Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The Pen has been lifted...

The hadith regarding those from whom the Pen is lifted is one which we should all reflect upon with regards to mental health issues in our communities.
Mental health is already under-diagnosed; those with severe illnesses such as BPD, schizophrenia and others are often claimed to be possessed or acting out. Certain actions they may commit while in a state of severe illness are taken as though deliberate.
Those with other forms of mental health issues such as clinical depression and so on are too often dismissed as having "weak faith."
What we DO need to be aware of is that mental health is not a black-and-white, cut-and-dry issue. It is not simple enough to judge someone as "majnoon" or not - nor is it up to us as laypeople to do so.
For those of us who do suffer from such illnesses, we also need to be aware of what we need to do to take care of ourselves medically and spiritually.
Chemical imbalances do not equate lack of faith; should we emerge from an 'episode' of mental illness to discover that we have said or done something wrong and regularly would be considered sinful, know that we have been forgiven for what was committed while in such a state, inshaAllah.
However, we also cannot use our mental health issues as an excuse or scapegoat for behaviour that is unacceptable, when we are in a state of cognizance and overall mentally healthy and aware.
It is a matter of great delicacy, and it is not up to anyone to make sweeping statements regarding the status of other people's mental health.

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