In my previous blog post, I mentioned Maslow’s Pyramid of needs and the missing apex that he added a few decades after the first formulation of this pyramid, the last apex being self-transcendence.

And what is meant by self-transcendence after meeting the basic needs is the need  to see ourselves as part of the broader universe to develop the common priorities that can allow humankind to survive as a species.” (Nichol Bradford)

Islam takes a reverse position in the sense that its teachings immediately put us in that state of self-transcendence, and tells us that we are connected in a common purpose which is to make it a better existence for everyone. There is a hadith that says that Islam was built on five, and we refer to these as the five pillars of Islam, perhaps a more accurate translation would be the five foundations of Islam. These five foundations are what keeps the inner structure of the Muslim safe and sound because they directly impact our mental health, and they are:

• Shahadah, (declaration of faith)
• Prayer
• Zakah (Prescribed alms)
• Fast
• Pilgrimage

 

I would like to think about them now from a relational perspective and how each impacts our psyche.

The first one, shahadah[1], is self-transcendence to connect to the One. As a Muslim I am immediately invited to bare witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is his messenger, a statement that immediately empowers me as an individual, in the very fact that it makes me a witness. But as witnesses of His way, we need a strong bond, a strong connection, like in any organizational environment, only we have direct access to Him. How? Through prayer. So why is prayer so important for psychic health?

Lately, the latest craze is practicing meditation, to achieve peace of mind, clarity, equanimity etc. Neuroscience has now provided us with proof of its impact on our health:  a boosted immune system, lower blood pressure, and assistance in combating psoriasis as well as other conditions.

The Islamic perspective is not just to be mindful but to be mindful of God. Mindfulness of God or as we call it in Arabic Taqwa Allah, is what elevates us in ranks, what builds our inner strength because we are connected to an inexhaustible source, with His 99 attributes of beauty and might. Knowing that God is present in us, with us, for us, at all times, is the ultimate source of strength and appeasement. Islamic teachings stress the importance of Prayer to the point that if you cannot stand up to do it, you are allowed to perform it sitting down, if you cannot perform it sitting down, then you are allowed to perform it lying down, if you cannot, then you can perform it with mere eye movement, because everyone needs to feel connected to the divine source, to build healthier synapses and stronger connections.

We are also taught to self-transcend in the performance of Zakāh, which is (prescribed) alms[2]

It creates awareness of the need of others and their right over us to provide for them. It gives them the right to a dignified living, taking away the shame of receiving charity by making it a prescribed right while giving us the benefit of giving and gaining the benefit of serving others. Ultimately it creates a caring society.

Even in the teaching of fasting, God says that He alone rewards for it and that it is a way to give thanks to Him. In fact, everything we are encouraged to do to please Him, has a psychological benefit for us. Prayers build resilience and resilience builds ability to overcome trauma. Fasting builds the ability to withstand delayed gratification (there is research in mental health that people who can accept delayed gratification are more successful and resilient  in later life because it builds self-discipline) it has health benefits, but ultimately for us it teaches us how to be mindful of God.

And finally pilgrimage which instils the sense of equality and humility is the reality check we need to remind us that we don’t leave this life with much, just a shroud and that what matters is the relationship we built with God and his creatures and not with things.

The biggest mistake we make as Muslims, when we practice these foundations of our faith, is to think that we do them as an obligation to avoid God’s wrath or gain His reward. We forget that nothing we do or don’t do adds or takes away anything from His kingdom. And we do that when we lose insight and mindfulness of the purpose of worship.

The gift God is giving us is really tying our happiness and our sound mental health to the idea that we are giving Him something when in fact we are doing ourselves the service.

Self- transcendence is the essence of the human experience because there is no me without you and there is no man without God.

Finally I would like you to bear in mind that the objective of this article is not to state the benefits of the 5 pillars of Islam because one could probably write books on the subject, but merely to point out that God has put a system that helps build a strong mind and a sound relational system because He made us social beings. I do not mean to say that Muslims are not affected by mental illness because they are, I just wanted to highlight that the 7 processes to effect change stated by the CPCAB are part and parcel of the foundations of our faith, which in itself suggests the healing value of every practice prescribed on us.

Finally, this leaves me with a thought to ponder, what does it mean to have this as the foundation of the pyramid of needs and not as its apex and how does the different position impact a person’s psyche?

 

Here one interesting link On delayed gratification:

The marshmallow experiment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWURnHkYuxM

Footnotes:

[1] declaration of faith

“I bear witness that there is no god but Allāh*, and that Muḥammad is His Messenger.” Allāh is the Arabic name for the One and Only God, the same God shared by all monotheistic faiths (the name Allāh is often used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews). The name Allāh encompasses all the divine names and attributes of the Lord of the worlds, and hence the vast scopes of meaning it has. It is for this reason that Muslims consider it unique. Unlike the word ‘God’, the word ‘Allāh’ in Arabic has no inflections of gender or number.

 

http://www.adageonline.org/Glossary/search/%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9

[2] One of the five pillars of Islām It is a calculated proportion of a Muslim’s wealth that is paid annually for the benefit of the needy. It is due on certain assets, once their value reaches a certain threshold and the calculation varies according to the nature of the asset.

http://www.adageonline.org/Glossary/search/Alms