Malé, Maldives – Frustration and depression are not caused by weakness of faith, renowned scholar Mufti Menk said tonight.
Speaking at a lecture on “Depression, Anxiety and Stress”, Menk said that although faith can cure depression, it is not caused by weakness of faith.
“Depression does not weaken the persons faith. On the contrary, the damage caused by depression is reduced by faith and comfort is obtained through it,” Menk said.
He also added that it was wrong to say that a sad and disappointed person has no faith.
Mufti Menk said human beings are full of emotions and it is important to always seek Allah’s help and that is the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“Allah knows you better than you do. So always ask Him for help. Always pray. Claim to be saved from negligence and ignorance,” the Mufti said.
The Mufti said that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also prayed for deliverance from worry and sorrow.
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray a lot. O Allah, save me from worry and sorrow. He also prayed to be saved from negligence and incompetence,” Menk said.
The Mufti said that depression should also be treated and parents should pay close attention to their children’s mental health.
“Parents should be very careful. Sometimes children have the idea of committing suicide because they do not receive proper care from their parents,” Mufti said.
The Zimbabwean cleric, who is on a four day tour at the invitation of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs arrived in Maldives on Thursday.
He will deliver a sermon tonight in Fuvahmulah City. The topic of the lecture, which starts at 8:45 pm at the city’s Hafiz Ahmed School, is “Islam, Compassion and Kindness”.
In Addu City, Mufti Menk will give a lecture on the topic of “The Productive Muslim”.
