How Can I Improve My Prayer when I Suffer from PTSD and Depression?

Question:

I do not always make my prayers on time, and I suffer from PTSD and Major Depression. What can help me overcome these issues?

Answer:

I hope you are doing well, insha’Allah. May Allah grant you relief and healing.

Know that your Lord is Merciful and Caring. Do your best to do your prayers on time and to be in remembrance of Allah Most High. Do so out of gratitude, love, and certitude in the Mercy, Gentleness, and Caring of your Loving Lord.

Allah Most High tells us, “Remember Me, and I will remember you.” [Qur’an] He also tells us, “Truly, it is by the remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest.” [Qur’an]

However, given the considerations in cases like what you describe, we urge you to please consult reliable local trained scholars or professional counsel about the specifics of the situation.

Seeking help is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it is from strong resolve and from embracing the means of mercy and healing that your Generous Lord has facilitated for you.

Jazakum Allah khayr. May Allah facilitate all ways of good for you.

Wassalam,

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.