Grief and Depression from an Islamic Perspective" by Dr.Contemplating the Worst Cases

 

Taken from a book entitled "Grief and Depression from an Islamic Perspective" by Dr. Abdullaah Al Khater

Contemplating the worst cases is a technique generally used by psychiatrists, but Prophet Muhammad (salalahu walayhe wasalam) used it long before them. Khabbaab ibn al-Arat narrated: "We complained to the Messenger of Allah [of the persecution infiction on us by the disbelievers] while he was sitting in the shade of the kabah, leaving over his covering sheet. We said to him, 'Would you seek help for us? Would you pray to Allah for us? He (saws) said, 'Among the nations before you, a [believing] man would be put in a ditch that was dug for him, a saw would be put over his head, and he would be cut into 2 pieces; yet that [torture] would not make him give up his religion. His body would be dug with iron combs, removing flesh from the bones, yet that would not make him abandon his religion. By Allah, this religion will prevail, till a traveller from San'a to Hadramaut fears none but Allah., or a wolf as regards his sheep; yet you [people] are too hasty. (reported by Bukhari 3/179-180).

 

This is a very useful and efficient method used in psychotherapy. If someone had lost his son in an accident for instance, one could tell him: there was a person who lost all his family members at once, or there was a man who lost his wife and children as well as all his property.

    

The efficiency of this method is obvious, by the fact that if an afflicted person comes to know about another person's ordeal that is worse than his own, he will certainly belittle his own ordeal.

 

Another method is to think about the worst cases. Bukhari and Muslim reported that the prophet (salalahu walayhe wasalam) said, 'Look at those whose social status is lower than yours, and do not look at those with a higher status than yours. Allah's favors upon you are not given to be despised by you.'

 

This means that if someone is afflicted with a calamity he should contemplate the cases of those whose calamities are worse than his. This will help him realize that he is in a much better position than many people, and consequently able to show gratitude to Allah that what happened to him could have been far worse.  This will help him realize the greatness of Allah's bounties bestowed upon him.