By Khalil Center Psychotherapist Sabreen Azhar

As Muslims, it can feel paralyzing when we experience lasting sadness or anxiety. Our minds may begin to spiral—wondering, is my imān low? Am I a bad Muslim? Is Allah punishing me? In those moments, it’s important to remember that Allah is the Creator of all things—including the emotions that can overwhelm us in our loneliness. While Islam encourages us to turn to Allah, many of us suppress our feelings out of shame or a lack of understanding. But in our faith, the pursuit of physical and mental well-being is not separate from spirituality—it is deeply connected to our growth and closeness to Allah. Embracing this understanding can help us break the cycle of shame and bring us closer to our dīn.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ continuously spoke about the importance of caring for the heart. He ﷺ taught us to look after both body and soul, and he ﷺ compassionately supported others through their sadness, grief, anxiety, and hardships. He ﷺ also modeled healthy self-compassion when experiencing his own sorrow.

The Impact of Ignoring Mental Wellness

The silence around mental health is costing us more than we realize. We all know someone who may be struggling—a friend who is suddenly withdrawn, a family member who is always anxious. Stress, depression, burnout, grief, trauma and vicarious trauma are rampant in our community. People from all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds are impacted. With the current political climate, anxiety and depression have only increased within our community.

Pretending these struggles don’t exist can only make things worse. The pain grows, and physical health often suffers too—impacting relationships, work, school, and increasing loneliness. When people suffer in silence, it chips away at the fabric of our community, leading to disconnection and disharmony.

The Importance of Community Conversations and Care

Breaking the silence around mental health is critical, and it begins with having open conversations in our homes, Islamic schools, and masjids. For many of us who have spent most of our lives in the West—where individualism is often romanticized—this can feel especially challenging. It stands in stark contrast to the Islamic values of caring for one’s neighbor and standing together as an Ummah. 

Islam integrates compassion and care into our daily lives; we are warned of the dangers of neglecting ourselves or others. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever” (Bukhari & Muslim). When we neglect our own well-being or fail to support others in caring for their mental and physical health, the impact doesn’t stop with us—it ripples out and affects the entire Ummah. 

What Does Mental Wellness Look Like?

Our perception of mental wellness is often centered around the idea of everlasting happiness—an unattainable goal that Allah has only promised us in the afterlife. Instead, the goal for mental wellness in this dunya should consist of obtaining the tools and support to cope with stress, sadness, setbacks, and trauma. It’s about learning to navigate life’s ups and downs, building resilience with healthy practices, and nurturing both our inner and outer worlds.

Our mind, body, and spirit are interconnected. Just as we care for our physical health, it’s essential to tend to our mental well-being. Islam isn’t just rituals. Prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage are deeply internal acts, meant to foster spiritual and physical health. The Prophet ﷺ said, “There is a piece of flesh in the body, and if it becomes good (reformed), the whole body becomes good; but if it becomes corrupt, the whole body becomes corrupt. That piece is the heart” (Bukhari & Muslim). Our faith places profound importance on our inner world—the heart, mind, soul, and physical well-being—and it’s through nurturing these aspects that we find true wellness and are able to share tranquility with those around us.

Breaking the Stigma

Too often, mental health is misunderstood or stigmatized—even equated with weakness or a lack of faith. In reality, we all struggle with mental health at times. Islam is a religion of mercy and understanding. The Prophet ﷺ showed us what it means to be present with ourselves and others during hardship.

It’s important to understand that mental health and well-being can be on a spectrum. It fluctuates with our environment, circumstances, and personalities. Seeking well-being—nurturing our soul, heart, and mind—is a form of worship that deepens our relationship with Allah, the Prophet ﷺ, and those around us.

The Role of Community

The companions of the Prophet ﷺ didn’t hide their struggles. They were present, merciful, and compassionate, building resilience, respect, and love within their community—all rooted in service and worship of Allah.

Strong social ties are a built-in protective factor in Islam. Five daily prayers, Friday (Jummah) prayers, breaking fast together, and checking in on each other all reinforce community support. Studies consistently show that this kind of community connection helps protect against mental illness.

Seeking Help as a Sign of Strength

Islam encourages seeking help. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it” (Sunan Abu-Dawud). Therapy, counseling, and medication are not signs of weak faith—they’re a fulfillment of the Prophet’s ﷺ guidance. Just as we turn to doctors for physical ailments, it’s equally essential—both individually and as a community—to seek out, offer, and support mental health care as part of our shared responsibility. Seeking help honors the trust (amanah) Allah has given us over our bodies and souls. The Prophet ﷺ advised us “Whoever relieves a believer’s distress of the distressful aspects of this world, Allah will rescue him from the difficulties of the Hereafter” (Sahih Muslim). 

Our tradition is also rich with the wisdom of classical Muslim scholars like Al-Razi and Ibn Sina (Avicenna), who practiced and wrote extensively about what we now call mental health. Their approach was holistic, emphasizing that the body, spirit, and mind are all connected.

The Challenges We Face

Muslim communities in the West face unique mental health challenges—rooted in both history and the present. Many are immigrants or refugees, carrying trauma from conflict and displacement. Experiences of discrimination and marginalization have increased stress and mental health issues, especially post-9/11. Stigma, lack of culturally sensitive care, trauma, and financial barriers are significant obstacles.

But things are changing. More mosques are offering counseling, and more Muslims are seeking therapy and sharing their stories. Khalil Center, leading provider of Muslim mental health services, pioneered the movement of providing mental health care, rooted in Islamic Psychology, to build an awareness and a compassionate environment to seek help and care. Khalil Center continues to train and provide educational workshops as proactive and preventative measures nationally and globally as a way of driving the mental wellness movement in the Muslim community. Where religion is usually left out of the therapy rooms in the Western hemisphere—Khalil Center’s movement has brought the conversation back into the rooms of healing. Since the clinic's launch in 2010, more than 100,000 clinical appointments—many of them at a reduced cost—have been provided. In the past, 42 support groups were facilitated for individuals grappling with anxiety, depression, and the emotional toll of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

Moving Forward

Healing is a journey, and seeking help is part of that path. With compassion, patience, and support, individuals and communities can move toward greater peace and well-being. Mental health isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a community one. By supporting each other in the journey to mental wellness, we build a thriving, resilient community with spiritual fortitude.

Note: This post is for general discussion and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a qualified mental health professional or a trusted spiritual leader for support.

About Khalil Center: 

Khalil Center is a psychological and spiritual community wellness center advancing the professional practice of psychology rooted in Islamic principles. An initiative designed to address the widespread prevalence of social, psychological, familial, relational and spiritual issues of Muslim communities.

Khalil Center’s approach emphasizes: psychological reconstruction, behavioral reformation and spiritual elevation. Khalil Center utilizes faith-based approaches rooted in Islamic theological concepts while integrating the science of psychology towards addressing psychological, spiritual and communal health.

Learn more: Khalilcenter.com

Social handles: Khalilcenter