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           NOT ALL DEPRESSION IS CREATED EQUALDr Suhaib Ashraf Bhat

Peace of mind, contentment, happiness and freedom from worries and anxiety, these are what everyone wants, and these are the ways in which people can have a good life and find complete happiness and joy. There are religious means of achieving this, and natural and practical means, but no one can combine all of them except the believers; although other people may achieve some of them, they will miss out on others.The name of failure is enough to put us off it and strive for success, regardless of the material gains that a man may attain as the result of his success, because failure is a word that implies shortcomings and loss, and success is a word that implies perfection and praise. Failure and success are two sides of the same coin, although they may seem to contradict one another at first glance. But in fact they are interconnected if you think about it, based on experience and real life.
On average, an adult brain weighs between 1.0 kg – 1.5 kg.  It is mainly composed of neurons – the fundamental unit of the brain and nervous system. Recent estimates have suggested that the brain contains anywhere between 86 billion to 100 billion neurons. The brain, along with the spinal cord, constitutes the central nervous system. It is responsible for thoughts, interpretation and origin of control for body movements. Numerous studies show that many people diagnosed with depression have elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which affect brain function and mood. Some people believe that depression could be linked to lifestyle, diet, or even environmental pollution. Other experts believe it’s a physical response to environmental stressors or worries. According to one theory “brain on fire” there is a physiological response to a supposed threat. That’s where the inflammatory and immune system response comes from. In this case, it acts like your worst enemy and weakens you instead of protecting you. According to the brain on fire theory, when the brain perceives a stressor, it releases cortisol. This hormone triggers the production of cytokines, vasoactive amines, nitric oxide, and glucocorticoids. When your body detects the presence of a virus, it triggers an immune response with the goal of fighting the enemy. The immune response is inflammation. The brain on fire theory states that our bodies trigger this same immune response when we experience pressure, stress, fear, or anxiety.First of all, let me clarify something important. Not all depression is created equal, and not all depression is caused by inflammation. The brain on fire theory comes into play for individuals who have tried psychological therapy and medication and have seen no improvement.Depression is a mood disorder that effects millions of people around the world. Fortunately, depression has been studied for decades and there is a wealth of information available for people who have depressive symptoms. Many treatments for depression are highly effective and can provide relief in just a few weeks. If you have a mood disorder, your general emotional state or mood is distorted or inconsistent with your circumstances and interferes with your ability to function. You may be extremely sad, empty or irritable (depressed), or you may have periods of depression alternating with being excessively happy (mania). Anxiety disorders can also affect your mood and often occur along with depression. Mood disorders may increase your risk of suicide.Some examples of mood disorders include:Major depressive disorder — prolonged and persistent periods of extreme sadnessBipolar disorder — also called manic depression or bipolar affective disorder, depression that includes alternating times of depression and maniaSeasonal affective disorder (SAD) — a form of depression most often associated with fewer hours of daylight in the far northern and southern latitudes from late fall to early springCyclothymic disorder — a disorder that causes emotional ups and downs that are less extreme than bipolar disorderPremenstrual dysphoric disorder — mood changes and irritability that occur during the premenstrual phase of a woman’s cycle and go away with the onset of periods.Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) — a long-term (chronic) form of depressionDisruptive mood dysregulation disorder — a disorder of chronic, severe and persistent irritability in children that often includes frequent temper outbursts that are inconsistent with the child’s developmental ageDepression related to medical illness — a persistent depressed mood and a significant loss of pleasure in most or all activities that’s directly related to the physical effects of another medical conditionDepression induced by substance use or medication ― depression symptoms that develop during or soon after substance use or withdrawal or after exposure to a medication.Trouble is inevitable in the life of this world; this is how Allah swt has decreed it and He has made it a place of trials and tests, and a bridge to the Hereafter. Even the best of His creation, the prophets, were never free of troubles. Life is never plain sailing for anyone, young or old. You may have reason to rejoice one day, then reason to feel sad for many other days; this is how it always is in the life of this world and this is how people are all the time. Who among us has not felt grief and sorrow as a result of the calamities we see befalling the Muslims, day after day? Who among us has not lost interest in this world and everything in it, because of what we hear or see? But when these feelings of sadness and loneliness or bad moods persist and prevent us from living a normal life or carrying out the duties that are required of us, or fulfilling the rights of others, or they cause us to neglect the blessings of Allah swt which He has bestowed upon us and fail to give thanks for as we should, at that point sadness moves from being something natural to being a case of weakness and sickness that needs to be treated.  There is no greater remedy for that than patience and fearing Allah swt, and thinking positively of Allah swt, the Lord of the Worlds, putting one’s trust in Him, delegating one’s affairs to Him and turning to Him in all times of calamity. If the state of grief worsens and leads to some level of depression, then in addition to this spiritual remedy, showing patience, putting one’s trust in Allah swt and always remembering Him, medical attention from a knowledgeable and trustworthy specialist is also needed. The symptoms of depression include the following: ·        Always feeling sad, anxious and in a bad mood·        Loss of interest and lack of enjoyment in activities that people usually enjoy·        Constant pessimism and feeling helpless in the face of life’s problems·        Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and social alienation·        Inability to show or express feelings towards others or to accept feelings from others·        Trouble sleeping, such as insomnia, sleeping too long or waking up too early·        Eating problems (overeating or loss of appetite)·        Chronic physical pain from which no remedy brings relief·        Weepiness·        Getting tense quickly; hyperactivity and not being able to calm down and relax·        Constant feelings of tiredness and inability to do any physical activity·        Inability to concentrate, remember or take sound decisions 
If four or more of the symptoms mentioned above are present, then you should consult a specialist in psychology.In addition to seeking medical treatment, you should try to keep yourself busy with useful activities, such as reading Quran and other books, and engaging in hobbies and so on. Do not forget some natural remedies that will re-energise you and help the brain to regain energy, such as honey and dried fruits.One of the prescriptions that was often used in the past is talbeenah. According to an authentic report, the Messenger of Allah swt (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) said concerning it: “Talbeenah brings comfort to the sick person and it lessens grief.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5101; Muslim, 2216 Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah swt have mercy on him) said in Zad al-Ma‘ad:This broth clears that from the stomach and intestines, cleanses it, makes it flow, makes it more liquid, adjusts it, and restores balance. Thus it gives relief, especially for the one who usually eats barley bread, which was the custom of the people of Madinah at that time; it was their staple food, as wheat was very expensive for them. And Allah swt knows best. Talbeenah is a broth made from barley flour with its bran, to which a cup of water is added, and it is heated on a low fire for five minutes, then a cup of milk and a spoonful of honey is added.
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SERIOUS CRIME

Dr Suhaib Ashraf Bhat
Applying black magic on Allah swt’s people is not a good thing so keep in your mind that you will get punished. In modern era people do not actually deplore due to his sorrow, but other people’s happiness is the main reason behind his deploring. So they try lots of black magic to hurt other people. Sometimes they get success, however they cannot continue success in it  because Allah swt use to bless all his slaves. The practitioner of magic is the person who uses the shayaateen (devils) and gets close to the jinn by doing the things they like – such as sacrificing to them instead of to Allah swt, calling upon them alongside Allah swt, obeying them by disobeying Allah swt by committing zinaa, drinking wine, eating haraam things, neglecting prayer, covering himself with najaasaat (impure things) and staying in dirty places – until the shayaateen respond to what he asks them, with a gentle and kind approach, to do, such as harming the people against whom he uses his magic, causing division between a man and his wife, telling him some unseen things, and telling him about stolen items and where lost things are. Such a person is a mushrik and a kaafir, because he worships both Allah swt and the Shaytaan, which is major shirk (al-shirk al-akbar). So he is a kaafir, because Allah swt says (interpretation of the meaning);
“Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
“but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, ‘We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).’” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
It was also commanded that the practitioner of magic should be executed, because of the hadeeth: “The hadd (prescribed punishment) for the practitioner of magic is a blow with the sword (i.e., execution).” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1460; al-Daaraqutni, 3/114; al-Haakim, 4/360; al-Bayhaqi, 8/136; see al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 3/641, no. 1446)
On this basis, he is a kaafir even if he prays, fasts, reads Qur’aan and makes du’aa’, because shirk cancels out all good deeds. 
Sihr is a serious crime and is one of the kinds of kufr. It is one of things with which people have been tested, in the past and currently, among the nations of the past, during the Jaahiliyyah and in this ummah. The more ignorance increases, the less there is knowledge and awareness of faith, the less attention the authorities pay to this matter – the more the practitioners of sihr and trickery increase and spread in the land, to take the people’s wealth and confuse them and do other things. When knowledge prevails and faith increases, and the Islamic authorities are powerful, the number of these evil people shrinks and they move from one land to another, seeking a place where their falsehood will be accepted and they will be able to engage in their trickery and corruption. 
The Qur’aan and Sunnah have described the kinds of sihr and the rulings on these matters. 
Sihr is so called because its means are hidden or secret, and because the practitioners of sihr deal with things in secret which enable them to perform illusions to confuse the people and deceive their eyes, and to cause them harm or steal their money, etc., in a secretive manner so that in most cases nobody realizes what is happening. Hence the last part of the night is called sahar, because at the end of the night people are unaware and they do not move about much. And the lungs are also called sahr, because they are hidden inside the body.  
According to sharee’ah, the meaning of sihr is what the magicians do to delude and confuse people, so that the one who is watching thinks that it is real when in fact it is not. As Allah swt said concerning the magicians of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):
“They said: ‘O Moosa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?’
Moosa said: ‘Nay, throw you (first)!’ Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.
So Moosa conceived fear in himself.
We (Allah swt) said: ‘Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand.
And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.’”
[Ta-Ha 20:65-69] 
Sihr may involve things that the magician does when tying knots on which he blows, as is referred to in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):
“And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots”[al-Falaq 113:4] 
And it may involve other things which they manage to do through the shayaateen (devils), so they do things that may affect a man’s reason or make him sick; they may cause division between a man and his wife, resulting in her looking ugly to him, or by making her hate her husband or be put off by him. This is blatant kufr as the Qur’aan states. Allah swt says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They followed what the Shayaateen (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaymaan (Solomon). Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic”
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
 Allah swt informs us that they (the shayaateen) committed kufr by teaching men magic. Then He says (interpretation of the meaning):
 “and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, ‘We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).’”[al-Baqarah 2:102]
 Then Allah swt says (interpretation of the meaning):
 “And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah swt’s Leave”[al-Baqarah 2:102] 
i.e., this magic and any harm that results from it is subject to the prior decree and will of Allah swt, for our Lord cannot be overwhelmed and nothing can happen in His Dominion against His Will. Nothing happens in this world or in the hereafter except by His prior decree and His great wisdom, as He wills. So some people may be tested by sihr, and others may be tested by sickness, or by being killed…etc.  Allah swt is All-Wise in all that He wills and decrees, and in all that He prescribes for His slaves. Hence Allah swt says (interpretation of the meaning):
“but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah swt’s Leave” [al-Baqarah 2:102]

 The evils that come at the hands of the magicians or others do not happen because our Lord is ignorant, for He knows all things and nothing at all is hidden from Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, Allah swt is the All-Knower of everything”[al-Anfaal 8:75]
“that you may know that Allah swt has power over all things, and that Allâh surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge”[al-Talaaq 65:12]
 So Allah swt knows all things, and nothing happens in His Dominion that He does not will, but He has perfect wisdom and good aims in whatever He decrees should happen to people of honour or humiliation,
 People who have had experience with such situations have related that the following are among the signs of a person who is possessed by jinn (or Satan):
Strong repulsion when hearing Quraan or Aathaan (call for prayers).
Episodes of losing consciousness and/or epileptic attacks, especially when Quraan is recited for the possessed person.
Frequent nightmares during sleep.
Tendency to avoid people accompanied by out-of-the-norm behaviour.
The jinn who possesses him might speak when Quraan is recited for the possessed person.
Madness, as stated in the Quraan (interpretation of the meaning): “Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom Satan by his touch hath driven to [epileptic] madness”2:275
As for a person struck by magic he might experience the following:
Dislike of one’s spouse, as indicated in the Quraan by the following verse (interpretation of the meaning): “And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife…” (Al-Baqarah, 2:102).
Different attitude in the house from that which is outside the house. For example, a person will feel that he is missing his family when is outside the house but when he goes home, love changes quickly to extreme hatred.
Inability to have sexual intercourse with ones spouse.
Frequent miscarriage for pregnant women.
Sudden change in behaviour without obvious reason.
Complete loss of appetite for food.
Thinking or imagining one has done something when in reality one has not.
Sudden obedience and/or love for a particular person.
It should be noted that if a person experiences some of the above symptoms this does not necessarily mean that he is either possessed by a jinn or struck by black magic. It might be due to physiological or psychological reasons.
As for curing this condition the following steps are recommended:
Putting ones trust in Allah with sincere belief that He is the only cure for everything.
Reading Quraan and known supplications expressing seeking refuge, the most important and effective of which is sura 113 and 114, Al-Falaq and Al-Naas, which were used to cure the Prophet himself. Surah 112, Al-Ikhlaas, is recommended along with them, as well as the opening chapter of the Quraan, Al-Fatihah. To cure black magic some have successfully used seven lote-tree leaves. The leaves should be crushed, then mixed them with water enough for taking a bath. The following verses from the Quraan are then recited: verse Al-Kursi (2:255), surah Al-Kafiroon (109), surah 112, 113, 114; the verses which mention magic, which are: in surah Al-Baqarah (2:102), Al-Araaf (7:117-119), Yunus (10:79-82), and Taha (20:65-69). The possessed person drinks some of the water, and the rest is used to give him a bath.
Removing the elements of magic as was done by the Prophet when he was struck by black magic by a Jewish man called Lubaid Ben Al-Aasim.
Eating seven Aaliya Al-Barniy dates (among the dates of Al-Madinah) first thing in the morning; if not possible, any dates will suffice, by the will of Allah swt.Cupping–removing excess blood.
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