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Fatwa CenterStudent in a deep depression
Question
From the past few months I have been very depressed. I felt as if none of my supplications or prayers are being accepted. At first, I stopped making supplications after the prayers, then for 2-3 days I stopped praying. I'm feeling very bad about it and started praying again but I still feel like nothing good is to come in my life. I'm studying medicine but because of my depression, I'm not at all prepared for my finals. In fact, sometimes I think I should drop out of college and just concentrate on studying Islam especially since many doctors I have seen do not even have time for their prayers. Is it worth it to be a doctor if it'll eventually take me away from Islam? Is there a Dua' which will make me have a good memory and make me feel like studying?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Brother inquirer, we ask Allah to help you do the best good deeds. Know that you are asking about a great Islamic Issue; Performing Salah is one of the Pillars of Islam.
This pillar ranks high in Islam. So, it is Haram to be negligent in performing prayers. The prayer is a great pillar of Islam. The pact which makes a distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims is performing prayer, whoever abandons it is a disbeliever. All Prophets and Messengers were ordered to perform prayers but in different forms. Even angels are ordered to pray. Thus, it is very bad for one to neglect performing prayers, since it is a must for Messengers, angels and the Muslim nation - the Ummah of our master Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam). Also, those who abandon it - as stated in the Qur'an and Sunnah - will be punished severely, since only a hypocrite abandons performing al-'Isha and al-Fajr, i.e. in congregation, let alone the one who abandons it completely!
Al-Salaf al-Saleh (the good predecessors like the Prophet's (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) companions, their followers and every righteous scholar and Imam) used to perform such a great pillar regularly and even advised one another to lose not the Takbeer of al-Ihram, i.e. to perform it in a congregation. They also used to console one another in case of missing prayer in congregation. It was impossible to find one among them who used to neglect Salah due to its high rank and importance to them. It was their habit to make Wudu and to resort to prayer in case of hardship or need, i.e. they used to cling to such a great convention with their Lord. But, in times of weakness of faith in people's heart's, losing fear of Allah within ourselves and leaving work and depending on wishes, we are afflicted with distress and trouble in this would and fail to do good deeds. We ask Allah, the Great and Almighty, to grant us safety against such a state.
Thus, our good brother, I advise you to fear Allah, to do what He likes and to avoid what He dislikes. Know that Allah Himself who orders you to perform Salah and to keep on doing it, since abandoning it means neglecting Allah's Order.
You are to call yourself to account, to repent and to seek Allah's forgiveness so that He may pardon you and help you.
Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salât (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salât (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell. Except those who repent and believe (in the Oneness of Allâh and His Messenger Muhammad SAW), and work righteousness. Such will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged in aught.}[19:59-60].
In addition, the state of trouble and depression that you feel, making you to neglect your prayer is a form of devilish insinuation. You must pray to Allah to help you to get rid of such an insinuation. Know that if a man proceeds to His Lord faithfully, He will accept him and accept his good work. So, you should not lose hope nor despair of Allah's Mercy and Pardon. You have to do your best to obey your Lord and do good deeds. At the same time, you have to spare no effort in studying medicine, since the Muslim Ummah is in need of such an important specialization. But, you have also to know that learning obligations of every Muslim such as sound creed, purification, Salah, Sawm, Hajj and Zakah and other Sharia ruling is a must for every Muslim.
However, if you find that studying where you live negatively affects your religion, then you are advised to leave your present place of living and to seek another even if this causes you to give up studying medicine.
Allah knows best.
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