Avoiding abnormality

AYSHA ZAHID

Abnormality in the human psyche, as usually defined, is actually a deviance from the normal to the extremes. This deviation can be either due to physical or behavioral disturbances. Physical disturbances are actually the biological basis of abnormality in human behavior which may include disturbances in brain structure, neurotransmitters and hormonal imbalances in the body- these require medical treatment. Behavioral disturbances involve changes in cognitive patterns and environmental factors and are addressed by counseling/therapy. Although much help is received through informal counseling- through parents, siblings, spouse, relatives, friends etc; people also go for formal counseling. Islam, as we believe, is the ultimate panacea to problems. Abu Huraira (R.A) narrates from the holy Prophet (S.A.W): There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment (Sahih Bukhari). As a student of psychology, I believe that practically applying the teachings of Quran and Sunnah in ones life actually saves from behavioral abnormalities. The reason is that Allah speaks about creating balance in His creation. The Quran says:

And the earth We have spread out (like a car pet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance (15:19).
We see this balance in our lives. Extremes in behaviors lead to becoming a loner or a psychopath. Allah speaks about giving humans the freewill to choose among alternatives. With this freewill, He guides the humans to the right kind of behaviors by either promising them heaven or warning them about hell. This principle is what the psychologists call, the principle of reward and punishment to teach the right kind of behaviors and eliminate the inappropriate ones, and this principle is the key or essence to avoid abnormalities in behavior. Islam emphasizes on not opting for the ways that lead to these disorders. Allah says in the Quran:

O ye who believe! Enter into Islam wholeheartedly and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.(2:208) O ye who believe! Follow not Satans footsteps: If any will follow the footsteps of satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong: and were it not the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: but Allah doth purify whom He pleases: and Allah is One Who hears and knows (all things) (24:21).
What follows is a discussion of some of the ways in which Islamic principles effectively prevent the development of pathological patterns of thought and behavior: Paranoid Personality Disorder is chiefly characterized by extreme suspiciousness towards others. Islam offers a solution by eradicating the roots of this disorder through prohibiting the ways that lead to this disorder. It completely prohibits backbiting and suspicion which are the root ca uses of this disorder. Quran says:

O ye who believe! Avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?(49:12).
The Prophet (S.A.W) said: Avoid suspicion, for airing suspicion is the most lying form of

speech (Bukhari).
In another Hadith he said: Do not be envious of each other, nor backbite, nor hate one

another, but become brothers in the service of Allah (Bukhari).

Similarly, a person having Narcissistic Personality Disorder has extreme feelings of grandiosity. Islam exterminates the culprit that leads to this disorder. Pride- boasting about ones qualities and devaluing others- is unacceptable in Islam. Allah says:

And walk not on the earth with conceit and arrogance. Verily, you can neither rend nor penetrate the ear th, nor can you attain a stature like the mountains in height (17:37).
It has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Masood that the Prophet (S.A.W) said: No one will enter

Paradise in whose heart is an atoms weight of pride A man said: What if I like my clothes to look nice and my shoes to look nice? He said: Verily Allah is beautiful and loves beauty; rather pride means rejecting the truth and looking down on people.(Muslim).
Likewise, people who develop the antisocial personality disorder are apathetic towards others to the point of harming them, lie frequently, cheat and lack remorse. In order to avoid such a personality from developing, Islam lays great stress on good upbringing of children, being kind to them and using appropriate punishments when necessary. The Prophet (S.A.W) said: the teaching of good manners by a man to his children is better

for him than to give a saa (a unit of measure) of charity (Tirmidhi). Fear Allah and treat your children fairly (Bukhari, Muslim). The best gift to children from parents is their correct training (Tirmidhi). Among the ten important advises that the Prophet (S.A.W) enjoined upon his companion, Muaaz ibn Jabal, one of them is let your rod be hanging on them (children) as a warning and to chastise against neglect of their duties towards Allah (Ahmed).
Schizotypal Personality Disorder is prominently marked by social isolation and avoidance of close relationships. Similarly, Social Anxiety Disorder includes extreme feelings of panic and anxiety when the person confronts social situations. The basic counseling provided in such cases is to interact with people and get into social situations in order to overcome the problem. A Muslim following the Islamic principles may never develop such disorders due to the maximum social interaction that Islam provides. Muslims are enjoined to pray five times a day and it is obligatory for males to offer their salaat in congregation. Since it is also compulsory for children above the age of 10 to offer their

salaat regularly, the habit of social interaction develops since childhood. It is noteworthy that the basic Islamic ibadaahs are social in nature- salaat, zakaat and hajj. Fasting also contains social elements in it, where it is a reward to help fasting people break their fasts. In addition, monasterysecluding oneself completely from the world for the sole purpose of worshipping- is forbidden in Islam. Keeping relations, being courteous to others and kind treatment to children is essential. Therefore, such acts promote healthy social relationships and provide a healthy environment for the development of healthy personalities. As stated earlier, the Prophet (S.A.W) said: Do not be envious of each other, nor backbite, nor

hate one another, but become brothers in the service of Allah (Bukhari). One who cuts relations will not enter Paradise. Abu Hurairah (R.A) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) kissed his grandson when a person was sitting with him. The man said: I have ten children and I have never kissed one of them. The Prophet (S.A.W) said: The one who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy (Bukhari, Muslim).
Depression is a very common disorder usually resulting from unfavorable circumstances which the person finds unable to cope with. Quran gives the remedy:

And surely We shall try you with some of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth, and lives, and crops; but give glad tidings to the steadfast. Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! We are Allahs and lo! Unto Him we are returning. (2: 155,156).
In the same way Anxiety as a disorder comprises of excessive worrying about the future and staying anxious most of the time which takes the clinical form of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Acceptance of fate, the phenomenon that every act and happening in this universe has been prewritten- is a major technique that Islam provides to help relieve oneself from excessive grief and worrying. Dale Carnagie quotes the personal experiences of RVC Bodley while living with the Muslim nomads in Sahara for seven years.

I went to live with the Arabs. I am glad I did so. They taught me how to conquer worry. Like all faithful Moslems, they are fatalists. They believe that every word Mohammed wrote in the Koran is the divine revelation of Allah. So when the Koran says: "God created you and all your actions," they accept it literally. That is why they take life so calmly and never hurry or get into unnecessary tempers when things go wrong. They know that what is ordained is ordained; and no one but God can alter anything. However, that doesn't mean that in the face of disaster, they sit down and do nothing The seven years I spent with the Arabs convinced me that the neurotics, the insane, the drunks of America and Europe are the product of the hurried and harassed lives we live in our so-called civilisationThe Arabs call it mektoub, kismet -the will of Allah. Call it

anything you wish. It does strange things to you. I only know that today-seventeen years after leaving the Sahara-I still maintain that happy resignation to the inevitable which I learned from the Arabs. That philosophy has done more to settle my nerves than a thousand sedatives could have achieved
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder consists of repetitive obsessions and compulsions. In order to stop the obsessions, Islam provides a thought -stopping strategy. According to the Quran,

if a suggestion from satan assail thy (mind) seek refuge in Allah; for He heareth and knoweth (all things) (7:200).
Allah says:

Say: I seek refuge in the lord of mankind; The king of mankind; The God of mankind; From the mischief of the Whisperer (of evil), who withdraws (after his whisper); (The same) who whispers into the hearts of mankind; Among the jinns and among men (114, 1-6).
Similarly, Islam provides clear and specific instructions of such issues which usually turn into compulsions. By giving these instructions, Islam helps the people from going into extremes of either being totally careless to repetitively performing the act. One such example is the issue of cleanliness which is one of the common compulsions that people have. Islam instructs that nothing is impure unless it has traces of impurities on it e.g., blood, urine, vomit etc. Removing the contamination from the surface such that the spots are not visible anymore, makes it clean, one does not need to clean it repetitively . Gender Dysphoria, formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder, is characterized by dissatisfaction with ones gender and intentional imitation of t he opposite gender. Islam discourages this kind of attitude. But in case of any biological reasons (hormonal, genital abnormalities) for such attitude, treatment should be sought. According to a Hadith, the Prophet (S.A.W) men who imitate women and women who imitate

men, and he said: throw them out of your houses (Bukhari). Abu Huraira (R.A) narrates that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) cursed the man who wears womens clothing and the woman who wears mens clothing (Abu Dawood).
Substance related disorders which include alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling are common. The use of such substances is punishable in the Islamic law, hence eliminating the chances of abnormalities resulting from the use of these substances. Allah says in the Quran they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning alcoholic drink and

gambling. Say: in them is a great sin, and (some) benefits for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit (2:219). O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination of satans handiwork: eschew such (abomination) that ye may prosper; Satans plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain (5:90, 91).

Anger as an emotion is important but exceeding beyond a certain limit results in abnormalities. Islam provides the best anger management therapy by providing techniques and rewarding anger control.

Abu Huraira (R.A) relates that a man said to the Prophet (S.A.W) counsel me He (S.A.W) replied do not get angry. The man repeated his requests many times but the Prophet (S.A.W) kept saying: do not get angry (Bukhari). The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) once asked his companions Whom among you do you consider a strong man? they replied the one who can defeat so-and-so in a wrestling contest. He replied That is not so; a strong man is the one who can control himself when he is angry (Bukhari, Muslim). If anyone suppresses anger when he is in a position to give vent to it, Allah the Exalted, will call him on the Day of resurrection and ask him to choose from the rewards offered (Abu Dawood). No one has swallowed anything back more excellent in the sight of All ah, who is Great and Glorious, than anger, seeking to please Allah (Tirmidhi).
He (S.A.W): if one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger

leaves him well and good; otherwise he should lie down (Tirmidhi). Anger comes from satan. Satan was created from fire, and fire is extinguished only with water; so when any of you is angry, he should perform ablution (Abu Dawood). If any of you becomes angry, let him keep silent (Ahmed).
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a common disorder which primarily includes dissatisfaction with ones bodily features especially facial features. Allah provides counseling to the people to prevent them from developing this disorder. Allah says in the Quran:

We have indeed created man in the best of moulds (95:4).

According to a duaa mentioned in a hadith: O Allah, you have made my outward form

beautiful, so make my attitude good too.

Disordered eating patterns lead to abnormalities which commonly include Anorexia Nervosa consuming very little diet for the fear of gaining weight, Bulimia nervosa- consuming excessive food followed by purging the body from consumed food through methods such as use of laxatives and induced vomiting, Binge Eating disorder- consuming excessive food leading to obesity, and Picaeating non-nutritive diet. Islam lists eating manners for the individuals to help prevent them from getting into deviant ways. Gluttony is considered undesirable rather eating should be stopped when there is still some space for food left in the stomach.

The Prophet (S.A.W) Said: a human does not fill any container worse than his stomach. It is

enough for a human to have some morsels to strengthen his back (keep his back straight). If he must eat more, than it should be one-third of his stomach for food, one-third for drink and one-third for breathing. Eat of the good things which We have provided for you (2:173) Eat of what is lawful and wholesome on the earth (2:168)
One should eat using three fingers and taking small bites followed by excessive chewing. This helps in moderate consumption and better digestion of food. Likewise having breakfast and dinner are considered important to maintain good health. Summarizing the above material, we see that the proverb prevention is better than cure best applies on the Islamic way of life. This helps prevent individuals from getting into disordered ways and developing abnormalities in behavior.