This mental health event, in partnership with Grant Thornton, was organised to highlight the mental health stigmas and taboos within the Muslim community working at Grant Thornton, and to normalise mental health struggles and seeking help for these in accordance to Islamic principles.
During the one hour session, various topics were discussed, such as:
- Understanding what common mental health challenges, i.e. anxiety, stress and depression look like, and how to identify problems prior to seeking solutions;
- Highlighting the vicious cycle of mental health stigma and taboos within the Muslim community, particularly the concept of Waswasa (whispering from Satan), spiritual illness versus mental illness, and misattributing mental health challenges to having “weak” Imaan (faith). Western influences on both the British Muslim identity and mental health was also discussed.
- Mental health support from an Islamic perspective including specific Duas (prayers) and practices that the Muslims learn and implement into their daily routine.
“The morning was nourishing, enlightening and encouraged bravery and compassion. The attendees were keen to find out more and we wished we had more time to share more information about mental health from an Islamic perspective. We’re thankful to all the attendees, and everyone involved who made it the success it was.” – Attendee Feedback
Top tips for Managing Mental Wellbeing:
- If you’ve heard of something negative relating to the topic of mental health in the Muslim community, question it before believing it, and make effort to verify its credibility.“Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allah (SWT) makes easy for him a path to Paradise.”[Sahih Muslim 2699]
- Remember to connect to people around you at least 2-3 times a week, as it is inherently human nature to want to bee social and feel connected to others – this too can offer some healing.“Allah (SWT) does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity…”[Qur’an 2:286]
- Learn to be compassionate with yourself in times of mental health struggles. Take every challenge and test as a learning opportunity that Allah (SWT) is offering, and see it as a chance to grow and improve your character.
If you are going through a difficult time and are experiencing anything relevant to the above mentioned topic, please feel free to contact our support service which includes counselling. For further information please visit: Get Help
If you would like to get involved in raising awareness about mental health in your local community, please get in touch as we are looking to grow and extend our Outreach team across the country. Please note, we will ensure that you are fully trained and confident before running workshops & talks – or click here to request a speaker.
Please visit our website for more information: Vacancies
