr, he justified the calamity of coming down to this earth. And he said, it's not my fault, Allah had pre-destined that mankind would be on this earth, how can you criticize me about something Allah had pre-destined? The past is the past, it was pre-destined, it was Allah'sqadr, you could not have changed it because it was already written in stone. So find comfort in that.
And this leads me to the next point, which is, yes indeed, qadr also leads us to what we call in Arabic qana'a. And qana'a means contentment. Be happy with what you have, don't always be greedy for what you don't have. True happiness is the happiness of the heart, not the happiness of belongings.
Always look at those who are above you in religion, but lower than you in this world. Always look at those above you in religion, but lower than you in this world. Whatever you don't have, there are people that have less than you. Whatever you're struggling with, there are people that are struggling with much more than you.
Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: whoever wakes up amongst you, safe in his household, he has his food for the day, and his health is good, then it is as if this whole world has been given to him, and he has everything he needs. (Tirmidhi 2346)
The three basic needs of this life, you're waking up, breathing, eating, you have your food, and there's no bombs dropping on you, you're safe. That's it. You are living a good life. It is as if the whole world has been given to you.
What more do you want? The quality of food, you have food. The size of the house, you have a house. Whoever wakes up amongst you, safe in his household, which means no civil war, no what not going on. He has his food for the day, and he has his health, he's living, what not. Then it is as if the whole world has been given to him, and he has everything he needs. Be content with what you have, and don't always aim for more, and more, and more.
Point 6: Recognizing That Depression Can Be From Shaitan
The seventh point, brothers and sisters, is the realization that anxiety and stress, grief and depression is sometimes a tactic of shaitan. Sometimes it is from shaitan. Shaitan wants your depression to become so much that you stop living a normal life. You don't have a relationship with Allah. So realize this is not even from you. This could be coming from shaitan.
It's not coming from within. It's the waswas of shaitan. And that will help you overcome because when you know it's not your fault, when you know it is the enemy of Allah, and the enemy of Adam, and the enemy of mankind. Shaitan is an enemy to you, Allah says. So take him as your enemy. Know that one of the tactics of shaitan is depression.
Allah says in the Qur'an, that:
Those secret gatherings the hypocrites are doing, it is from shaitan. And shaitan wants you to be stressed out. He wants you to be anxious.
He wants you to have that depression. So depression could be in some occasions, not every time. In some occasions, depression is coming 100% from shaitan, not from you. He's using it as a technique to divert you from your world, from your deen, from your dunya, so that you don't live a comfortable life. This is a part of the tactic of shaitan. And knowing this helps us overcome depression.
Point 7: Prayer, Dhikr, and Dua as Remedies
The 8th and 9th point, I know time is coming limited very quickly. The 8th point brothers and sisters, it is to some extent normal to feel anxious, to feel grief, to feel worried about the problems of this world, such as the reality of this world. Muslims should try to channel that anxiety, and lead themselves to connect with Allah.
Prayer and dua and dhikr will always help, regardless of what the problem is. Aisha says: whenever our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was worried, he would rush to stand up in salah. (Abu Dawud 4985)
He was worried, he was worried, that's why. Whenever he was worried, he would rush to stand up in salah. He said to Bilal: O Bilal, give the iqamah so that I can find the comfort in the salah. And he said to the sahaba: Allah has made the peace of my heart in the salah. (Abu Dawud 4985)
The peace of the heart comes from the salah. And yes, it is true that Allah says, in Allah'sdhikr, one finds the heart to be tranquil. It is true.
And one of the greatest mechanisms to battle depression is dua. Dua opens up a communication with Allah. You can beg and plead, you can complain to Allah, there's no problem in that. Complain to Allah, O Allah, look at my situation. O Allah, you see how difficult this is. O Allah, I know you know. No problem to complain to Allah. You don't complain about Allah. You complain to Allah.
When the children of Ya'qub criticized their father, and they said, when will you stop blabbering about Yusuf? What did Ya'qub say?
My blabbering is not for you. I am complaining to Allah.
My grief is in front of Allah. Raise your hands up to Allah and open your heart. The best conversation you will ever have is with Allah. Open up with Allah and explain your problems. Tell Him and explain to Him. And you can even say like the Prophet Ayyub said: Ya Rab, you see the problem I'm in.
And you are the most merciful of those who have mercy. Ya Rab, you see my situation.
You can pray like the Prophet Yunus prayed from the heart of the belly:
These are all duas that Prophets made when they were anxious, when they were under stress. And they made dua to Allah. And the ninth and final point brothers and sisters, and of course much more can be said, but as usual time is always limited for these khutbas.
Point 8: Victory is Always for the Believer
The ninth and final point for this khutba. Realize that the future is always for the believer. Victory is always written for the believer. If not in this world, then definitely in the next world.
Allah says in the Qur'an, after the defeat of Uhud, the Muslims walked back feeling very depressed, very down. And Allah said to them:
Don't feel weak and don't feel sad. You shall be the winners if you have iman.
So it is true brothers and sisters, that iman isn't the only solution to depression. And I say this at least 10 times in today's khutba. But it is also true that generally speaking, good family, good community, good friends, and most importantly good iman, they help. Sometimes they don't solve. Sometimes you need to go beyond this. Sometimes you need therapy. Sometimes you need medication. But never, never will iman harm you.
Never will it get in the way of you and curing any problem. There is no question that all of these points that we mentioned will help a person. And in many cases, not all, in many cases solve anxiety and depression. And sometimes people have to go beyond that. And that is where the trained therapist need to come in. May Allah make us of those who listen to the Qur'an and follow it to the best of our abilities.
Second Khutbah: Signs and Symptoms of Depression
I am obviously no psychiatrist or psychologist. Yet, because many of us will probably not hear this from other sources, I have just quickly looked up some authentic websites to remind all of us as a novice, and I'm not an expert, what are some of the symptoms of depression? And the purpose is public awareness, not for me to prescribe anything to you that's not in my area of expertise, just so that we be aware. In case we have a family member, maybe ourselves, so that we know what are some of the common symptoms.
And there's no one telltale sign, but if you have 3, 4, 5 of these, or you know a family member that does, it is definitely time to seek help, to go beyond, to go to those who know.
Common Signs of Depression
- Always feeling empty, always feeling sad, not being happy at what most other people would deem to be an occasion of happiness.
- Feeling guilty about life, losing interest in all pleasurable things, being withdrawn. You used to be active or somebody used to be very social, and all of a sudden they become very quiet, they become very secluded, they don't do much.
- Blaming yourself for everything, or blaming the world for everything, and always feeling that life is unfair. No matter what happens, you always feel down, you're concentrating on the negative rather than the positive.
- To feel worthless, useless, to feel that maybe I shouldn't be here, the world would be better if I were not here. And this is clearly from shaitan, it is not something that comes from the religion. The world is always a better place with you if you strive to make it a better place.
- Constantly thinking of leaving this world, in a morbid manner. Thinking of death, a'udhu billah, in a morbid manner.
Why do I say morbid? You can think of death in a positive manner. You should think of death in a positive, meaning, okay, we're about to die all of us, let's leave a productive life, let me get ready to meet Allah. That's a positive outlook.
Look, nobody lives forever, and I need to prepare, have investments for my children, leave a good legacy, meet Allah. That's a regular thing, you should think about that. But to always be obsessed with death, and think about dying, and think, a'udhu billah, about killing yourself and suicide, and these types of thoughts, this is definitely not healthy, and this is a telltale.
One of the most important signs of depression, is that a person, a'udhu billah, he is just always thinking and imagining, or she, about how to leave this world and what not. And that's not something that is healthy.
As I said, we should not conflate, Islamic thinking of death means, that you become productive, you don't live depressed, you become, oh, you know what, Allah knows how many years I have left, I better make the best of it. That's something else, that's good. But then depression means, ah, what if I die today, let me think how I'm gonna die. No, we don't go down that route. That's depression, that is something that is very, very problematic.
These are some of the generic signs, obviously, there are many more signs than these. If you or anybody you know, feel some or all of these, then please do not feel shy to ask for help.
Community Response and Resources
Go to community, to family, to friends. I am here for you, to the best of my knowledge, whatever I'm able to help, please come to me, confide in me, this is a part of the legacy that, and the prophetic legacy that has been entrusted to all of us. Communities as well, need to become more open about talking about these topics.
They should not be taboo. And we should find help and comfort in others, family and friends, community, and of course, licensed therapists and psychologists. We have to stop trivializing this field.
There are people that have trained for decades, they're basing their research on thousands and thousands of people. They help, psychiatrists, doctors, they know much more than the average person. Don't feel that you're doing something wrong or un-Islamic, if you need help from a trained therapist.
Family, friends, faith, therapy, all of this put together helps.
Conclusion: The Promise of the Akhira
And brothers and sisters, the final point for this khutbah, realize that, as I said, this world is a world of anxiety and pain. It is only in the akhira where all pain and anxiety will stop. And that is why the akhira is called daarus salam, the abode of no pain. And that is why, when the people of Jannah enter Jannah, what is the first thing they will say according to the Qur'an?
All praise be to Allah. Finally, we will never worry.
That is in Jannah. This world, all of us worry. I worry. I'm under stress. You are under stress. Might be different, but we're all under stress.
We take that stress, we channel it, so that we still live productive lives despite the stress. And we try our best to earn Allah's blessings and reward so that the day will come when we enter Jannah and we could be amongst those people to say, الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ from now on, there shall be no stress and no grief. May Allah make us amongst them.