The Healing Effect of Dhikr in Sufi Psychotherapy: An Examination of the Struggle Against Depression, Stress, and Mental Diseases

Abstract

Today, mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and stress have reached the level of a social epidemic. The study investigates, in the light of verses from the Qur’an and the noble hadiths, the idea that the roots of these illnesses lie in the afat(s) (vices) that settle in the heart of the nafs (soul), and that purification from these afat(s) (vices) is possible only through the purification of the nafs (soul). It highlights that dhikr (repetition of the name of Allah) cleanses the ailments of the nafs (soul) by bringing down the lights of Allah’s rahma (mercy) and fazl (virtue) into the heart, leading a person to happiness in both this world and the Hereafter. This study examines the healing impact of dhikr (repetition of the name of Allah)—one of the essential devotional practices of the Islamic spiritual tradition—on the psychological and spiritual ailments that have become widespread in modern times. It explains the wisdom behind dhikr (repetition of the name of Allah) being regarded as the most exalted of acts of worship by noting its role in illuminating the heart and diminishing the influence of Satan. The research suggests that stress is a subconscious accumulation arising from unresolved feelings of vengeance, and that conflicts experienced in human relationships are a result of the afat(s) (vices) of the nafs (soul). The study concludes that wishing to reach Allah, dhikr and pledging allegiance to a murshid (spiritual guide), and maintaining a regular practice of dhikr (through repetition of the name of Allah) may be regarded as an effective and alternative method for addressing modern psychological disorders.