Thread.
There are a range of moods/anxieties/traumas ppl use Islam to mask. So deen doesn't become uplifting/ emancipating force it is bt an added 'weight'. What should be enlightenment turns into toxic religion. How to undo? Restart w/ a correct understanding of what God wants.
There are a range of moods/anxieties/traumas ppl use Islam to mask. So deen doesn't become uplifting/ emancipating force it is bt an added 'weight'. What should be enlightenment turns into toxic religion. How to undo? Restart w/ a correct understanding of what God wants.
1st step: Acknowledge the problem. Recognise it's all not working properly - most people intuitively feel this but don't actively engage it out of fear (scared what it'll mean or change) or hubris (they 'know' they're right). Decide whether you want to sincerely resolve it.
2nd step: Acknowledge u don't know much about deen - you've been using it as coping mechanism (rather than God's cultivation) on varying levels. What u have are tidbits of practices ritualised which means u have to imbue them *with your own meaning* rather than what God intended.
3rd step: getting to know yourself intimately. What has led to this & what do you want from yourself & your life? Identify where feelings/attitudes/emotions have come from. This is important for identifying thinking patterns. Be ready to make significant changes over time.
4th step: Get to know deen properly and holistically. Doing so helps to overcome cognitive distortions and engender thoughts and practices that lead to positive and enlightened wellbeing. This will probably require spending time with intelligent shar'i specialists.
5th step: Focus on yourself, your relationship with God, and understanding *God's account of reality*. Get to know what the shari'ah stands for and what its purpose is - its not meaningless or ineffectual. Refocus on the important things in life, rather than projecting.
Muslims today suffer serious PTSD stemming from child/adulthood experiences, exacerbated by understandings of religion & toxic social/political environments. They don't actively resolve it bc 1) taboos around mental health & feeling down, 2) culture of avoidance amongst Muslims.
God wants us to look, critically think, analyse, consider, ponder, & contemplate - not only what He's revealed & the world around us but fundamentally what is within ourselves. In shar'i terminology, the 'heart' also refers to the intellect & connection w/ emotional intelligence.
