“You were created for Jannah, not Hell, and as long as you strive with SINCERE INTENTION, your actions may falter and slip, but Allah judges your heart, not your outward”

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Asalamu alaikum sister,

I am a brother the same as you who struggled with suicide and depression for the majority of his life. While I understand how painful it is to be surrounded in a world of darkness struggling to the see the light, have a good opinion of Allah and KNOW He will guide out of this darkness, you just need to ask Him over and over.

Prophet Yunus (AS) was in 3 layers of darkness; the belly of a beast, in the depths of an ocean, at night. What he did to get out of the depths of darknesses was say “La ilah illa anta, subhanaka, inny kuntu minal- dalimeen” which means, “There is not God but You, all praise be to You, indeed I am of the transgressors”. Here is a link with the dua and translation http://quran.com/21/87

There is a saying attributed to one of our scholars which states, “The whole cosmos is light, the only thing that darkens it is the darkness in our own souls/ hearts/ selves”. This is what Prophet Yunus (AS) realized, that the reason things were going so bad and were so dark was because of what he (AS) did, not Allah. Allah’s name is Al-Nur (the Light), and we need to have faith in that, and He does not transgress against His servants, in fact He made it prohibited on Himself! subhanAllah.

While this may be some bitter medicine, I would like you to take some practical steps that have helped escape the depths of depression, suicide, and addiction, by the Grace and Mercy of Allah, the Light.

1) Say over and over the dua of Yunus (AS). It is narrated to help relieve stress, anxiety, and if done with sincerity, will make CLEAR what is keeping you done, depressed, etc.

2) Remove any haram or harmful things in your life that are damaging to your deen. I was, and still am recovering, from a decade long addiction to pornography, and may God continue to keep me cleansed. Ameen. When I realized I was addicted, I did research and found that it causes depression. Like many other haram things in life, they cause us discomfort, pain, and torment in this life the next. Pre-marital sex causes STD’s, alcohol hangovers and depression, cigarettes cancer, etc.. etc. This is a mercy from Allah to propel us to leave what is haram so we pursue the good things that benefit us in this world and the next, and bring us closer to The Light Himself, in all His Glory. Staying in haram will keep us in darkness as long as we continue to keep it in our lives. Believe me, struggling to leave porn brought so much more of Allah’s light in my life, and illuminated all aspects of my life, subhanAllah.

3) Thank Allah for the things that are good and going well in your life. While it may be hard to think about any such things when we are in such low states, the state of mind that keeps us there and will only plunge us further in darkness is our INGRATITUDE to Allah SWT. Allah says that who among His servants that thanks Him, He will increase them. If you show thanks, Allah will remove veils of darkness from You, and give you greater glimpses of His Light, God willing!

4) Keep struggling. Life is a struggle, and on a path to recovery you ARE GOING TO MESS UP AND SLIP. Yet, be like our father Adam (AS) and keep repenting, shaytan wants you to despair, give up, and be plunged in Hell with him. God curse him! You were created for Jannah, not Hell, and as long as you strive with SINCERE INTENTION, your actions may falter and slip, but Allah judges you heart, not your outward. After all, only Allah creates success in our life.

5) Find support. We are an ummah for a reason. You cannot overcome the things you are facing alone. I will be honest, I don’t have many close family members, and many of my peers at school are pretty superficial around me, God bless them all. But, I do have a loving dad and at least two friends I know will always have my back. It may not be much, but they are enough, alhamdulilah. As long as you in your life have ONE PERSON WHO LOVES YOU, LOVE THEM, BE THANKFUL THAT THEY ARE IN YOUR LIFE, AND THROUGH THEM ALLAH WILL BRING YOU CLOSER TO HIS LIGHT, GOD WILLING!

Dear sister, I hope these tips of advice help, they have for me, and please implement them, and remember, “Allah is the friend to those who believe. He delivers them from darknesses into the Light” (2:257).

I love you for the sake of Allah, and I pray the Light guides you from darknesses into the Light, as He has done for me and all those who believe in His MERCY, COMPASSION, AND GRACE.

Asalamu alaikum,

A

Original post can be found here.