Depression, anxiety, and spiritual emptiness are at epidemic levels, yet the cure has been available for over 1,400 years. At the Sound Heart Convention in Toronto, scholars explained how the heart — described by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the morsel that determines the soundness of the entire body — can be healed, recharged, and reconnected to its Creator through the divine prescription found in the Quran and the Sunnah.
Understanding the Heart in Islam
The Arabic language uses multiple words to describe the heart, each revealing a different aspect of its nature. The heart is “ever-shifting” — moving between high faith and low faith, elation and sadness, devotion and neglect. Its ultimate control lies in the hands of Allah, which is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) frequently made dua asking Allah, the Turner of Hearts, to keep his heart firm upon the deen. If even the Prophet sought this protection, how much more do we need it?
“People go to the doctor for all sorts of aches, and he writes prescriptions — but he cannot write a prescription for the heartache. The one who can prescribe the cure for our hearts is Allah, through the Revelation He sent in the Quran.”
The Divine Prescription for a Sound Heart
- The Quran is soul food — Our bodies are fed from the earth, but the soul is fed by what Allah has revealed; the Quran is described as a “soul from Allah’s Command”
- Salaam brings peace to the heart — The Islamic greeting literally invokes Allah’s peace, blessings, and protection upon the person you meet, creating immediate calm and connection
- Remembrance of Allah — Truly, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest; this is the foundation of spiritual healing in Islam
- Patience in calamity — A person who praises Allah even when losing a beloved child demonstrates the ultimate soundness of heart, and Allah rewards such a person with a house in Jannah called “the House of Praise”
“This man lost his child and said ‘To Allah we belong and to Him we return.’ Allah said: build a house in Jannah for this slave and call it the House of Praise. This could be anybody who demonstrates a sound heart in the most difficult time.”
Recharging Your Heart Before It Is Too Late
Just as a dead phone needs to be plugged in, a dead heart needs to be reconnected to its source of life — Allah, the Most High. The prescription is clear: recite the Quran, establish the five daily prayers, surround yourself with righteous company, and trust in Allah’s decree in every circumstance. For those who have not yet found Islam, the emptiness you feel is your heart calling out for the only cure that works — the remembrance of the One who created it.
