A different perspective on the inner critical voice talked about in the previous post.
Islam doesn’t disregard mental issues, in fact we are given guidance on how to respond and the things to look out for, for example in this supplication: O Allah, I seek refuge with You from anxiety, and sorrow, and weakness, and laziness, and miserliness, and cowardice, and the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men.
The above supplication is one of my favourites as it includes symptoms that lead to, and manifest in depression and mental ill health e.g. sorrow, laziness and miserliness etc. This also highlights the fact that we are not abnormal for experiencing these things. It is a side of man that we should be aware of.
Islamically we are not taken to account for our thoughts, but we are encouraged to observe them and be careful in how we respond to them i.e. not act on negative thoughts, because our actions will be accounted for.
For example someone might feel an urge to self harm, to stop the inner critic, but harming one’s self is forbidden. Or uttering unkind/ unthoughtful words to someone as a result of our critical perceptions will be accounted for, so it is best to think before you act, especially since the voice is most likely giving you a distorted perception of reality and yourself.
(Sahih al-Bukhari :: Hadith 6664) Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, “Allah forgives my followers those (evil deeds) their souls may whisper or suggest to them as long as they do not act (on it) or speak.”
I want to mention the idea of these thoughts being whispers from Shaytan ‘waswas’. Islam teaches that Shaytan knows us very well and will work on bringing us away from God. He starts with the small things and plays on individual weaknesses. This could be a lot to do with the negative voice in our heads, since the voice distorts reality, amplifies our fears and weaknesses and can cause us to doubt, be miserable and develop ill feelings towards others. Although this could be an explanation for the internal enemy, it is not to be taken as the sole reason.
In the above hadith our souls are referred to as whispering to us too, this means that each person has in them a potential to cause self destruction, and since that is what our thoughts can do it is helpful to be aware of the content and response of the voice to understand the cause. E.g. if you begin to notice yourself always criticizing your appearance and being unkind to yourself due to social comparison then try and understand the reason behind this, where does that come from?
Sometimes when our thoughts become overwhelming, frustraing and we feel extremely hopeless and just want to give up on life, the Prophet has given us some advice:
(Sahih al-Bukhari :: Hadith 6351) Narrated Anas:Allah’s Messenger said, “None of you should long for death because of a calamity that had befallen him, and if he cannot, but long for death, then he should say, ‘O Allah! Let me live as long as life is better for me, and take my life if death is better for me.'”
Know that having faith in God will ease your suffering, going through any kind of hardship will not go unnoticed and God knows well that our minds can escape our control and is subject to negative thinking and criticism.
We can also see that ignoring the voice and seeking refuge in God are two ways that we can help silence the voice. It is well known that paying less attention to the voice will make it quieter, just like listening to it will make it louder…
One thing that is common for Muslims to respond to someone suffering with negative thoughts is to ‘remember Allah’/ ‘do dhikr’. Although a depressed person may not want to be told what to do, but rather just wants someone to listen, the advice is well meaning. When we get negative thoughts it’s best to divert your attention, and dhikr is probably a really good way to do that. By engaging in dhikr you are helping yourself to keep a realistic perception, to look at the bigger picture and to affirm your faith in God, which can help you feel comfort and connection rather than irritation and isolation.
We are not controlled by our thoughts, but we can control our thoughts. It’s important not to become fearful or victim of the negative voice but acknowledge and recognize its presence so you can work to diminish it.
It's A Mental Life 