Quran Highlights Steadfastness as Cure to Stress
Sometimes stress is not a disease and can be cured without going to a doctor. But sometimes it becomes chronic and intensifies. Chronic stress is an emotional pressure that one suffers for a long time and feels out of control. Chronic stress creates high levels of hormones in the body that can lead to physical damage such as high blood pressure, heart disease, damage to muscle tissue, weakening of the immune system, or undermining of mental health.
Psychologists believe that in order to tackle chronic stress, one needs to boost his resilience in the face of internal and external tensions. Resilience refers to the ability to confront stress in critical conditions.
When one has the power of resilience, he can control his inner forces, and this helps him not to feel helpless in the face of adversity, such as losing a job, getting sick, or losing a loved one. But if one's resilience is low, one may lose hope in adversity and become depressed or resort to harmful defensive behaviors such as drug use.
The Holy Quran uses words such as Istiqama to refer to resilience. Istiqama helps one remove stress.
The Quran says in Verse 13 of Surah Al-Ahqaf: “Those who have said, ‘Our Lord is God,’ and are steadfast in their belief need have no fear or be grieved.”
Read More:
Steadfastness on the path of God brings an indescribable joy and this joy has been likened in the Quran to drinking fresh water:
“Had they (jinn and mankind) remained steadfast in their religion (Islam), We would certainly have given them abundant water to drink.” (Verse 16 of Surah Al-Jinn)
Translated by Hoda Shafiee Shakib
