PROJECT RAHMAH

WHY?​

  

Mental health within the Muslim Community has been an issue that is often assumed to be correlated with love of Iman or faith. There is not a question that faith can help every individual within themselves and their lives, this is not the reason why someone has a mental illness or has mental health struggles. Missing a prayer or struggling with thikr is not the cause of depression. Project Rahmah would like to emphasize while our deen/faith does indeed help us, it is not the cause of mental health issues. There is a common misconception and stigma within the term “mental illness”. This term has a broad spectrum, the spectrum touches diseases from ADD, ADHD, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder. The mission of Project Rahmah is to better familiarize the community with such illnesses and disorders. Many within the Muslim community often suffer silently with the fear of being shamed or seen as a lepper within their family and community. Our strong belief is that no one should have to deal with hardship alone. Project Rahmah was created to build a sense of community, comfort, and reassurance for whomever may need it.

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“Whoever relieves a believer’s distress of the distressful aspects of this world, Allah will rescue him from a difficulty of the difficulties

 

of the Hereafter.

 

” In his commentary on this hadith Jamal al-Din Zarabozo states that a kurbah or distress, is that which distresses the soul and preoccupies the mind. In this life, there are many things that could be described as a kurbah, and a person may face difficulties, problems and challenges everyday of their life. As Muslims, we should strive to help each other when we are in need, and remove any difficulties that others may be facing. We may do this by giving them advice, sharing our wealth, making dua, or using other things that are within our means or authority. If we do so, Allah promises to reward us with something much better – the removal of a difficulty from the difficulties of the Hereafter. Let’s reflect for a moment on just one of difficulties of the Day of Judgement:

 

“On the Day of Resurrection, the sun would draw so close to the people

 

that there would be left only the distance of one mile… The people would be

 

submerged in perspiration according to their deeds. Some will be up to their

 

knees, some up to the waist and some would have the bridle of perspiration,”

 

and he pointed his hand toward his mouth.”(Recorded in Muslim)

 

SubhanAllah, who is there who would not want Allah to remove one of

 

their difficulties on this Day? This is really one of the most valuable things we

 

could be promised. What better incentive could there be to strive to relieve the

 

burden of our fellow Muslims?

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“Whoever alleviates [the situation of] one in dire straits who cannot repay his debt, Allah will alleviate his lot in both this world and in the Hereafter.”