Sadness, Depression, and Prophet Musa (as)

I was sitting at home a while ago, the third day into the Snowmageddon of 2010, the third day of not really talking to anyone but my two little ones, with the husband traveling and trips to my parents’ home eliminated because of the grand storm. I tend to get a bit sad, depressed when I’m alone like that, but alhamdulillah I was holding up fairly well during those days. A few nights later, I was trying to memorize some lines from Surat al Qasas, and read over the story of Prophet Moses (as) when he was in the utmost point of sadness, loneliness and depression that a person could be in. He had just heard news that the tyrant of Egypt had issued an ‘arrest/assassination’ warrant against him, he’d just left his country in exile, he’d just left everything behind, and he felt bad, guilty, depressed over the man he had accidently killed.

He was in his utmost point of need, of isolation, of loneliness. At that time of depression, he reached out to Allah SWT, to his Lord, Savior, and Creator and said, “O Allah, save me from the wrong-doing people.” And “O Allah, I am truly needy of what you have brought down for me of good.”

The call out to Allah, in the middle of our darkness. Reaching out with our hands and our needs to Him, and He answering our call instantaneously. What better story to illustrate it for us than the story of Musa alayhisaalam, in his darkest hour of need, calling out to His Lord and Creator, and never holding back from striving for ihsan, for good in his actions. Right in the middle of this depression, of this intense sadness, he got up, and went forth in action. He saw the two young women in need of help with their sheep, and he came to their help, then turned back to his Lord for His help.

Fatima Abdallah

Fatima lives in Northern Virgina with her husband and three children. She enjoys quality time with her husband, kids, siblings and friends.