Islamic marriage advice and family advice

depression disorder and salah

Muslim prayer rug

I have suffered from depression for the past five years. I'm a male and 23 years old now. I have managed to live with it now; I mean I have learned the skills to deal with it in day to day life. My depression doesn't make me sad or unhappy at all. I'm known to be a very humorous and funny guy. In the my case of my disorder, if any negative thought comes into my mind it doesn't go easily out.

My main problem is that I can't offer salah. Whenever I try to do so, I suffer lot of intense mental pain and pressure, which remains for most of the day- especially when I pray in the mosque. I first used to focus on salah to heal my depression, but I think it worsened my disorder. I want to offer it, but I'm not able to do it. I know even someone who has their body paralyzed still has to offer salah, but in my case my illness is severe. I can offer salah once or twice a day at home despite bearing the pain and suffering, but I cannot pray more than 2 times. My question is, can I skip these remaining 3 times of salah? Will Allah swt forgive me this grave sin?

-creation of Allah


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29 Responses »

  1. Assalam alaikum Brother,

    I might be uneducated about this matter, but I didn't understand why offering Salah causes you to have pain? Is it the physical aspect or something else?

    I am sure that you can't skip any prayer--as you said, even a paralyzed person has to pray.

    I would talk to a local Imam about this - perhaps the one you see when you go to the mosque, and ask them for suggestions. If the reason is physical, I am sure they could offer you some suggestions so that you are meeting the basic requirement of Salah.

  2. Salaams,

    I am not aware of any reason that would excuse you from offering all the obligatory salah. Even if someone is physically unable to perform the salat in the traditional manner, he still must make it by either sitting, laying down, or with hand gestures. That being said, depression is not a disease that would disrupt your physical functioning enough to prevent you from making all your salat.

    Having extreme depression can definitely impact one's life to the point where they are unmotivated to get up and bathe, take care of children, go to work, do chores, or even eat. Some people get so depressed that they can barely do more than lay in bed all day, because the inner thoughts and emotions have made them completely hopeless and drained.

    However, in your case you seem to be able to go out and handle your affairs, and take care of yourself. The fact that you can pray two salah indicates to me that there is nothing stopping you from praying all 5, as far as being physically capable. I know your depression has been severe at times, but salat only takes a few minutes each time. I'm certain you can at least endure, if you are not able to block out, whatever emotional or mental stress that comes upon you at that time long enough to complete your obligations.

    I do not believe salah will make depression worse in anyone who has it. It may seem like a chore, or it may feel empty, but it's totally doable. I advise you to make this a priority since this is one of the first things we will be asked about after we die. None of us want missed salah on our account, and I'm sure any of us would give anything to come back and do them if they aren't forgiven. I'm sure in that time, any excuses we had would seem very flimsy, so we should all take care to consider how important it is now while we have the chance to keep our salah in order.

    -Amy
    IslamicAnswers.com Editor

    • am suffering from anxiety and am going through similar problem as the broda said.I normally get scared wen am offering sallah and it's very hard for me to concentrate .it's a feeling that I cnt even explain. Sometimes I will perform ablution and want to pray but I will find it hard to.i wish someone can help me and I hope God hel
      p me and all those going through the same problem

  3. Dear ,

    You can't skip Salah in any condition .
    Please get in touch with some good doctors for depression issues ...Also get in touch with Islamic scholar for this issue ...

    Regarding Salah in Namaz , can you please try taking breaks in between ,taking rest and then completing it .
    Or some times just sit in a mosque for longer duration and observe people ..Talk to people .Get involved with them ...If you can keep yourself busy you can solve lot of issues by yourself ..

    May Allah help you ..

    AH

  4. Assalaamualaikam

    Depression and other mental health problems can be very difficult to cope with, not least because unlike many physical health problems there may be no outward sign of illness, which can lead to people not realising you are unwell.

    When you describe emotional distress during Salah, I wonder if this could have become something of a self-fulfilling prediction - if you are expecting to experience something unpleasant, you're more likely to perceive unpleasantness. Maybe what you need to do is to reconnect with prayer as an enjoyable experience, a time for you to put the troubles of this world to one side and focus on your faith.

    Salah is obligatory, and one of the core pillars of our faith, so it's important to strive to fulfil this obligation. It might help to start by getting into the habit of offering the fard rakats as soon as each prayer time arrives - if you are out of practice, maybe get a copy of a guide to prayer and re-learn a couple of short surahs so that you can recite these during Salah. It may be hard at first, as your mind may be expecting to feel distress, but with time and gentle effort, inshaAllah Salah will be a source of comfort for you again.

    Depending on your relationship with the people at your local mosque, if you are worried about becoming distressed during Jummah prayers, one option would be to have a quiet word with a friend and explain that you would prefer to stand close to one of the exits, at the end of a row, so that if you feel distressed and need to take some time to regain control, you can pop out quietly without disturbing others, and can then return quietly as well. The important thing is to try, and to keep trying until you succeed, then continue trying.

    I'd also advise that if you haven't already, try to get some professional help and support for your depression. Ask your GP or family doctor for information about who to contact - there are many options available: talking therapies, support groups, online resources, medication... So if you look around you should inshaAllah find help that works for you. You can also ask for therapists, doctors or groups that have experience of Islamic values, so that you can be more confident that the advice you receive is Islamically appropriate.

    Midnightmoon
    IslamicAnswers.com editor

  5. Read carefully,
    I would recommend you to see a psychologist. Don't go for a psychiatrist.

    Check this link,
    http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

    And no you can't skip salah because it is mandatory. But you can do it by sitting on the prayer rug.

    Allaah Knows the Best!

    • Assalaamualaikam

      Hey! Not all psychiatrists are bad - psychiatry is a school of medicine, and in order to be a psychiatrist, a doctor has to have further specialist training and be registered with the specialist regulatory body. If you're looking for a mental health diagnosis, a specially trained medical professional is a reasonable place to start. They can then advise about treatment options (contrary to popular belief, pill-pushing isn't a favourite pastime of doctors in any field, and even less so in psychiatry, where talking therapies are regarded very highly).

      Psychologists are not always doctors (some of them are still called Dr though, as many do a doctorate in the subject as part of training); they specialise in talking therapies. Unless you go privately, it can also be quite difficult to access a psychologist without seeing a doctor (often a psychiatrist) first, as it tends to be a doctor that needs to suggest a possible diagnosis and recommend a treatment plan.

      Midnightmoon
      IslamicAnswers.com editor

  6. Salaam brother, may Allah aid you in your trial. I would seriously think about ruqyaa. There maybe some dark magic involved in your situation. there are lot of unqualified people out there so be careful where you go to get ruqyaa. if you want some names of some people. let me know iA

    A. Hakeem

  7. I'm also going through unbelievably deep sadness. I was going through the robotic motions of prayer routine without khushoo and came to a point that there was so much heaviness in my chest and pressure in my head that salah came virtually impossible to do. I started to do tahajud and then during sajada I would cry my heart out to Allah swt. (It was perfect timing because my family was asleep during that time.) Then I started to read Quran with tajweed. I would stress the muds and enunciate on the oohs, aahs, and eees ( waws, alifs, and yaas). Alhumdullilah my disease of not being able to pray has improved so much.

  8. salaam, his may help a lot of people. the salah course is 50% off at the moment.

    http://ebrahimcollege.org.uk/seminars/

  9. Make istighfar brother. My mother went through this too, And she finds peace in reciting Quran, listening to tafseer, duas for depression, etc..

    Lots of duas here:
    http://dua.farhathashmi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=13

  10. Assalamu alaikum Brother,

    It sounds like you are suffering from waswaas, whispering from shaytan. Go to islamqa.com and type in waswaas. They have many things about it. Here is a link on how to cure waswaas: http://islamqa.info/en/1174
    Lastly, please brother remember that Allah is Ar Rahman ArRaheem. Make du'a to Allah, He wants to hear from you. I pray to Allah to cure you and help you through this.

  11. Assalamoalekum,
    i can understand because i am in the same situation. I want to offer salah and read quran but i can't do it more than 2 times,beacause that makes me more depress and frustrated. i feel pressure and but not pain. I can't see any thing positive around me. More and more anxiety. Everything looks impossible.
    I know salah is very important no excuse. But what to do with this mental illness. I m pretty sure its all from shaytaan. I tried making different duas n listening quran,but nothing seems to be working. I am getting hopeless.
    but still i don't want to suicide.its haraam. If i can control my suicidal thoughts so i feel there is something good and positive is still inside me.and i can come out of this someday.
    I was not like this before, its started almost 6 years ago.before that i was offering salah 5 times a day.but i don't know what happened now. i m feeling very weak from inside.my iman is getting weaker.i m afraid if i die like this,i will go to hell.
    please help!
    Jazakallah.

    • Same situation 🙁

      • Instead of calling it a mental illness have u thought of looking at it as whispers from Satan the cursed? He wants you to stop feeling pleasure when worshipping Allah so u stop doing it and then his job is done when u stop so never give up always turn back to Allah this is a part of our test and we are all tested in a customised way and we aren't burdened with more than what we can handle...

    • How are you now, Sadaf?

  12. Salam Brother,

    I am also suffering from the same condition. I want to offer my Namaz But I can't due to anxiety disorder.
    If you find any solution then please reply me back

  13. Assalaam o alaikum. I'm 34 year old mother of one .My problem that I'm facing is taking my life into destruction.

    Whenever I try to pray salaah I get so depressed.Simple things like going to make wudhu n saying Bismillah I can't say it .My mind goes blank at that moment of actually performing that act n if I get through to say it I feel like I have not said it with sincerity. This causes me to be like an hour at the washroom just trying to be sincere in my thoughts.Same thing happens before and during whilst I'm performing salaah. I keep standing so long before I can actually recite what I'm suppose to recite.I'm in the Holy month of Ramadan and it has been happening to me even worst.

    This has been happening for the past 2 years. I have sought refuge in Allah from Shaitan but even to me saying that makes me feel so insincere.I feel like I can't focus at all and I get extremely worried n sad about my duties towards Allah.I want to perform them so badly .I ask myself why is this happening to me? Is this a test from Allah? I wanted to stop praying but my mind goes in a spiral of negative thoughts of destruction. It's like I can't control my own thoughts.I say to myself if I can get an answer my heart will follow throught and at the same time of saying that I'm worried of returning to the state I'm in right now.
    I'M SO SAD! MY LIFE IS FILLED WITH SO MUCH SADNESS . I SEE NO ENJOYMENT IN IT ANY MORE.

    CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME AND PLEASE MAKE DUA FOR ME.

    • Aoa sister . I am just 19 and i am going through same condition . Now i became mentally ill ..

    • Ure self doubting and giving oppurtunity to Satan to whisper into ur heart and then ur thinking the negative emotions that come from those whispers are a part of u or a symptom of ur illness and urs stuck in a cycle. Take a breath and relax is the first step then relax in the knowledge that Allah is Oft Forgiving Most Merciful. Also if we weren't sincere then why would we stand up to worship the Lord of the worlds? When we listen to the Quran why do our hearts react? Why is Allah testing us? Because he loves us... Don't let the negative thoughts mislead u.. and speak to family friends or a medical professional and relax we are human life wasn't suppose to be easy we aren't in heaven yet 🙂 I'm going through a hard time but do I really want people's sympathy? Or do I want Allah's forgiveness? Oh Allah make the trial easy and guide us to that which is better, oh Mighty Lord of the great throne, bless us with knowledge and wisdom and give us the understanding of why u try us when we say la illah ha il Allah, it's your right to separate those of us that are true from those of us that are false, oh Allah you are the writer of Qadr, and we make dua that our Qadr is good we fear your wrath and hope for your mercy. Oh Allah you love to pardon so pardon us. Oh Allah bestow upon us the good of this world and the good of the hereafter and protect us from the fire of hell. Oh Allah no doubt you are the Master of the day of judgement, you alone we worship you alone we ask for help, we seek refuge with you from Satan the cursed and his whispers, oh Allah Oh Most Merciful Have mercy on me I am your slave and I am weak, but you oh Allah you are Mighty and you are Strong. Strengthen me oh Allah and make the trial easy.
      If u make a sincere dua from the heart u really believe Allah will not listen and respond? our way is not the best way the best way is how the messenger of Allah Muhammad peace be upon him and his family did things so let's learn and not put pressure on ourselves we aren't suppose to be perfect perfection is for Allah alone we are flawed humanbeings who Allah will forgive through His Generosity and Mercy. Definitely all praise is to Allah the Lord of the worlds. Brothers and sisters read the Quran in a language u understand and get to know Allah and listen to people who are learned and learn from them once u understand how Merciful Allah is u won't feel as distressed anymore insha'Allah. We only feel distressed because we don't have answers.. It's like being lost on a deserted road without a map... The map of our lives is the Quran and sunnah let us learn... Long story short life is suppose to be tough don't let that stop us from being kind and love one another and let it not be that we become the total opposite of what we use to be and remain the slaves of Ar Rahman. 🙂 if any part made u feel good that is from the Grace of Allah and if it made u feel bad then I'm sorry and its from my evil and Satan the cursed.. But still Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful 😀

      • Al Baqrah
        SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
        2:155And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,

    • Assalmualaikum,

      I.have the same feeling 10.years ago after having panic attack,( I don't know that time it was panic attack) so after the attack i was admitted to Hospltal reporting hight blood presser.stayed one day did lot of test but nothing found.once i returned home my life.has chaged constant feeling of dyeing and depressed,difficult to pray as anxity increase while satand to pray,but didnt give up asked Allah to show me the path,then Allah guide me to understand it was a mental disorder so need.to seek medical help.see a physiologst gave me antidepressant and antyanxity drugh,with some guidence. Alhamdullah i.am 35 now so.many thing happen the n between with the drugs but have faith in allah he always show me the way.still.i.am with drugh along with black sheed oil and omega 3 supliment, it was test from Allah, i accpt it and trying to.leave better make dua,do lots of.charity help.people when need,i feel my jugdement will be bit relx cause i tryed to be patient ,listen different scollar speech on how.to be patient in terms.of.quran guidence.

      Allah knows.what.is best for.us we can only try

      So.seek medical help.asked.all for blessing ,inshllh.everything will.be.OK

      Faisal

  14. It sounds like most people here are under estimating the negative effects of stress on your mental emotional and physical health. You need to be honest with yourself about what it is exactly that you're forcing yourself to be or do or achieve until you can say you are living with 100% honestly and fairness to yourself you will be stressed without realizing it. All the symptoms you're describing sound like your body is telling you something is wrong and you're ignoring it and pretending everything is right. Try evaluating your goals and see if anything you're doing is in that direction and are you being honest about your daily actions. Simply saying you have anxiety or depression is saying that its a right state of anxiety depression but go back to the steps before you reached that state and see what changed .

  15. here no body understand what you mean bro....its becoz nobody here ever faced mental disorder.....do u expect froma healthy person to answer u regarding ur question....i have been suffering from same since long time....i die and live everyday...i know your condition..

  16. I have been suffering from anxiety and depression for last 2 years. it's very difficult to do simple things like getting out of bed,perfoming Salah,to socialize.. etc

    I have studied more deeply about mental illness such as anxiety disorders,and depression. Unfortunately very few are educated about it's stigma.studies shows 1 in 4 will suffer mental disorder once in Their life. depression is very different from sadness.the only way if you want to perform normal tasks eventhough it's Salah. You need to find a psychiatrist near to your residence.because it takes from atleast 6 months for recovery. Treatment consist of combination of drugs and CBT. Take it seriously.follow until your recovery is obtained.its much morethan paralysed condition. Since our mind's duty is to perform Salah. In such conditions it's almost cannot.

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