A Friday to Discover How Islam Has Guided Mind and Heart for Centuries

Many individuals within our communities tend to look away when the topic of mental health or inner healing is raised, as if these issues were not truly part of the human experience. In some circles, psychological disorders are still thought to be exclusively linked to the action of shayṭān or to weak faith, a belief largely stemming from a lack of scientific and theological knowledge. The history of Islamic medicine, however, tells a different story: great Muslim thinkers and physicians such as Abū Zayd al-Balkhī, Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzī (Rhazes), Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), and other medieval scholars treated mental health as an integral part of medicine, considering it essential to human well-being. Al-Balkhī, for instance, in the 9th century, elaborated a distinction between bodily illnesses and illnesses of the soul, observing that depression, anxiety, pathological sadness, and obsessive thoughts required specific and rational therapeutic approaches. Al-Rāzī, director of one of the most advanced hospitals in Baghdad, described and treated mental disorders with clinical methods, and Ibn Sīnā devoted substantial sections of his Qānūn to phenomena that we would today define as psychological, observing that the care of the mind cannot be separated from the body or the spiritual dimension of the person.

These examples show that mental health care is not a modern topic, nor a Western influence; it is a deeply rooted and ancient component of Islamic heritage. The integrative approach—body, mind, and spirit as a unity—was central in classical Islamic civilization and can also be observed in bīmāristān, medieval hospitals that offered treatment for psychological disorders through medical, environmental, spiritual, and psychological therapies. The idea that mental illness indicates a lack of faith is therefore a simplification unsupported both historically and clinically.

Spirituality, however, has always played an important therapeutic role. Many contemporary scholars, such as Dr. Tareq Al-Habib and Dr. Al-Khamīs, confirm that integrating faith in God into therapeutic processes can support healing—not as a replacement for medicine, but as a complement to it. Leading modern psychologists also recognize the value of spirituality as a protective factor for mental health. Islamic tradition itself contains numerous references to human emotional states: the Qur’an speaks of ḥamm (worry), ghamm (distress), khawf (fear), and describes the “chest that tightens” (6:125), a description surprisingly close to what we now define as anxiety symptoms. Similarly, it states that God “will remove what is in the chests” (7:43), offering a perspective of liberation and healing.

The Qur’an uses different terms to indicate the inner states of a person: qalb, ṣadr, fu’ād, each with specific semantic nuances. The fu’ād expresses emotional intensity, almost “burning” (53:11), while the qalb is the seat of faith and spiritual orientation, and the ṣadr represents the external dimension, similar to a courtyard protecting the deep heart. The distinction between these inner levels, also confirmed in prophetic tradition, suggests a complex anthropological structure in which disturbing thoughts—as indicated in hadiths reported by Abū Dāwūd and Ahmad—can “reach” the chest without necessarily corrupting the heart.

Recognizing one’s fragility is not a sign of weak faith; on the contrary, the Qur’an reminds us that “man was created weak” (4:28). It is precisely from this condition of vulnerability that the path of healing emerges: not avoiding emotions, not obsessively fighting thoughts, nor seeking excessive explanations, but reducing the attention we give to intrusive mental events. The more one attempts to control or analyze obsessive thoughts, the more they persist; for this reason, Islamic tradition encourages patience (2:153), ignoring what disturbs, and returning to God through prayer, movements of ṣalāh, dhikr, and Qur’anic recitation, which act on the body and mind, promoting neurophysiological processes of calm and emotional regulation.

The Qur’an also refers to the nafs lawwāmah (75:2), the soul that reproaches itself, recognizing the human tendency to self-criticism and guilt. In the presence of errors, the path taught by tradition is to seek forgiveness and move forward. Reflecting on the past with “what if it had gone differently…” can lead to destructive patterns, as the Qur’anic perspective reminds us (57:22–23). Humans, exposed to daily risks, cannot expect perfection or total control; healing begins with acceptance of one’s created condition and acknowledgment of divine sovereignty.

The origins of mental illness often trace back to childhood trauma, a concept now explained through neuroplasticity: the brain builds connections and pathways—like pieces of Lego—based on experiences and habits. Changing habits means changing the structure of the brain itself. The Qur’an reminds us that human responsibility concerns what a person “earns” (2:286), and refers to the forehead region symbolically as the seat of intentions and actions, describing the “forelock” of the oppressor as a metaphor for moral responsibility (96:15–16). Understanding that mental and behavioral patterns consolidate gradually helps explain how sinful habits also start from small errors, repeated until they become addictions.

The care of the mind, like a garden, requires the constant removal of “weeds” before they become too deeply rooted. Likewise, starting with one prayer, then two, then three, or with one Ramadan, then another, gradually transforms inner life. Habitual religious practice, supported by neuroplasticity, becomes a highly valuable therapeutic factor. Qur’anic recitation, even in children, shows calming and regulatory effects, and a cautious approach prevents hasty diagnoses. Diagnoses such as ADHD, psychopathy, or other labels should not be applied without a serious clinical assessment: as classical Islamic scholars noted, a clinical condition requires multiple persistent symptoms, not a single trait or behavior. If symptoms persist beyond six months and interfere with daily life, consulting a professional is appropriate.

The first step, however, can be turning to God in prayer, seeking guidance and clarity. Many report that the answer comes the following day, and that consistent communication with the Creator stabilizes the heart. There are testimonies of people who, thanks to Islam, have overcome alcohol or drug dependence, or degraded life situations. Purification is a journey, and once undertaken, the path opens.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

• Al-Balkhī, Abū Zayd. Masālih al-Abdān wa al-Anfus (Sustenance of Bodies and Souls).

• Al-Rāzī, Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā. Al-Ḥāwī fī al-Ṭibb and Al-Mansūrī.

• Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna). Al-Qānūn fī al-Ṭibb (The Canon of Medicine).

• Qur’an, with references to cited verses: 6:125; 7:43; 53:11; 4:28; 2:153; 75:2; 57:22–23; 2:286; 96:15–16.

Secondary and Contemporary Studies

• Badri, Malik. Dilemmas of Muslim Psychologists.

• Ragab, Ahmed. Medicine and Religion in the Middle Ages.

• Yaqeen Institute. “Holistic Healing: Islam’s Legacy of Mental Health.”