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Devout Muslims believe that the source of all healing is God, whether the illness is mental or physical. God is believed to be the ultimate cause of illness (as a test of faith) and its cure (because God is merciful): “When I fall sick, God restores me to health… He who cures me when I am ill; He who will make me die and then give me life again” (26:80-82). When Muslims follow these verses from the Qur’an, completely trusting in God and resigning to his will, they believe that healing will take place. As science has repeatedly shown (Benson, 2009), belief can be a powerful healer, and as noted above, Muslims believe that nothing happens apart from God’s will.
How does this belief in “God’s will” relate to seeking and receiving conventional mental health care? Fazlur Rahman (1998) refers to a statement from a conservative Islamic theologian in the 9th century saying, “Medical treatment is permissible, but its abandonment is better” (p 48). Rahman then tells the story of a conversation between a Sufi saint and a friend when the former was sick (whether the sickness was physical or mental is unknown). Her friend (Sufyani) said to the Sufi saint: “If you pray to God he will ease your suffering.” She replied, “O Sufyani! Do you not know who has willed my suffering? Is it not God?” Sufyani replied, “Yes.” The Sufi then said, “If you know this, why do you ask me to pray for what contradicts His will?” (p 49). Thus, yes indeed, strong belief in God’s will may reduce the likelihood that a Muslim with emotional problems will seek secular mental health care and comply with it (Lipson & Meleis, 1983; Walpole et al., 2013).
However, as in the case vignettes described in the last chapter, mental health professionals may draw on Islamic teachings when treating Muslim clients that provides a compromise between strictly relying on God’s will and seeking conventional mental health treatments. Providing the following information may help the client in this regard. According to Muslim belief, the art of medicine is thought to have come from the prophet Idris (Rahman, 1998, p 38-39). Idris is Arabic for Enoch, who was the great-grandson of Adam through Seth and was the great-grandfather of Noah. Thus, there is a deep tradition within Islam that shows great respect for the medical arts. Likewise, a widely known Hadith reports that the Prophet Muhammad said “‘[Valid or beneficial] knowledge is only of two kinds: knowledge of faith and knowledge of the body” (AlAzraq, 2006, p 3). Knowledge of the body includes scientific discoveries of treatments that influence bodily functions including the brain and nervous system.
In a 14th century Islamic manuscript entitled Prophetic Medicine, Al-Dhahabi (historian, biographer, and foremost authority in the canonical readings of the Qur’an) says: “… an expert doctor first tries his best by way of treatment and then puts his trust in God for his success,” illustrating this with a story about how a farmer plants his seed and then trusts in God to make it grow (Rahman, 1998, p 49). The same point is made by a famous Hadith: “Anas ibn Malik reported: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I leave her untied and trust in Allah?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Tie her and trust in Allah”” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi, #2517). The lesson here is that one should first obain medical or psychiatric care for illness and then trust God to heal, since God may choose to heal though medication or even psychotherapy. Finally, medical historian Hussain Nagamia (chairman of the International Institute of Islamic Medicine and chief of the division of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Tampa General Hospital, Florida), said: “Thus, in Islam disease is not looked upon as a curse from God to be endured and suffered but as a affliction for which a cure has to be sought and administered, with patience and perseverance” (Nagamia, n.d., p 1).
Based on widely-acknowledged sayings by experts from the Islamic tradition, Muslim clients can be encouraged to seek medical treatment or psychotherapy without reservation when they are sick with mental health problems. Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad advised people to seek medical attention when necessary (Farooqi, 1998; Al Dhahabi, 1961, p 103) and almost certainly did so himself (Robson, 1975, p 325). At a minimum, inquiring about and showing respect for a Muslim client’s beliefs will certainly help to strengthen the therapeutic alliance, which may be as important for success (if not more so) than the particular medical or psychotherapeutic treatment that is offered (Horvath, 2001; Norcross & Hill, 2004). It may also increase compliance with that treatment (Weber & Pargament, 2014).
Conclusions
Muslims may at times be reluctant to seek formal mental health care, even though mental health problems may threaten not only their quality of life but also life itself (when there is a risk of suicide). Rather than seek assistance from mental health professionals who are trained to help them address the problems they are facing, Muslims may instead see traditional healers or depend entirely on “God’s will.” Islam teaches that while God’s will is first and primary, God’s will does not always mean that Muslims should suffer. In fact, seeking assistance in relief of suffering from trained experts may also be God’s will, since this may enable the person to be more effective in serving God and doing good on the earth. If the Prophet Muhammad sought professional help when he needed it, then this is a good reason for Muslims to do likewise.