Becoming an Emotionally Healthy Muslim Woman
Allah Ta’ala has bestowed a human being with a nafs, an aqal and a rooh.
The nafs is the propensity which inclines to carnal desires and sin.
The aqal or intelligence is the faculty whereby a person can recognise what is morally good and what is bad; what is right and what is wrong, provided that a person has been correctly educated.
The rooh is the spiritual faculty which yearns for Ibaadat, Zikrullah and Taa’at (Acts of Obedience to Allah Ta’ala).
The aqal should override the nafs, whilst it (the aqal) should follow the rooh.
Once you have understood the above, you should understand that Allah Ta’ala sent us into this temporary world to test us whether we follow the demands of the Rooh or we become slaves of our nafs.
To guide us, Allah Ta’ala sent His Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) with a Beautiful and Noble Lifestyle and gave him a Heavenly Book – the Qur’aan – which is Pure Guidance for mankind. Every teaching of the Qur’aan and Sunnah elevates the Rooh and subdues the nafs.
Our emotions and base urges are the dictates of the nafs when the nafs is left unfettered. The Shariah teaches us with all its beautiful teachings to control the dictates of the nafs. Thus, following the Qur’aan and the Sunnah and implementing the Teachings of Deen meticulously in our lives makes our Rooh stronger and dominant over the nafs.
This struggle and effort are a lifetime pursuit and occupation until Maut (Death) knocks at our doors. We have to continue this battle of subduing the nafs with the Noble Teachings of Islam until Allah Ta’ala calls us back to the Eternal Abode.
In this struggle, we will at times be successful and at other times we may be unsuccessful. In success we owe gratitude (shukr) to Rabbul Aalameen for His favour, whilst in being unsuccessful we have to make amends for our mistakes and resolve to become better.
This tussle between the good and the bad within us has to continue with resoluteness, whilst we should make fervent Du’aa to our Rabb to keep us firmly on the Path of Siraatul Mustaqeem till our last breath.
Reading the stories of the pious ladies of Islam will further stimulate and strengthen our resolve to act within the Boundaries of the Shariah and earn the Pleasure of Allah Jalla Shaanuhu.
In short, controlling your mood and becoming emotionally healthy can be attained by following the Ta’leemaat of the Qur’aan Shareef, the Uswah Hasanah of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and the examples of the Saalihaat of this Ummah.
Daily meditate on how much of the above you have practically implemented in your life.
(Khairun Nisa)