In the era we are living in today, stress and stress-related illnesses such as depression and anxiety are becoming of the biggest killers, and the effects that they have on our emotional and physical health can be devastating. Stress, as a highly personalized phenomenon, varies between people depending on individual vulnerability and resilience. How could one build up that strength required to beat the stress in Islam?

How could one manage to control anxiety and relieve stress in Islam?

Here are some of the solutions that Islam proposes.

Having Real Faith in God

In Islamic teachings and narrations, the faith in God is known to be the first and the most efficient approach to achieve the inner peace and the control over anxiety and stress in Islam. Imam Ali (AS) said that having faith in God equals being safe and secure [1] &[2]. Believers know that there is a goal behind every happening. They believe that God is just; hence, they have not been just created and left to live some days in this world and suffer for nothing. But, they are created to pass all the difficulties to reach the perfection that they deserve.

That is why a believer rarely loses hope and even if gets disappointed, knows that he/she has a God who has promised to help him/her: “you who have faith, if you support Allah, He will support you” (47:7); “Whoever is wary of Allah, He shall make for him a way out [of the adversities of the world and the Hereafter]” (65:2). The opposite view on this matter is that life evolved spontaneously. This implies that there is no wisdom or goal behind the actual and future happenings, and this can be stressful by itself.

As stated earlier, the faith in God is the key to the inner peace. To be efficient, the faith should be practiced and manifested in one’s acts. Here are some practices that increase one’s faith in God and also relieve the stress in Islam.

Prayer (Salat) and invocation (Dua)

The two possible ways to remember God are prayer (Salat) and invocation (Dua). In Surah R’ad it is stated that the hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance (13:28). Also, God has promised: “Remember Me, and I will remember you” (2:152). The more consciously and concentrated one does the prayer and invocation, the more relief he\she will experience. During prayers, one spends some moments talking to God as the superior infinite power in the universe. This helps to overcome sorrow, just as talking with another person might do.

Reading the Quran and Contemplation

Reading the Quran and perceiving the divine messages is another practice that brings considerable relief. The caring advises that exist in Quran and that nice feeling of knowing that the creator of the whole universe is mindful of us, are relaxing. It is narrated from Imam Ali (AS) that the cure for the illnesses can be found in the Quran [3]. Also, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has advised reading Quran regularly as it lightens the heart and makes it alive [4].

Fasting in Islam

Fasting is known to be an anti-stress practice [5]. One of the reasons that one feels stressful and anxious is the lack of determination. He/she often thinks that he/she is not able to ameliorate such a condition, nor can he/she control his/her confusing thoughts. But fasting is a good chance to strengthen one’s character and to change the attitudes and acts.

In addition to spiritual practices mentioned above, some other activities are known in Islam to heal the stress:

Seeking knowledge

Seeking knowledge and wisdom is believed to enlighten the heart and keeps it alive and active. Imam Ali (AS) said: “Surely the hearts get tired just like the bodies, so seek for them new objects of wisdom” [6]. It is encouraged to seek wisdom, for Allah enlivens the dead heart through the light of wisdom just as He enlivens the dead earth through water from the sky [7]. So, one should dedicate some time every day to read or listen to the wisdom that inspires him spiritually.

Working

Idling the days away and almost doing nothing in life are severely blamed in Islam since it is believed to corrupt one’s mind and body [8]. A corrupted mind might tempt to perverted thoughts and imaginations, evil intentions, laziness, etc. that will ruin one’s life in this world and the Hereafter [9]. Imam Sadeq (AS) has strongly disapproved laziness and apathy [10]&[11]. The reason is that these two characteristics hinder one to profit from this world and the Hereafter [10] and cause him to be humiliated by the others [11] which can lead to the isolation of the lazy person and the consequent psychological problems.

References:

1. “Ghurar al-Hikam wa Durar al-Kalim”, T. 771.
2. “Ghurar al-Hikam wa Durar al-Kalim”, T. 2839.
3. “Nahj al-Balagha”, p. 223, no. 158.
4. H. al-Bahrani,“Al-Burhan fi tafsir al-Quran”, vol. 1, p. 19.
5. M. Reyshahri, "Mizan al-Hikma," T. 10671".
6. “Nahj al-Balagha”, No. 197.
7. stress in life
8. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, "Al-Irshad", vol. 1, p. 298.
9. “Tuhaf al-Uqul”, p. 300.
10. M. al-Kulaynī, “Al-Kafi”, vol. 5, p. 85.
11. “Tuhaf al-Uqul”, p. 304.

The concept of responsibility in Islam covers all the aspects of human beings and considers different situations one may encounter in his/her life. Islam is not only a religion but also a life plan; a divine plan that addresses all the humans throughout the history of humankind. Since religion, as a plan deals with the daily life of humans, it has illustrated the tasks and responsibilities in Islam of humans.

These duties can be summarized in four items: 

The rights that God has over humans;

The rights that one has over himself;

The responsibilities towards other humans;

And, the responsibilities towards other creatures in this world.

These four categories will be discussed under separate topics each considering one responsibility in Islam. Here the focus is on the humans’ responsibility in Islam towards God.

The Most Important Right of Allah over Humans and Their Responsibility in Islam

According to Imam Sajjad (AS), the rights that God has over human beings, which are the most important rights over everybody, are to know that we are His servants, to pray Him and not ascribe any partners to Him [1]. This means that we have two main responsibilities in Islam towards God: first, to recognize and believe in God then, practically demonstrate it. 

To recognize God and to believe in Him

The first thing is to accept the existence of the one true God and to recognize all his divine attributes such as very powerful (Qadir), the provider (Razzaq), generous (Karim), etc.

By knowing these attributes and then believing that they are unique to God, one will be more successful in his duties responsibilities in Islam towards God [i]. For example, knowing that God is the only provider (Razzaq) in the universe, a true Muslim does not worry about livelihood, nor he\she will be greedy for more wealth. He\she knows that if he\she works adequately according to his\her capacities, he\she will be provided with the sustenance that God has reserved for him\her. 
Imam Ali (AS) has advised his son Imam Hassan (AS) to recognize God since it is a duty over every human being: “He is One Allah whom we should all recognize and worship” [2].

Then, Imam (AS) enumerates some of the attributes of God that a Muslim should believe in [2]:

“Nobody is a partner to Him in His Domain”;
 “He is Eternal, has always been and shall always be”; 
“He existed even before the Universe came into being, but there is no beginning to His Existence”; 
“He shall remain when every other thing shall vanish, and there shall be no end to His Existence”; 
“His Glory and His Existence is so supreme, pre-eminent, transcendent, incomparable and excellent that it is beyond the grasp of intellects”; 
“No one can understand or visualize Him.“ [2].

To Verbally Admit to the Unity of God as a Responsibility in Islam  

To recognize God and to believe in Him deeply in the heart are not enough; one should also say that he\she believes in God; otherwise, no one will be aware of his\her belief if it is not declared. That is why one should pronounce two testimonies (Shahadatain) to become Muslim.

In Surah Fatir, it is said that “To Him ascends good speech” (35:10), which means that the verbal admission to God is appreciated and is surely beneficial. But, it should be accompanied with good deeds and obedience to God to be more valuable: “and righteous work raises it.” (35:10). 

To Worship God and to Obey his Commands

Indeed, demonstrating the belief in God in practice is as important as believing in Him. If a child loves his\her parents but ignores their expectations and advice, he\she, in fact, does not respect them and the parents will not believe the his\her claim of having affection for them.

The same happens between a Muslim and God. A Muslim who ignores God’s commands, which are beneficial to him\her, does not truly believe in Him. Otherwise, he\she knew that everything that God has ordered to is to help him\her to live a better life, to improve and to reach the perfection that he\she merits.

According to Imam Ali (AS) [2], after accepting the facts mentioned above about God, a Muslim’s behavior should be like that of a person who realizes God’s superior status and power. He\she should try to gain His blessing through prayers and obedience, fear His wrath as well as His Punishments and feel him\herself absolutely in need of His help and protection [2]. 

In the Quran, it is stated that humans are created to worship God  (51:56). Prayer and worship of God are duties over every Muslim as they remind him\her of the his\her creator and the fact that there is a reason to be in this world. 

Another practical duty is to obey God’s commands that are mentioned in the Quran or explained in the narrations from prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) and Imams (AS). Simply said: to do what is obligatory (Wajib) or advised to (talk pleasantly to others (2:83); to do good to others (16:90); to fast (2:183) and pray (4:103); etc.) and to leave what is Forbidden (Haram) (talking behind back of others (49:12); wasting water and nutrition (7:31))2.

Briefly, there are three main duties over every Muslim about God: to recognize Him, to declare the admission to Him, and to obey and worship Him. Duties of a Muslim towards him\herself and his responsibility in Islam, other people, and other creatures will be discussed in the next parts of the article.

Notes:
[i] Recognition and belief are two different concepts. The recognition of God means to accept His existence and all His divine attributes, while the belief in God means to have faith in Him. 

[ii] The two other categories of acts according to Islamic jurisprudence are: Recommended (Mustahab) acts and Detestable or abominable (Makruh) acts. Recommended (Mustahab) acts are those practices which are not compulsory in Islam, but a believer prefers to do it for God’s satisfaction. Detestable or abominable (Makruh) actions are not subject to punishment, but a believer abstains from them for God’s satisfaction.

References:

1. Imam Sajjad (AS), Treatise On Rights (Risalat al-Huquq).
2. Nahj al balagha, Letter 31.