I feel suicidal?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Suicide is gaining ground amongst the masses. In fact, stats show that suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24.[1]
Why are the youth suicidal? What makes them entertain suicidal thoughts? In most cases, suicide is a result of one not being able to fulfil his impermissible desires and caprice. Pain engulfs the heart. Grief avalanches onto the soul. Sorrow storms onto the mind. Agony flows from the eyes. A suicidal person is incarcerated in his thoughts. He may be standing in a vast plain, yet he suffocates.
When anguish strikes the heart, it is the most critical and delicate juncture. If a person falls, he will remain fallen. Very few get up on their feet again. We have to be disciplined. We cannot be struck by the blade of agony and decide to be killed. Fight back. A limb may be lost by a blow, but look on the other side, there is still a living breathing body. There is so much more to life.
This is what we fail to understand. We may have lost something very dear to us, however, look at everything we do have. When calamity befalls us in whatever way, shape or form, we subconsciously become trapped in a web of thoughts. We believe we have lost everything. All the good in our life becomes eclipsed.
Hold yourself. For a moment ponder over everything you do have. How fortunate are we that we receive hot meals 2-3 times a day? How many millions do not even get a cold meal let alone coarse expired bread? How fortunate are we that we are sheltered? How many millions wonder around in the cold rainy nights looking to hibernate under a tree?
The blessings of Allah in our lives are innumerable. We have functioning eyes, sound limbs, a healthy body let alone all the other internal and external blessings. People who are blind, paralysed or terminally ill find everything to live for. They manage to live a happy life. If they can be happy despite having all the means to be unhappy, then how can those who are healthy and sound be unhappy?
We need to focus on all the positives in our lives.
Practical steps to overcome suicidal thoughts:
1) Leave all that which brings a sense of depression to you.
2) Turn to Allah frequently.
3) Engage yourself and keep busy.
4) Stay in the company of people as much as possible. Avoid isolation.
5) Talk to someone senior about your worries and concerns.
6) Have a mindset to listen to some rather than coming to your own conclusions.
7) Read the book, “Don’t be sad” by Aa’idh al Qarni.
8) Look for a permissible alternative to whatever was lost.
9) Remember the hereafter and entertain the thoughts of Paradise.
10) Remember it is just a matter of time before this pain subsides.
Time is all we need to hold onto. Pain subsides with time. What causes pain today will most certainly be forgotten tomorrow. It is against human nature and human make up to hold onto something which induces pain.
Allah Ta’ala grant us all happiness.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mawlana Faraz ibn Adam,
www.darulfiqh.com